Zechariah 8:16

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

These are the things you must do: Speak the truth, each of you, to one another. Practice true and righteous judgment in your courts.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

אֵ֥לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר תַּֽעֲשׂ֑וּ דַּבְּר֤וּ אֱמֶת֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵ֔הוּ אֱמֶת֙ וּמִשְׁפַּ֣ט שָׁל֔וֹם שִׁפְט֖וּ בְּשַׁעֲרֵיכֶֽם׃

Transliteration

These haḏḏəḇārîm ʾăšer taʿăśû dabbərû ʾĕmet ʾîš to-rēʿēhû ʾĕmet and-mišpaṭ šālôm šipṭû in-šaʿărêḵem.

Grammar Details

• *haḏḏəḇārîm*: definite article + masculine plural noun - the words
• *ʾăšer*: relative pronoun - that/which
• *taʿăśû*: qal imperfect, 2nd plural masculine - you shall do
• *dabbərû*: piel imperative, 2nd plural masculine - speak
• *ʾĕmet*: feminine singular noun - truth
• *ʾîš*: masculine singular noun - man/each
• *rēʿēhû*: masculine singular noun with 3rd masculine singular suffix with direct object marker - to his neighbor
• *mišpaṭ*: masculine singular construct with waw conjunction - and judgment of
• *šālôm*: masculine singular noun - peace
• *šipṭû*: qal imperative, 2nd plural masculine - judge
• *šaʿărêḵem*: masculine plural noun with 2nd masculine plural suffix with preposition bet - in your gates

Word Meanings

• *ʾĕmet*: truth/faithfulness/reliability
• *mišpaṭ šālôm*: judgment of peace/peaceful justice/true justice
• *šaʿărêḵem*: your gates/towns/courts

Referenced Verses

• Zech 7:9 : 9 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies said,‘Exercise true judgment and show brotherhood and compassion to each other.
• Eph 4:25 : 25 Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, because we are members of one another.
• Ps 15:2 : 2 Whoever lives a blameless life, does what is right, and speaks honestly.
• Prov 12:17 : 17 The faithful witness tells what is right, but a false witness speaks deceit.
• Prov 12:19 : 19 The one who tells the truth will endure forever, but the one who lies will last only for a moment.
• Isa 9:7 : 7 His dominion will be vast and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness, from this time forward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will accomplish this.
• Zech 8:19 : 19 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says,‘The fast of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become joyful and happy, pleasant feasts for the house of Judah, so love truth and peace.’
• Luke 3:8-9 : 8 Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say to yourselves,‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 So the crowds were asking him,“What then should we do?” 11 John answered them,“The person who has two tunics must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him,“Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He told them,“Collect no more than you are required to.” 14 Then some soldiers also asked him,“And as for us– what should we do?” He told them,“Take money from no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your pay.”
• Eph 4:17 : 17 Live in Holiness So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
• Matt 5:9 : 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
• Lev 19:11 : 11 Dealing Honestly“‘You must not steal, you must not tell lies, and you must not deal falsely with your fellow citizen.
• Deut 10:12-13 : 12 An Exhortation to Love Both God and People Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you except to revere him, to obey all his commandments, to love him, to serve him with all your mind and being, 13 and to keep the LORD’s commandments and statutes that I am giving you today for your own good?
• Deut 11:7-8 : 7 I am speaking to you because you are the ones who saw all the great deeds of the LORD! 8 The Abundance of the Land of Promise Now pay attention to all the commandments I am giving you today, so that you may be strong enough to enter and possess the land where you are headed,
• 1 Thess 4:6 : 6 In this matter no one should violate the rights of his brother or take advantage of him, because the Lord is the avenger in all these cases, as we also told you earlier and warned you solemnly.
• 1 Pet 1:13-16 : 13 Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance, 15 but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct, 16 for it is written,“You shall be holy, because I am holy.”
• Rev 21:8 : 8 But as for the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. That is the second death.”
• Isa 11:3-9 : 3 He will take delight in obeying the LORD. He will not judge by mere appearances, or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. 4 He will treat the poor fairly, and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and order the wicked to be executed. 5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist, integrity will be like a belt around his hips. 6 A wolf will reside with a lamb, and a leopard will lie down with a young goat; an ox and a young lion will graze together, as a small child leads them along. 7 A cow and a bear will graze together, their young will lie down together. A lion, like an ox, will eat straw. 8 A baby will play over the hole of a snake; over the nest of a serpent an infant will put his hand. 9 They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain. For there will be universal submission to the LORD’s sovereignty, just as the waters completely cover the sea.
• Jer 9:3-5 : 3 The Lord Laments That He Has No Choice But to Judge Them The LORD says,“These people are like soldiers who have readied their bows. Their tongues are always ready to shoot out lies. They have become powerful in the land, but they have not done so by honest means. Indeed, they do one evil thing after another and do not pay attention to me. 4 Everyone must be on his guard around his friends. He must not even trust any of his relatives. For every one of them will find some way to cheat him. And all of his friends will tell lies about him. 5 One friend deceives another and no one tells the truth. These people have trained themselves to tell lies. They do wrong and are unable to repent.
• Hos 4:1-2 : 1 The Lord’s Covenant Lawsuit against the Nation Israel Listen to the LORD’s message, you Israelites! For the LORD has a covenant lawsuit against the people of Israel. For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land, nor do they acknowledge God. 2 There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery. They resort to violence and bloodshed.
• Amos 5:15 : 15 Hate what is wrong, love what is right! Promote justice at the city gate! Maybe the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, will have mercy on those who are left from Joseph.
• Amos 5:24 : 24 Justice must flow like torrents of water, righteous actions like a stream that never dries up.
• Mic 6:8 : 8 He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the LORD really wants from you: He wants you to carry out justice, to love faithfulness, and to live obediently before your God.
• Mic 6:12 : 12 The city’s wealthy people readily resort to violence; her inhabitants tell lies, their tongues speak deceptive words.