man with a measuring line. The man with the measuring line is the same as “the angel that talked with me” (Zechariah 2:3) and “the Lord” in Zechariah 2:5. As in the first two visions, this is the pre-incarnate Christ.

wall of fire. The measuring line was used to measure what Jerusalem would become in the future kingdom age under the Messiah, “inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein” (Zechariah 2:4). Jerusalem will no longer need walls, for the shekinah glory will be in her midst, in the person of Christ, and He will be as a “wall of fire” around her. Her enemies will all be gone, as revealed in the second vision.

land of the north. Babylon was east of Jerusalem, but the Assyro/Babylonian/Persian empire—including Syria—had always invaded Judah from the north, and the influence of the entire complex of empires was essentially north of Israel. Although the returned exiles had already departed from Babylon, they needed to abandon completely the beliefs and practices of Babylon and the other pagan nations.

daughter of Babylon. God's people are urged to come out of Babylon and all her baleful heritage throughout the centuries (compare Genesis 11:9; Jeremiah 50:6; Revelation 18:4; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Israel has been spread over the world like “the four winds” (Zechariah 2:6), but still needs to abandon the pagan ways learned from Babel—as do all “the nations” (Zechariah 2:8).

apple of his eye. From a Hebrew word used only this once in Scripture, evidently meant here to refer to “the pupil of the eye.”

my people. Note Zechariah 14:9; Isaiah 2:2-3; Revelation 21:3; etc.

the holy land. Note that Judah is here called “the holy land,” its only occurrence.

choose Jerusalem again. See note on Zechariah 1:17.