The occurrence of the conjunction For indicates that the verse is to be linked closely with the previous one, giving the reason for the command to leave Babylon. There are several problems in this verse. The first is to decide who is speaking. The formula thus said the LORD of hosts is a typical way of introducing a message from a prophet. Furthermore the words sent me suggest strongly that the prophet himself is the speaker. Translators are advised to accept this view, which is well expressed in Good News Translation “So the LORD Almighty sent me with this message….” Contemporary English Version is similar. For comments on LORD of hosts, see the notes on Hag 1.2.
After his glory sent me: Another problem occurs in this clause. After his glory translates two Hebrew words, literally “after glory.” These words have puzzled interpreters for a long time. There are many possible interpretations.
(1) Some scholars such as Amsler, Meyers & Meyers, and Redditt (1995) think that glory is just another way of referring to God himself. Revised Standard Version seems to take this view, as does Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (compare New Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible), indicating it by inserting the word his, which can refer back only to the LORD of hosts.
(2) Other scholars (Mitchell, Delcor) take his glory to refer to the vision of verses 1-5. The translation would then be “after the vision he sent me.”
(3) Others take the words to mean “with glory.” This view seems to underlie the Traduction œcuménique de la Bible rendering “he who sent me with authority.”
(4) Others (Baldwin, following Chary) translate “with insistence he sent me.”
(5) Others take the words as closely linked with those that follow and translate “He who sent me after glory” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh; compare Merrill).
(6) In New International Version the glory is taken as conferred upon the prophet, and the translation is “After he has honored me and sent me.”
(7) Some scholars (for example Jerusalem Bible, Thomas) wish to change two letters of the traditional Hebrew text and translate “he whose glory has sent me.”
(8) New English Bible and Revised English Bible take two letters of one word in the traditional Hebrew text in the opposite order and translate “he sent me on a glorious mission.” Bible en français courant and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente are similar.
(9) In Good News Translation, as the footnote shows, the two problem words are omitted.
(10) In Moffatt the two words are transferred to the end of verse 9 (“has sent me to proclaim his glory”).
(11) Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament takes glory in the sense of “treasure” (a sense it may also have in Hag 2.7 where Revised Standard Version has “splendor”), and translates “The LORD of hosts has declared this, he who, in order to obtain a treasure, sent me to the pagan peoples who plundered you….” This relates verse 8 to the plundering of the gentile nations in verse 9. No available version follows this proposal, though it has its attraction.
The above list is not exhaustive! With so many different views available, it is impossible to give firm guidance to translators. Probably the first of the choices listed above is best. As Meyers & Meyers point out, the word translated sent me occurs again in the following verse with “the LORD of hosts” as subject, and this increases the likelihood that the LORD is also the subject here. So it seems best to interpret glory to refer to the LORD himself. Translators could therefore render this as “after he by his power sent me” or “after the glorious LORD sent me” (compare Contemporary English Version “the glorious LORD All-Powerful ordered me to say”).
To the nations who plundered you: It is not certain whether to the nations is related to the verb sent (as the Revised Standard Version punctuation suggests) or to the verb said. This second suggestion seems more likely, and underlies the New Revised Standard Version “For thus said the LORD of hosts (after his glory sent me) regarding the nations that plundered you.” The nations refers primarily to the Babylonians. There is no need to suppose that Zechariah actually went to Babylon to deliver this message. Its primary purpose is to encourage the people of God, and they are the main audience. You is plural, and refers to the people of God, so Good News Translation makes this clear by saying “his people.” Plundered you is rendered in many languages as “took your possessions by force,” or more simply “raided and robbed…” (Contemporary English Version). Translators may also follow the model of Good News Translation and say, “took his people’s possessions by force.”
For he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: For translates a Hebrew word which can also mean “that” (introducing a direct quotation). See the discussion of the overall structure of the verse below. Touches in this context means “harms,” and you is again plural. Touches the apple of his eye is a reference to Deut 32.10 (compare Psa 17.8). The apple of the eye is probably the pupil, the part of the eye through which light passes. This is the most vital part, and the whole phrase thus means “what is most precious,” as Good News Translation puts it. The main problem here is to decide who his refers to. It may refer to God himself (Moffatt). The ancient Hebrew scribes had a tradition that the text here should read “my eye,” referring to God. Some modern translations follow this tradition (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Good News Translation, Beck, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Biblen: Det Gamle og Det Nye Testamente); Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament says that the context favors the rendering “my eye.” The other possibility is that his refers to the person who touches you, that is, who harms the LORD’s people (New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The overall sense of the expression is not greatly different either way. In the first case, the meaning is “He who harms you harms what is precious to God” (The assumption is that therefore God will punish him, and this is made clearer in verse 9.) In the second case the meaning is “He who harms you, in effect harms what is precious to himself [and so hurts himself].” The first interpretation has more support, and makes somewhat better sense, so translators are recommended to follow it. If we accept that the eye is the eye of God, translators may say “his eye” or “my eye” according to the structure of the sentence in their language. Some languages will have expressions similar to the apple of his eye which have exactly the same meaning; for example, “iris of his eye” (Thai) and “the girl of the eye” (Spanish and Portuguese). Expressions such as these may be used in this verse.
Even when the details of the verse have been worked out, it remains difficult to be certain what the overall sentence structure is. Several modern translations take the words equivalent to after his glory sent me as an aside, and place them in round brackets (Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Revised Standard Version) or between dashes (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Some versions take the words equivalent to for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye as another aside (Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible, New International Version). Most however take for in the sense of “that,” and treat the following words as part of the direct speech of the LORD (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Revised Standard Version, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Good News Translation transfers the words to the beginning of the verse and links them closely with the LORD’s words in verses 6 and 7. It is difficult to see any advantage in this and translators are not recommended to follow the example of Good News Translation.
Of the various modern English versions, New American Bible seems to offer the clearest wording in this verse: “For thus says the LORD of hosts (after he had already sent me) concerning the nations that have plundered you: Whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye.” We may put this into simpler language for an alternative translation model as follows:
• After the LORD Almighty had sent me by his power [or, glory], this is what he said about the nations who had plundered his people: “Anyone who harms my people harms what is most precious to me.”
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .