נבואה התגשמה: ילדים משחקים ברחובות ירושלים

(4)So said the Lord of hosts: There will once more be days of tranquility, peace, and welfare, when old men and old women willagain sit in the squares of Jerusalem, to warm themselves in the sun, and to chat together, each man with his cane in his hand due to advanced old age. This refers to individuals who are too old to walk without the aid of a cane or the like. In a place where conditions are hard, people do not live long lives. In the quiet, safe surroundings depicted here, elderly men and women will be able to relax without worry and without suffering from illness. (5) Not only will people of advanced years returning from exile sit peacefully in the streets of Jerusalem, but new life will develop in the capital: The squares of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its squares. This is a description of a place where peace and general welfare prevail, and life proceeds with tranquility. (6) In Zechariah’s time, Jerusalem was a small, poor city, and the lives of the residents were difficult in all respects. So said the Lord of hosts: If it will be wondrous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, so it also will be wondrous in My eyes as well – the utterance of the Lord of hosts. It is wondrous how Jerusalem will thrive with life and be blessed and calm. Jerusalem will be so dramatically transformed that everyone will marvel at it, including God. This statement about God is highly unusual, but this prophecy is so full of life, inner joy, and emotion that the prophet goes beyond the normal limits of acceptable expression.