"LORD Almighty says: 'After the Glorious One has sent me" Zechariah 2:8

 

Zechariah 2:8 - A Theologically Complex Verse

The Text: "For this is what the LORD Almighty says: 'After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye—'" (NIV)

The Hebrew is notoriously difficult here, which is why translations vary significantly. This complexity has led to different interpretations.

Christian Trinitarian Interpretation

The Evidence for Two Divine Persons

Christians see this verse as depicting God the Father sending God the Son (pre-incarnate Christ). Here's their reasoning:

1. The Divine Speaker Claims to Be Sent by YHWH

• "The LORD Almighty (YHWH Sabaoth) says"
• Yet immediately: "has sent me"
• The speaker is distinct from YHWH yet speaks with YHWH's authority

2. The Speaker Has Divine Prerogatives

• Promises divine protection: "whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye"
• Only God can claim such intimate relationship with His people
• The speaker acts with full divine authority

3. This Creates a Theological Puzzle for Unitarian Monotheism

• If the speaker is merely a prophet or angel, why does YHWH say "sent me"?
• If it's YHWH speaking, who sent Him?
• Christian answer: Two persons of the one Godhead in relationship

4. Pattern Throughout Zechariah

The book contains multiple instances of this "plurality within unity" pattern:

Zechariah 2:10-11 - "Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,' declares the LORD. 'Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.'"

• Again: "I" (divine person) is sent by "the LORD Almighty"

Zechariah 3:1-2 - "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, 'The LORD rebuke you, Satan!'"

• The LORD speaks, calling on "the LORD" to rebuke Satan
• Two divine persons in dialogue

Zechariah 4:9 - "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you."

• The prophetic voice claims divine sending

Zechariah 6:12-13 - About the Branch who will "build the temple of the LORD... and will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two."

• "Harmony between the two" (or "two offices") - Christians see both messianic and priestly roles united in Christ

Zechariah 12:10 - "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child"

• God says "they will look on me" yet "mourn for him"
• Christians see this as prophesying the crucifixion where God in human form is pierced

Zechariah 13:7 - "'Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!' declares the LORD Almighty"

• God speaks of "my shepherd" who is "the man who is my equal/associate"
• Jesus quotes this in Matthew 26:31 about His own crucifixion

Christian Theological Framework

From this pattern, Christians argue:

1. The Angel of the LORD tradition - Throughout OT, the "Angel of the LORD" both IS YHWH and is DISTINCT from YHWH (Genesis 16:7-13, 22:11-18, Exodus 3:2-6, Judges 6:11-24, 13:3-22)
2. Pre-incarnate Christ appearances - These are "Christophanies"—the Second Person of the Trinity appearing before the Incarnation
3. Divine plurality in unity - Hebrew "Elohim" (plural), "Let us make mankind" (Genesis 1:26), "The LORD rained down... sulfur from the LORD" (Genesis 19:24)
4. Fulfillment in Jesus - John 17:3-8, 18, Jesus constantly speaks of being "sent by the Father"

Jewish Interpretations

Traditional Jewish Perspectives

Jewish interpreters have several approaches to these challenging texts:

1. The Prophet Speaking on God's Behalf

The most common traditional view:

• The prophet Zechariah is speaking
• God commissions him with "the LORD Almighty says"
• The "sent me" refers to the prophet's commission
• Common prophetic formula: prophet speaks in first person as God's mouthpiece

Support:

• Isaiah 6:8 - "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" Then Isaiah responds
• Jeremiah 1:7 - "The LORD said to me... 'You must go to everyone I send you to'"
• Many prophets use "I" language when delivering divine oracles

2. Textual/Grammatical Issues

Some Jewish scholars note the Hebrew text is difficult:

• Possible textual corruption or scribal error
• The grammar is genuinely ambiguous
• Ancient translations (Septuagint, Targums) struggled with it
• "'achar kavod" (after glory) is an unusual phrase

Rashi (11th century) interprets: The nations will know God's glory after He sends His divine word/promise

Ibn Ezra (12th century) suggests grammatical solutions that maintain strict monotheism

3. Divine Attribute or Emanation

Some Jewish mystical traditions (Kabbalah):

• Different aspects or manifestations of the one God
• Not separate persons but different modes of divine self-revelation
• The Sefirot (divine attributes/emanations)
• Still maintaining absolute divine unity (Shema: "The LORD is One")

