GBPress- Gregorian Biblical Press

A Garden of Eden in the Squares of Jerusalem: Zachariah 8:4-6

Author(s): Yair Zakovitch
Source: Gregorianum, Vol. 87, No. 2 (2006), pp. 301-311
Published by: GBPress- Gregorian Biblical Press
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 Gregorianum 87, 2 (2006) 301-311

A Garden of Eden in the Squares of Jerusalem

Zachariah 8:4-6

From time to time during Jerusalem's most difficult periods, periods of

distress and suffering, prophets spoke of their dreams, of good tidings,
expressing words of consolation as they envisioned wondrous times for
Jerusalem at the end of days: a time of hope, peace, and serenity. The major
ity of the visione of consolation in the Bible hark back to the origins, to the
beginnings, to the mystic past, the first pages of the history of the universe,
and even to the early chapters of the other creation, the creation of Israel as
a people with the narrative of the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the
Torah. These two creations, of a universe and of a people, serve the
prophets as a verbal, ideological, and stylistic reservoir, as an outline for the
plans of generations to come. The building blocks of the new world, the new
creation, are derived from the complexities of the old world and require us
to make a comparison between then and now, between the first beginning
that did not realize the expectations of an ideal world but rather brought in
its wake disappointment and suffering, and the new beginning, a better
one, that would bring with it goodness, peace, and tranquility, to the city
and to mankind.
The quiet prophecy that I will deal with in this short article does not
recali the creation traditions of the ancient past; it does not echo the stories
of the creation of the world or the people. But is it devoid of any allusion to
the past, if only to the immediate past? The answer will come through a
detailed interpretation of the text, Zechariah 8:4-6.

4Thus said the Lords of Hosts: The shall yet he old men and old women in the
squares of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age.
5 And the squares of the city shall be crowded with boys and girls playing in the
squares.
6Thus said the lords of Hosts: Though it will appear impossible in the eyes of
the remnant of this people in those days, in my eyes will it also be impossible?
- declares the Lords of Hosts.

The prophet Zechariah witnessed the return to Zion and saw with his

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 302 YAIR ZAKOVITCH

own eyes the beginning of the construction of the Second Tempie in the
days of King Darius. Zechariah's prophecies (chapters 1-8) were created
over a short time - in accordance with the references that date them - from
the eighth month of the second year of the reign of King Darius (1:1) until
to the fourth year of Darius (7:1), i.e. 520-518 BCE.
Zechariah continues the prophetic activities of the Haggai, who proph
esied from the sixth month until the ninth month in the second year of King
Darius (Haggai 1:1; 2:10). Both are mentioned together in the Book of Ezra,
as having witnessed the construction of the city and the tempie (5:1; 6:14).
Zechariah encouraged the returned exiles to put their trust in God, to over
come the tribulations of days lacking both glory and tranquility, to take part
in the building of the tempie and to look forward to an illustrious future.
Zechariah 8 contains many prophecies that open with the formula, «Thus
said the Lord of Hosts», and each one foresees greatness for Jerusalem and
Judea. Our passage (w. 4-6) is placed between two other prophecies (w. 3;
7-8). One speaks of the return of the Lord to Jerusalem and of making His
dwelling there: «I have returned to Zion and I will dwell in Jerusalem», while
the other tells of the return of the people of the Lord to Jerusalem and of His
dwelling among them: «and I will bring them home to dwell in Jerusalem»
(v. 8). The first of these prophecies believes that Jerusalem will be «a city of
faithfulness» (v. 3); the second promises harmonious relations between the
Lord and His people: «They shall be My people and I will be their God - in
truth and sincerity» (v. 8).
In contrast to these surrounding prophecies, our text does not include
God in the peaceful and harmonious picture that it presents to the listen
er/reader; but both of the surrounding prophecies and verse 6 in our
prophecy make clear that the benevolent hand of God directs the course of
events, and that it is His will that will bring serenity to Jerusalem.
While the closing verse of our prophecy calls the returnees to Zion «the
remnant of this people» (v. 6), the prophecy that follows clarifies that «this
people» means God's people, who will be well cared for by Him: «I will res
cue My people. [...] They shall be My people» (w. 7-8).
Our text divides into two sections (w. 4-5; 6); both open with the for
mula «Thus said the Lord of Hosts».1
The first section paints a serene picture - the young and the elderly
mill about fearlessly in the streets of Jerusalem. The second section, pre
sented as a rhetorical question posed by God, makes clear that there should

1 The commonly held assumption that verse 6 stands on its own cannot be accepted. See
D.L. Petersen, Haggai and Zechariah 1-8 (OTL), London, 1984, 301; C.L. Meyers - E. Meyers,
Haggai, Zechariah 1-8 (AB), Garden City (N.Y.), 1987, 417. How would this cause wonderment
among the people if the promise had not been made in the previous verses?

