זכריה, פרק ב׳, פסוק ח׳

A sudden shift transforms a vision of a limited, carefully measured city into a promise of a boundless future. A superior angel, or perhaps his messenger, urgently commands the angel speaking with the prophet to run [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This swift movement is necessary to immediately stop the measuring of Jerusalem, as God has decided that the city will no longer have a defined size or limit [רש״י, מצודת ציון].

The urgent message is directed at a young man standing nearby [אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון]. The primary approach among commentators is that this refers to the prophet Zechariah himself, who was young at the time of his prophecy. This makes him one of three prophets, alongside Samuel and Jeremiah, who were called to serve at an early age [אבן עזרא, אברבנאל, רד״ק]. However, some suggest that the title does not indicate age, but rather a status of serving a greater prophet [רד״ק]. Alternatively, the command might be aimed directly at the angel doing the measuring, perhaps delivered with a slight tone of disrespect [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The central message is that Jerusalem will become an open, unwalled city [רש״י, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ], with its people settling in the open spaces far beyond its borders [אבן עזרא, אברבנאל]. The angel clarifies that the future Jerusalem will not be restricted to the small dimensions of the Second Temple era. The act of measuring was only meant to highlight how small the city currently is compared to its massive future scale [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. In the ultimate redemption, Jerusalem will continually expand day by day [רש״י, מלבי״ם]. No wall could possibly contain the enormous number of people and animals that will live there, forcing the population to spread well beyond the original boundaries [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל, מלבי״ם]. Furthermore, in that era, the city will simply have no need for a physical wall to provide protection [מלבי״ם].