4. Angelic Messenger

• The speaker could be an angel speaking in God's name
• Angels in Scripture sometimes speak as if they ARE God while being messengers
• Similar to how ambassadors speak with full authority of the nation they represent

Targum Jonathan (Aramaic paraphrase):

• Often interprets "Angel of the LORD" passages as angelic beings, not God Himself
• Maintains strict distinction between Creator and creation

Jewish Theological Framework

Core Commitment to Absolute Divine Unity:

Deuteronomy 6:4 - The Shema: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one"

• This is the central confession of Jewish faith
• Any interpretation must preserve absolute monotheism
• No division, plurality, or partnership in the Godhead

Maimonides' 13 Principles (12th century):

• Principle 2: "God is One" - absolute, indivisible unity
• Any Christian reading that suggests plurality within God violates this core principle

Responses to Christian Interpretation:

1. Prophetic commissioning language is common - doesn't require multiple divine persons
2. "Angel of the LORD" passages - These are created angelic beings or prophetic visions, not God Himself
3. First-person divine speech - Standard prophetic rhetoric where prophet speaks in God's voice
4. Hebrew "Elohim" plural - Plural of majesty/intensity, not numerical plurality (like royal "we")
5. "Let us make" passages - God speaking to angels, or plural of majesty, or divine council (not divine persons)

Key Interpretive Differences

Presuppositions Shape Reading

Christian approach:

• Reads OT through lens of NT revelation
• Christ is key to understanding OT prophecies
• Progressive revelation allows later clarity on earlier hints
• Trinity is revealed gradually across both Testaments

Jewish approach:

• OT must be understood on its own terms
• Later texts don't reinterpret earlier foundations
• Monotheism is crystal clear from beginning
• Christian readings impose foreign concepts onto Hebrew text

Hermeneutical Circle

Christians argue:

• The NT provides the interpretive key
• Jesus and apostles read OT this way (John 8:56, 12:41)
• The "mystery" revealed in Christ was hidden in OT (Ephesians 3:4-6)
• Zechariah makes sense when you know the full story

Jews respond:

• Using NT to interpret Hebrew Bible is circular reasoning
• If Trinity were true, it should be clear in OT itself
• God wouldn't hide His essential nature from Israel
• Simpler explanations (prophet speaking) require fewer assumptions

The Honest Difficulty

What makes Zechariah 2:8 (and similar passages) genuinely challenging:

1. The grammar IS unusual - Both sides acknowledge the Hebrew is difficult
2. The pattern IS repeated - Multiple passages in Zechariah show this "sent by YHWH" language
3. Ancient interpreters struggled - Even ancient translations show uncertainty about how to render it
4. Both readings require theological frameworks - Neither interpretation is "obvious" from the text alone

From a Christian Perspective

These passages provide OT foundation for Trinitarian theology:

• Not full revelation but hints and shadows
• The "mystery" that would be revealed in Christ
• God preparing His people for the Incarnation
• Continuity between OT promise and NT fulfillment

From a Jewish Perspective

These passages show:

• Normal prophetic language patterns
• God's transcendence AND immanence without division
• The richness of Hebrew expression
• No need for complex theological constructs foreign to Torah

Modern Scholarly Views

Academic biblical scholars (regardless of faith commitment) note:

1. Zechariah's apocalyptic style - Uses vivid, sometimes confusing imagery
2. Possible redaction history - The book may have been edited/compiled over time
3. Persian period influences - Written in context of return from exile
4. Genre considerations - Visionary/prophetic literature has its own conventions

Conclusion

Zechariah 2:8 remains a crux interpretum (interpretive crossroads) between Christianity and Judaism.

For Christians: It's part of a pattern of OT texts that hint at the mystery of the Trinity—one God existing in eternal relationship, preparing the way for the Incarnation where the Son would be "sent" by the Father to redeem His people.

For Jews: It's prophetic language where Zechariah speaks on God's behalf, maintaining the absolute, indivisible unity of God that is foundational to Torah and Jewish faith.

Both communities read the text through interpretive frameworks shaped by their broader theological commitments. The text itself is genuinely difficult, which is why this conversation has continued for two millennia.

What's remarkable is how central this question is to each faith's understanding of God's nature—and how much rides on how we read these challenging Hebrew texts.