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 A GARDEN OF EDEN 303

be no doubt that the promise will be kept, since God will have no difficulty
in putting it into action. In order to give authenticity to the promise, the
prophecy concludes with the words: «declares the Lord of Hosts» (v. 6). In
this way, the appellation «Lord of Hosts» appears at the beginning, middle,
and end of the prophecy.
The first part of the prophecy, the serene picture of the squares of
Jerusalem, also divides into two: the first element (v. 4) presente a static and
silent picture of elderly men and women sitting in the squares of the city. In
the second (v. 5) there is development: a band of boys and girls rushes to the
front of the stage, fìlling it with the gaiety of life, movement and voices, jubi
lation and games.
The prophecy portrays old men and old women along with boys and
girls, but does not refer to the non-elderly, adult population. It could be
argued that this is an example of merismus, i.e. a naming of extremes which
also refers to that which is between them, for example «young and old»
(Genesis 19:4; Joshua 6:21; Esther 3:13). But it seems that this prophecy
refers only to old people and children, the weak members of society who
require defense. And yet, these people are depicted as if in complete secu
rity and feeling no fear; they do not require the powerful parts of the popu
lation to guard them from persecutors. That the old people and children
can exist in serenity is proof that they have sustenance, are not required to
seek a livelihood, and are free from such a burden. The provisions made by
the adults not included in the picture are suffìcient to meet ali their needs.2
The prophecy specifìcally refers to both sexes, mentioning both old
men and old women, boys and girls; in this urban Garden, serene and
secure, men and women live in harmony, without the tensions that sex
engenders; one group is already satiated, the other has yet to hunger.3
In the paradise (Garden of Eden) of Jerusalem's squares there is no dis
ruption of the laws of creation: people grow old and even require support.
But there are no snakes, no serpents in the city's squares: there is no foe to
spoil the harmony and security, so that the people in the Garden are able to
reach a ripe old age. The word rehovot appears three times in this prophecy.
It refers to the city's open spaces, its «squares», its markets (see the com
mentary below), and gives further expression of the feelings of security
experienced by the old and the young, who do not have to shut themselves
up in their dark houses, moving from room to room in order to hide from
threats to their wellbeing. This is also the reason that the prophecy does not
make reference to the city's walls and turrets, which guard it against ene
mies. The feeling of security is so complete that it is already impossible to

! C.L. Meyers - E. Meyers, Haggai, 415.

! See D.L. Peterson, Haggai, 300.

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 304 YAIR ZAKOVITCH

discern the measures taken to achieve it. The setting of this urban scene, the
description of the city's squares, is minimal: there is no description of lively
trading in the city's marketplaces, nor do we hear the sounds emanating
from the artisans' workshops. Ali these would bring to the fore the world
dominated by the middle-aged, a world that has, as stated above, no place
in this prophecy.
The concise prophecy refrains from mentioning that the weather in the
city is pleasant, warm and temperate, enabling the old people and children
to enjoy their sojourn outside their homes; the prophet-poet leaves it to the
reader to fili in this lacuna. Nor does the prophet specify whether there is
any contact between the two groups: do the elderly watch the games of the
children who fili the squares? The old people are probably unable to ignore
the tumult of children who suddenly fili the area where they previously sat,
alone.

Commentary
Verse 4

The formula «Thus said the Lord of Hosts» is found throughout the
prophecies of Zechariah in general and especially in chapter 8. Thus we are
exempt, if only formally, from explaining its pertinence to this prophecy,
since it is a fixed formula that was not created specifically for this particular
text. However, it should be pointed out that whether the «hosts» of the Lord
signifies the hosts of heaven (e.g. as in Isaiah 34:4; Nehemiah 9:6), celestial
bodies subject to His authority which fulfill His demands and fighi His bat
tles (see Judges 5:20), or whether the reference is to the armies of His peo
ple Israel (as e.g. in Exodus 7:4; 12:17,41), to whom he wondrously revealed
his kindness, it is clear that the designation, expressing authority and
power, awakens faith in the keeping of the promise that follows.4
Opening the vision of the future with the words «There shall yet be»
recalls other prophecies containing promises of a future of bounty, such as:
«For thus said the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: "Houses, fields, and vine
yards shall again be purchased in this land"» (Jeremiah 32:15 and in
Zechariah: «Thus said the Lord of Hosts: My towns shall yet overflow with
bounty. For the Lord will again comfort Zion; He will choose Jerusalem
again» [1:17]).5 The text does not speak of the city's security, cf. «Jerusalem
shall be peopled as a city without walls» (Zechariah, 2:8), «and Jerusalem

4 On the designation «Lord of Hosts» and its role in the Books of Haggai and Zechariah see
T.N.D. Mettinger, The Dethronement of Sabaoth, Lund, 1982.
5 For prophecies of «There shall yet be» see WA.M. Beuken, Haggai - Sacharya 1-8, Assen,
1967, 176-7.

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 A GARDEN OF EDEN 305

shall dwell secure» (ibid. 14:11), but to the security and welfare of the peo
ple living in it (see for example Leviticus 25:18-19; 26:5; Isaiah 32:18). The
elderly of Jerusalem sitting- a static picture, almost motionless, as befits the
venerable age that they have reached thanks to the peace that exists in the
country.
Alongside the old men are mentioned also «old women» (a term that
does not appear anywhere else in the Bible), meaning that the old men in
the picture are not leaders or authorities (as in Deuteronomy 21:2; 2 Kings
10:1; Ruth 4:9), nor men of experience and wisdom (e.g. Ezekiel 7:26), but
rather, they are the elderly and feeble who are entitled to sit together with
their wives in repose.
The old men and women are resting in the city's squares (Nahum 2:5;
Proverbs 1:20; 7:12; 22:13), the open and spacious areas near the city gates (as
e.g. 2 Chronicles 32:6). The prophet chose the term rehovot and not another
for the open spaces, the market place, because the root of rehovot, r-h-b,
«spacious», connotes positive meanings of abundance, fertility, and security,
as e.g., «the Lord has granted us ampie space» (Genesis 26:22); «to a good and
spacious land» (Exodus 3:8); «and do not hand me over to my enemy, but
grant me relief» (literally: «make my feet stand in a broad place») (Psalms
31:9). The presence of the old people in the squares, evidence of their feeling
secure that no harm will befall them, is in sharp contrast to memories ffom
the not too distant past: the destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of the First
Tempie: «My eyes are spent with tears, my heart is in tumult, my being melts
away over the ruin of my poor people, as babes and sucklings languish in the
squares of the city. They keep asking their mothers "Where is bread and
wine?" as they languish as battle-wounded in the squares of the town»
(Lamentations 2: 11-12); «Our steps were checked, we could not walk in our
squares. Our doom is near, our days are done - alas our doom has come» (ibid
4:18); «Prostrate in the squares lie both young and old. My maidens and
youths are fallen by the sword» (ibid. 2:21). On the evils of war perpetrated in
the squares, see as well Amos 5:16; Jeremiah 9:20.6
The word rehovot appears twice in the text that follows but only once
together with «Jerusalem», Yerushalayim. In the name Yerushalayim we
hear the sound shalom, «peace». In this way the author suggests the
approaching peace.7
The prophet now focuses on one detail relating to the old men, the staff
in their hands. It was not by chance that the prophet chose the word «staff»

6 Cf. A. Petitjean, Les oracles du Proto-Zacharie: un programme de restauration pour le

communauté juive après l'exil, Paris, 1969, 372-373. C.L. Meyers - E. Meyers, Haggai, 415-416.
7 On covert name derivations ofYerushalayim from shalom, see Isaiah 10:11-12; Jeremiah
4:10; 15:5; Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalms 122:10-7. See also J. A. Montgomery, «Paronomasia on the
Name of Jerusalem» in Journal ofBiblical l.iterature 49 (1930) 277-282.

