Zechariah 8:9 - Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Bible Comments

Prophets. — It would almost seem that there were other prophets who spoke at the time besides Haggai and Zechariah.

That the temple might be built. — These words seem to be used in reference to the resumption of the building (Haggai 1:15), when the people set themselves to work with a will, as contrasted with the first laying of the foundation in the second year of Cyrus, king of Persia, B.C. 537 (Ezra 3:10, compared with Zechariah 1:1), which could hardly be said to have been done “that the temple might be built,” since the work of building was then suspended for about sixteen years. There is no reason to suppose that LXX. read a different preposition before the infinitive “to be built,” since the Hebrew preposition “to,” or rather “with reference to,” often denotes “with reference to the time when,” i.e., “from the time that.” (Comp. Zechariah 1:1.)

Zechariah 8:9

9 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.