Bible Strands
Zechariah 2:1
Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Zechariah addresses his audience while recounting a visionary encounter. He describes lifting his eyes to observe a man holding a measuring cord during a revelation concerning Jerusalem's restoration.
The words — The Hebrew phrase וָ/אֶשָּׂ֥א עֵינַ֛/י (va./'e.Sa 'ei.Na/i) literally means "and I lifted up eyes," denoting the deliberate act of focusing attention. The term חֶ֥בֶל מִדָּֽה\ (Che.vel mi.Dah) translates to "a cord of measurement," specifying the tool used for assessment.
The thread — This vision of a measuring figure parallels the prophetic imagery in Ezekiel 40:3 and Ezekiel 40:5, where a man with a linen cord and measuring rod surveys the temple. The theme of divine measurement for Jerusalem also connects to Zechariah 1:16, which announces God's return to the city with mercy and the rebuilding of His house.
Why it lands — The text explicitly records a man holding a measuring line to assess Jerusalem's dimensions. This requires the reader to acknowledge that God's future plans are fixed and precise, demanding attentive observation rather than speculative anxiety about the city's fate.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 40:3 So He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze. He was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.
- Zechariah 1:16 Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My house will be rebuilt, declares the LORD of Hosts, and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’
- Ezekiel 40:5 And I saw a wall surrounding the temple area. Now the length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits (each measuring a cubit and a handbreadth), and he measured the wall to be one rod thick and one rod high.
- Ezekiel 47:4 Then he measured off a thousand cubits and led me through knee-deep water. Again he measured a thousand cubits and led me through waist-deep water.
- Revelation 11:1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there.
- Revelation 21:15 The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls.
- Zechariah 1:18 Then I looked up and saw four horns.