זכריה, פרק י׳, פסוק ח׳

The gathering of scattered exiles from distant lands is portrayed through a vivid image of a clear, directing call. The divine promise carries a dual message of a physical return to the homeland accompanied by a massive demographic revival to make up for the years spent in exile. A sharp loud signal is sounded, much like the noise produced by pursing the lips [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. This action is compared to a shepherd calling his flock together [ביאור שטיינזלץ], or a guiding sign given to a lost traveler to show them the correct path home [רש״י].

In practice, this signal represents an internal awakening that God will plant in the hearts of the people scattered and enslaved in foreign lands, such as Assyria and Egypt, urging them to return to the Land of Israel [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. A unique perspective suggests that this divine call might actually take the form of expulsions by foreign rulers. While the exiles might perceive these decrees as a tragedy, they are in truth a signal from God, prompting them to rise and journey toward their gathering in the Holy Land [אברבנאל]. This ingathering takes place simply because the destined time for their redemption from exile has finally arrived [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

To ease the fear that the nation has dwindled too much during the exile to sustain a sovereign kingdom, a promise of extraordinary population growth is given. Instead of the decline caused by persecution and tragedy, God will command a blessing upon them, and they will multiply with sons and daughters [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל]. The primary approach among commentators is that this rapid and massive increase will mirror the miraculous population boom the Israelites experienced during their exile in Egypt [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Conversely, some explain that the nation will simply multiply as they did in ancient times when they lived securely in their own land [אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

There are differing views regarding when this prophecy actually unfolds. One approach suggests it refers to the Second Temple period, specifically the return of those who fled from Greek rulers and came back during the Hasmonean era [אבן עזרא, רד״ק]. Another perspective maintains that the prophecy is entirely directed toward the ultimate future redemption at the end of days [רש״י, רד״ק]. This future focused view is strongly supported by [אברבנאל], who sharply criticizes the idea that the prophecy was fulfilled during the Second Temple period. He argues that such an immense ingathering of exiles never occurred at that time, and viewing it as a historical event from the Hasmonean era stems from a lack of faith in the ultimate future redemption.