Bible Strands
Zechariah 8:13
As you have been a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid; let your hands be strong.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD of Hosts speaks to the house of Judah and house of Israel in the post-exilic period, positioned between a promise of agricultural abundance (v.12) and a reminder of past divine judgment (v.14).
The words — קְלָלָה (qĕllāh, H7045), "a curse," is the hinge: the same verb הָיָה (hāyāh, "to be") that framed their cursed status now frames their blessed one, making the reversal structural rather than merely declarative.
The thread — The curse-to-blessing reversal echoes the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:2) and the Davidic hope (Psalm 72:17), while Zephaniah 3:20 parallels the restoration of national reputation among the nations.
Why it lands — The verse closes with a command to stop fearing and strengthen one's hands, asking the reader to treat God's reversal of their cursed reputation as a settled fact requiring resolve, not a hope requiring reassurance.
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
And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.
Cross-references
- Genesis 12:2 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
- Psalms 72:17 May his name endure forever; may his name continue as long as the sun shines. In him may all nations be blessed; may they call him blessed.
- Zephaniah 3:20 At that time I will bring you in; yes, at that time I will gather you. For I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your captives before your very eyes,” says the LORD.
- Zechariah 8:9 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were present when the foundations were laid to rebuild the temple, the house of the LORD of Hosts.
- 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong.
- Ruth 4:11 “We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.
- Ezekiel 5:15 So you will be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror to the nations around you, when I execute judgments against you in anger, wrath, and raging fury. I, the LORD, have spoken.
- Jeremiah 29:18 I will pursue them with sword and famine and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—a curse, a desolation, and an object of scorn and reproach among all the nations to which I banish them.
- Zechariah 10:6 I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them, and they will be as though I had not rejected them. For I am the LORD their God, and I will answer them.
- Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.