King James Version

What Does Zechariah 2:6 Mean?

Zechariah 2:6 in the King James Version says “Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds ...” — study this verse from Zechariah chapter 2 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.

“Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.”

Zechariah 2:6 · KJV

Context

4

And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:

5

For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

6

Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.

7

Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.

8

For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

Read Zechariah 2 full chapter

Commentary

KJV Study Commentary
Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD. The double interjection hoy hoy (הוֹי הוֹי) functions as an urgent call or alarm—attention! Emergency! God calls exiles still in eretz tsafon (אֶרֶץ צָפוֹן, the land of the north—Babylon/Mesopotamia) to nusu (נֻסוּ, flee/escape). Though Cyrus permitted return (538 BC), many Jews remained in Babylon by choice, having established lives and businesses there.

The reason for urgency: ki kh-arba ruchot hashamayim perashtikhem (כִּי כְאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם פֵּרַשְׂתִּי אֶתְכֶם, for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens). God scattered them to the four directions—comprehensive dispersion as judgment. But now He calls them back. The scattering was divine discipline; the gathering demonstrates mercy. Remaining in Babylon when God calls them home constitutes disobedience and forfeiture of promised blessing.

This urgent call parallels Revelation 18:4's command to flee Babylon before judgment falls. Babylon represents the world system opposed to God—comfortable, prosperous, but doomed. God's people must separate from it to avoid sharing its judgment.

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Historical & Cultural Context

By 520 BC, 18 years after Cyrus's decree permitting return, many Jews remained in Mesopotamia. Babylon offered economic opportunity, established communities, and relative safety. Why risk the journey to ruined Jerusalem? Yet God commanded return—not merely permitted it. Those who stayed chose comfort over obedience, prosperity over covenant faithfulness.

Zechariah's urgency proved prophetic. Though Persia treated Jews well initially, later Persian kings (Xerxes/Ahasuerus) nearly exterminated them (Esther). The vision warned: Babylon will fall, don't be there when judgment comes. Historically, empires that held Israel captive—Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome—all fell. Eschatologically, Revelation 18 depicts final Babylon's fall, calling God's people to flee before sharing her plagues.

Reflection Questions

  1. What 'Babylons' in your life offer comfort or prosperity but compete with full obedience to God's call?
  2. How does God's command to flee Babylon apply to believers today living in worldly systems?
  3. What does it mean to be spread to the four winds by God, and how should this shape understanding of the global church?

Original Language Analysis

Hebrew · 15 words
ה֗וֹי1 of 15

“Ho”

H1945

oh!

ה֗וֹי2 of 15

“Ho”

H1945

oh!

וְנֻ֛סוּ3 of 15

“come forth and flee”

H5127

to flit, i.e., vanish away (subside, escape; causatively, chase, impel, deliver)

מֵאֶ֥רֶץ4 of 15

“from the land”

H776

the earth (at large, or partitively a land)

צָפ֖וֹן5 of 15

“of the north”

H6828

properly, hidden, i.e., dark; used only of the north as a quarter (gloomy and unknown)

נְאֻם6 of 15

“saith”

H5002

an oracle

יְהוָֽה׃7 of 15

“the LORD”

H3068

(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god

כִּ֠י8 of 15
H3588

(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed

כְּאַרְבַּ֞ע9 of 15

“as the four”

H702

four

רוּח֧וֹת10 of 15

“winds”

H7307

wind; by resemblance breath, i.e., a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the

הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם11 of 15

“of the heaven”

H8064

the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies r

פֵּרַ֥שְׂתִּי12 of 15

“for I have spread you abroad”

H6566

to break apart, disperse, etc

אֶתְכֶ֖ם13 of 15
H853

properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)

נְאֻם14 of 15

“saith”

H5002

an oracle

יְהוָֽה׃15 of 15

“the LORD”

H3068

(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god

Study Guide

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Zechariah. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Zechariah 2:6 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.

Cross-References

Verses related to Zechariah 2:6 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Ezekiel 17:21Isaiah 48:20Isaiah 52:11-12Revelation 18:4Genesis 19:17Deuteronomy 28:64

Places in This Verse

Babylon 1Settlement · Modern: Babylon · 32.54°N, 44.42°E296 verses across 15 books
View all places in Zechariah 2 →

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