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306 YAIR ZAKOVITCH

(mishenet, lit. «something to lean on») and not another, such as mateh (also
«staff»), which connotes also power and authority (as e.g. Genesis 38:18), or
shevet («scepter» as in Genesis 49:10), or even makel («stick»), used by a per
son while walking (as in Exodus 12:11). The word mishenet implies the old
man's need of something to lean on. Not wounds of war or blows inflicted by
enemies have forced the old man to lean on his staff (cf. Exodus 21:18-19),
but the burden of his age («long life» as in 1 Kings 3:11). The blessing
expressed in our text does not, therefore, signal a change in the laws of the
universe; the elderly will indeed experience their old age, they will experi
ence its aches and pains, but their later years will be good and respectable:
leaning on their staffs as they make their way to their customary seats on the
city's squares, they will not need to ask for the assistance of anyone else.

Verse 5

The reader of the previous verse will not yet have appreciated the full
abundance of the blessing: he will have seen only the old men and women
sitting silently (we don't even know if they are many or few). The Viewer may
wonder whether only old people were left in this city that does not burst
forth with life. Verse 5 relieves the reader's concern; in it we come upon life's
joy, children pouring forth into the squares and filling them.
We stated above that people were the subject of the prophecy: «There
shall yet be old men and women» (v. 4), but this verse begins with the city's
squares as subject, the squares in which the old people are sitting: the eyes
of the viewer-reader rest on the elderly people and the sparse scenery
around them - the empty squares that will now overflow with boys and girls,
in contrast to the old men and women, so signifying the continuity of life
that occurs, in ali its force.
The verb yimalu, «will be filled», suggests both the movement that sud
denly burst into the city's squares as well as the large number of children.
The verb also expresses great blessing, as in that of God to Adam and Ève at
the time of the creation: «Be fertile and increase, fili (mil'u) the earth»
(Genesis 1:28). The root m-/-'also interacts with the root r-h-b, which refers
to wideness and abundance: «Open your mouth wide and I will fili it»
(Psalms 81:11).
The children, like the old people, are weak and require defense.8 Once
again the memory of suffering during the time of the destruction of the First
Tempie is aroused, when the weak were not even able to seek the aid of their
mothers: «With their own hands, tenderhearted women have cooked their
children; such became their fare, in the disaster of my poor people»

' See e.g. Genesis 21:14; Exodus 2:3-9.

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 A GARDEN OF EDEN 307

(Lamentations 4:10). The prophet envisions children no longer suffering

sorrow and anxiety. He again places them in the center of the picture
though instead of being the object of the sentence they now become the
subject: «boys and girls playing in the squares». The verb mesahakim, «play
ing», conveys the children's joy (see e.g. Jeremiah 15:16-17), the sounds
music accompanying the playing (e.g., Jeremiah 30:19), as well as the move
ment of the dancers (e.g. 2 Samuel 6:5; Jeremiah 31:4).9 The stili and quiet
square is suddenly filled with life, movement, and peals of joy. It is not sur
prising, therefore, that the prophet began with the elderly before moving on
to children; the children's appearance makes it clear that the city brims with
life, peacefiilness, and happiness.
The verse that tells us about the children opens with the image of the
city-square and closes with it: «playing in the squares». This is the third (and
last) use of the word rehovot in this short prophecy, an indication of its
importance in expressing the prophecy's message - the feeling of security
that exists in the city of Jerusalem.

Verse 6

As in the first part, so also the prophecy's second part opens with a for
mula that is meant to reassure us of the prophecy's truth, by reminding us
of its authority: «Thus said the Lord of Hosts». The continuation of the text
is in the form of a rhetoric question, a stylistic favorite of the prophet (see
1:5,6; 7:5,6,7),'° the answer to which is negative. The assumption upon
which the question rests, «Though it will appear impossible (iti yìpale] in
the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days», may at first seem
strange: Why would an everyday portrayal of city-square with old people
leaning on their staffs and children playing happily seem impossible? Were
not many the wonders (nifla'ot) worked by God in the course of creation
(see e.g. Exodus 3:20; 34:10-11; Joshua 3:5; Judges 6:13) as well as marvels
{pele, as e.g. Exodus 15:11-13; Psalms 78:11-13)? However, the root of the
Hebrew word peleh («wonder, marvel» implies ali that is formidable and
beyond the comprehension of human beings; see for example: «If a case is
too baffling for you to decide» (Deuteronomy 17:8), and God's control of the
process of creation and its laws (Psalms 89:6,10-12). Indeed, there are those
who believe that it is precisely in the daily routine, in the regular workings
of the laws of creation and the administering of the world according to law
and order, that we find the real wonder. Thus according to Philo of
Alexandria: «Ali things that do not occur in the normal order of things and

9 The verb s-h-k declined in kal expresses the feeling of security; see also Proverbs 31:25;
Job 39:7,18,22; 41:21.
10 See C.L. Meyers - E. Meyers, Haggai, 430.

