What is the meaning of Zechariah 8:19?

This is what the LORD of Hosts says

- The voice is not Zechariah’s opinion; it is the Sovereign Commander of heaven’s armies speaking (Isaiah 1:24; Jeremiah 10:16).

- His titles always signal power and covenant faithfulness, guaranteeing that what follows is certain (Malachi 1:14).

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The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months

- These were national fasts marking past judgments:

• Fourth month—breach of Jerusalem’s walls (2 Kings 25:2-4).

• Fifth month—burning of the temple (2 Kings 25:8-9).

• Seventh month—assassination of Governor Gedaliah (2 Kings 25:25).

• Tenth month—start of the siege (2 Kings 25:1; Jeremiah 52:4-6).

- God acknowledges the people’s sorrow but points them forward to His redemptive plan (Zechariah 7:3-5).

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Will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Judah

- The Lord promises to turn mourning into celebration (Psalm 30:11; Jeremiah 31:13).

- This anticipates the Messianic kingdom where sorrow is erased (Isaiah 35:10; Revelation 21:4).

- Not merely cancelled fasts, but transformed into festivals that highlight God’s faithfulness (Zechariah 9:9-10).

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Therefore you are to love both truth and peace

- A redeemed people must live out the character of their Redeemer (Micah 6:8).

- Truth: honesty, faithfulness, and loyalty to God’s Word (Zechariah 8:16; Ephesians 4:25).

- Peace: active pursuit of harmony with God and neighbor (Romans 12:18; Colossians 3:15).

- Loving truth and peace keeps the joy of the new feasts genuine and God-honoring (John 14:6; James 3:17-18).

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summary

God, the LORD of Hosts, promises that Israel’s darkest commemorations will be transformed into vibrant celebrations. Because He guarantees this reversal, His people are called to embody His nature by loving truth and peace, living now in the joy that will one day fill the whole kingdom.