Then I will encamp at my house as a guard: The speaker continues to be the LORD. The word translated house when used in connection with the LORD often refers to the Temple in Jerusalem (New Living Translation “my Temple”). However, that meaning does not fit well at this point, and both translators and commentators generally agree that here it has the wider meaning of “my land,” as in Jer 12.7; Hos 8.1; Hos 9.15. New Jerusalem Bible handles this neatly in English by translating “my home.” This carries the same kind of double sense as the Hebrew word, but probably not many other languages will offer a similar term. Several versions translate simply with the wider meaning “land” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1. Edition, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

Some scholars have proposed different vowels for the Hebrew behind as a guard, but the meaning is not greatly affected. For instance, for the first clause of this verse Revised English Bible has “I shall post a garrison….” The meaning is that the LORD will protect his land, and this is expressed clearly and simply in Good News Translation “I will guard my land” and New Jerusalem Bible “I shall stand guard before my home.”

So that none shall march to and fro: The land of Israel, and especially the Philistine coastal plain, was the route by which all armies passing from Syria to Egypt and back had to travel. Invaders coming from the north, for instance, would eventually withdraw by the same route as they had come by. The LORD here promises that he will in the future prevent such invasions, or, as Good News Translation expresses it, “keep armies from passing through it.” In some languages it will be necessary to show that none means “enemy soldiers”; for example, one may render the first two clauses “I will guard my land and keep enemy soldiers from marching through it” or “… not a single enemy soldier will march through it again.”

No oppressor shall again overrun them: In some languages oppressor may be expressed idiomatically; for example, “person who stands on the necks of others” or “person who squeezes others.” Another way to render this clause is “No one will ever oppress them [or, treat them cruelly] again.” It is not entirely clear who them refers to. Some versions such as New International Version, Bible en français courant, and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente take it to refer to the LORD’s people, but by the normal patterns of Hebrew grammar, it seems more likely to refer back to the last mentioned plural noun, which is the Philistines at the end of verse 6. Beck seems to take it that way. Since verse 7 has spoken about the Philistines joining the people of God, the exact referent is uncertain. However, the Philistines have been the main focus of verses 5-7, so we are inclined to think that they are referred to here also. This would mean the paragraph ends as it began, with the LORD stating that he has his eyes on the gentiles as well as on the Jews. This is an effective rhetorical structure. See the comments on verse 1.

For now I see with my own eyes: The mention of eyes here balances the occurrence of this word at the beginning of the paragraph in verse 1. This clause echoes Deut 11.12, and emphasizes the loving care of the LORD for his land. Some scholars suggest changing the Hebrew word which Revised Standard Version renders with my own eyes to one that means “their affliction” (New American Bible), “their suffering” (Revised English Bible), or “its distress” (Jerusalem Bible). This makes acceptable sense, but is not necessary, and indeed New Jerusalem Bible abandons the rendering of Jerusalem Bible. Moreover, such a change destroys the link between the end of the paragraph and its beginning. The meaning of this clause can be expressed as “for now I myself watch over the land [or, keep my eye upon the land].” Translators who wish to follow the New International Version interpretation of them as the LORD’s people may prefer to say here “I concern myself about my people” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “I myself will protect my people” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

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 .