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 308 YAIR ZAKOVITCH

appear as being able to be avoided are trivial in comparison with the truly
great feats, that is the marvel of nature and the universe» (Life of Moses I,
212-213). Similarly is the idea expressed in the midrash by Rabbi Akiba on
the verse: «"How many are the things You have made, Ο Lord" (Psalms
104:24) -You have made great creations in the sea and on the land. Creations
in the sea, if they went onto the land they died. And the creations on the
land, if they went into the sea they died [...] the place of living for one is
death for the other, and the place of life for one is death for the other - and
say: "How many are the things You have made, Ο Lord"» (Book Eight, chap
ter 5,52, p. 2, according to the Roman manuscript, Finkelstein edition, 208)."
This everyday picture that Zechariah presente causes wonder and sur
prise because it stands in poignant contrast to the experience of the past
and present. The real diffìculties of the present, in a world lacking glory, in
the disappointing period which represented the supposed fulfillment of the
dream of returning to Israel, are felt in our prophecy in the characterization
of those who scoff at the prophet's promises, those characterized as: «The
remnant (she'erit) of this people in those days». The word she'erit reveals
that this people, the people of Jerusalem, are only a remnant of their previ
ous self. Those whose flesh stili bears the scars of past events will find it dif
ficult to believe that days of routine and serenity await them. The use of
she'erit expresses a small number of people, and is in contrast to the
promise: «And the city shall be crowded with boys and girls». But it also sig
nifies optimism, a sign of God's compassion for His people. So we find in the
continuation, in verses 11-12: «But now I will not treat the remnant of this
people as before - declares the Lord of Hosts. But what it sows shall prosper:
the vine shall produce its fruit, the ground shall produce its yield, and the
skies shall provide their moisture. I will bestow ali these things upon the
remnant of this people».12
The word she'erit does not necessarily have the connotation of small
numbers, on the contrary: «And I will turn the lame into a remnant and the
expelled into a populous nation» (Micah 4:7; cf. also ibid. 2:12); the remnant
can also reveal great power (ibid. 5:6-7) and live peacefully (Zephaniah
3:13).
The wonderment of the remnant is not apparent while they listen to
the prophet's message. It is in the fulfillment of the promise, «in those days»
(cf. e.g. Jeremiah 3:16, 18; 31:29; 33:15-16),13 that the people of Jerusalem
will not believe what is before their eyes. It is here that the prophecy indi

11 Cf. E. Urbach, TheSages. Their Concepts and Beliefs, Jerusalem, 1979,111.

12 Regarding «remnant of the people», see further Haggai 1:12,14; 2:2.
13 «In those days» meaning «at the end of days». In the book of Zechariah the singular «on
that day» is common (see 2:15; 3:10; 6:10). In Zech 8:23, we find bayamim hahema.

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 A GARDEN OF EDEN 309

rectly refers to the rest of the people, the adulte who are not present in the
city's squares. They will witness the scene, together with God; but while they
will be astonished, He will not.
The contrast between the astonished remnant and God is expressed in
the chiastic structure of the rhetoric question:

Though it will appear impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people
In my eyes will it also be impossible?

Indeed there is nothing impossible for God, nothing He will fìnd diffi
cult to do; see similar rhetorical questions: «Is anything too wondrous for
the Lord?» (Genesis 18:14); «Behold I am the Lord, the God of ali flesh. Is
anything too wondrous for Me?» (Jeremiah 32:27; see also ibid v. 17).
Our prophecy ends with the formula «declares the Lord of Hosts», a
formula prevalent in this hook (see e.g. in this chapter v. 11 in which, as I
already mentioned, the combination «the remnant of this people» appears,
also). This formula confirms God's intention to implement his promise.
Along with the three repetitions of rehovot in the prophecy, so does the term
«the Lord of Hosts» appears thrice; the Lord of Hosts is the guarantee of the
security and peace of Jerusalem's squares, the city's open spaces that are
filled with both the old and the young.

