“Thus says Yahweh of hosts.
‘Let your hands be strong!
You recently have been hearing
These words
From the mouth
Of the prophets.
They were present
When the foundation
Was laid
For the rebuilding
Of the Temple,
The house of Yahweh of hosts.’”
Yahweh of hosts, via Zechariah, talked about the foundation of the Temple. Their hands had to be strong to finish this work. They had heard from the prophets who were present at the foundation laying. They were now about to rebuild the Temple.
“Consider from this day on,
From the twenty-fourth day
Of the ninth month!
Consider since the day
That the foundation
Of Yahweh’s temple
Was laid!
Is there any seed
Left in the barn?
Does the vine
Still yield nothing?
Does the fig tree
Still yield nothing?
Does the pomegranate tree
Still yield nothing?
Does the olive tree
Still yield nothing?
From this day on,
I will bless you.”
As opposed to the bad harvests of the past, the harvests of the future would be good from this day forward, because this 24th day of the 9th month was the day of the foundation laying for the Second Temple of Yahweh. Then in a series of questions, Yahweh indicated that there would be no seeds left in the barn. The vines, the fig trees, the pomegranate trees, and the olive trees would yield great harvests rather than nothing. From this day on, they were going to be blessed.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 