Conclusion

Thus we have seen how the prophecy in Zechariah 8:4-6 does not refer
to great events of the distant past; we have found, however, subtle allusione
to atrocities of the recent past, to the fate of the elderly as well as the chil
dren in the squares of the city during the destruction Jerusalem and its tem
pie, as they have been formulated in Lamentations. Our text is a sort of pro
traction of the ailments of the destruction, an obliteration of the traumatic
events of those days, evoking the great dramas, tragedies, with the peaceful
and security of mundane routine, the end of wars, the end of history.
Not only are allusione to the creation narrative absent from this short
prophecy; the portrayal of Jerusalem is minimal. The Tempie Mount is
absent, as are soldiers and ramparts, turrets and towers; ali that we see are
the city's squares. The curse of the past has become a blessing for the future;
the trap of death during the destruction of the Tempie will become a sym
bol of security during times of mundane life.
The prophecy contains neither similes nor metaphors; it is absolutely
simple. And it is precisely this simplicity that is a cause of wonderment, that
will arouse the skepticism of the remnant. Our prophecy stands in stark
contrast to many other prophecies about the Days to Come - prophecies
that promise a wondrous future, a new creation, and changes in the laws of
nature, prophecies that contain no allusione to the reactions of onlookers,

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310 YAIR ZAKOVITCH

doubts of promises made by the Lord and his prophet. It is precisely this
simple prophecy, a vision of security and sanctuary for old men, women,
boys, and girls, that will arouse skepticism in the word of God, because it
alone narrates in straightforward and recognizable terms, it alone remains
grounded without ascending to heights of fantasy.
Jerusalem of our text is contemporary and humane; it is ahistoric. It
reminds me of a wonderful poem by the Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai,
«Tourists», which rebels against history while yearning for the days when
the daily routine will replace the dramas of the past:
Once I sat on the steps by a gate of David's Tower, I placed my two heavy bas
kets at my side. A group of tourists was standing around their guide and I
became their target marker. «You see that man with the baskets? Just right of
his head there's an arch from the Roman period. Just right of his head». «But
he's moving, he's moving». I said to myself: Redemption will come only if their
guide tells them, «You see that arch from the Roman period? It's not important:
but next to it, left and down a bit, there sits a man who's bought fruit and veg
etables for his family».14

And so we fìnd two poets, living 2,500 years apart, who both discovered
the secret of the redemption: discarding the past and blessing the peaceful
ness of routine, the serenity of everyday life.

Father Takeji Otsuki Professor of Bible Yair Yair

Zakovitch
Zakovitch
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

"YAmichai, Poems ofjerusalem. A BilingualEdition, Jerusalem, 1978,176-177.

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 A GARDEN OF EDEN 311

SUMMARY

Prophecies concerning an incredible End of Days for the city of Jerusalem usu
ally make use of stories that deal with beginnings in order to build from their bits
and pieces a new one, a new an better beginning. This is not the case in our prophecy,
that found in Zechariah 8:4-6, which does not rearrange the order of the creation
but instead promises the city days of routine and peace, days in which the weaker
elements of society, the elderly and the very young, will enjoy complete security and
will have no need for the protection of the powerfirl. The prophecy yet makes subtle
allusion to recent hardships, to the destructìon of Jerusalem as that event is shown
to us in the book of Lamentations. Unlike the fantasticai prophecies, it is precisely
the promise of quiet routine that threatens to awaken doubt in the dark and difficult
days in which Zechariah lives, and so God announces with insistence that the
promise will indeed be fulfilled.

Le profezie riguardanti un'incredibile fine dei giorni per la città di

Gerusalemme usano solitamente le storie che si occupano degli inizi per sviluppare
dai loro resti un nuovo e migliore inizio. Non è il caso della profezia di cui ci occu
piamo, fondata su Zac 8, 4-6, che non riorganizza l'ordine della creazione, ma
promette piuttosto alla città giorni di routine e pace, giorni in cui gli elementi più
deboli della società, anziani e fanciulli, godranno di una completa sicurezza e non
avranno bisogno della protezione del potente. La profezia, tuttavia, fa un'allusione
sottile alle difficoltà recenti, alla distruzione di Gerusalemme quale evento indica
toci nel libro delle Lamentazioni. Diversamente dalle profezie fantastiche, è pre
cisamente la promessa della tranquilla routine che minaccia di risvegliare il dubbio
nei giorni bui e difficili in cui Zaccaria vive e così Dio annuncia con insistenza che
la promessa sarà effettivamente compiuta.

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