To speak to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying: Must I weep in the fifth month, or must I sanctify myself as I have now done for many years?

speaking unto the priests who are at the house of Jehovah of Hosts, and unto the prophets, saying, 'Do I weep in the fifth month, being separated, as I have done these so many years?'

And to say to the priests of the house of the Lord of armies and to the prophets, Am I to go on weeping in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done in past years?

to speak to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and to the prophets, saying: "Must there be weeping with me in the fifth month, and must I sanctify myself, as I have now done for many years?"

Ad dicendum sacerdotibus qui erant in domo Iehovae exercituum, et Prophetis, dicendo, An flebo mense, quinto? Separabo me? quemadmodum feci his annis? (est turbata series verborum, quemadmodum solitus sum facere his annis?)

Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself? - "In the fifth month," from the seventh to the tenth day, Jerusalem was in flames, fired by Nebuchadnezzar. "He burnt the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem and every great man's house he burnt with fire" .
Jerome: "Now since it is said that the temple is builded and we see that no cause of sorrow remaineth, answer, we pray, are we to do this or to change our sorrow into joy?"
Separating myself - This seems to be added, to intensify the fast which they had kept. The Nazarite was bound to "separate himself from wine and strong drink" Numbers 6:3, and so, they severed themselves to the Lord, and consecrated themselves to Him (Numbers. 5. See the note at Amos 2:11). These had severed themselves from food, from things pleasant, from pleasure, from sin, it may be, for the day, but not abidingly: they had not given themselves to God.
As I have done these so many years - Literally, "how many." As if, although they knew that they were seventy years, they could not count them.

[And] to speak to the priests who [were] in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I (c) weep in the fifth month, (d) separating myself, as I have done these so many (e) years?
(c) By weeping and mourning are shown what exercises they used in their fasting.
(d) That is, prepare myself with all devotion to his fast.
(e) Which had been since the time the temple was destroyed.

And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the Lord of hosts,.... That ministered in the sanctuary, as the Targum explains it, who offered sacrifices, &c. and who were to be consulted in matters of religion, Malachi 2:7,
and to the prophets; who were then in being, as Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi:
saying, Should I weep in the fifth month; which is the month Ab, and answers to July: now on the seventh day of this month, according to 2-Kings 25:8, the temple was burnt by the Chaldeans; and, according to Jeremiah 3:12, it was on the tenth of this month, which day was kept by the Jews as a day of fasting and humiliation, in commemoration of it; and by the Misnic doctors (u) afterwards was removed, and kept on the ninth day of the said month; but, seeing the temple was in great forwardness of being rebuilt, the question with those Jews was, whether they should continue any longer mourning and fasting on that account:
separating myself: that is, from eating and drinking, and not taking the lawful pleasures and recreations of life:
as I have done these so many years? for the space of seventy years, as in Zac 7:5.
(u) Misn. Taanith, c. 4. sect. 7, 8. T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 29. 1.

Should I weep in the fifth month--"I" represents here the people of God (compare Zac 8:21). This rather favors MAURER'S view, taking "the house of God," the congregation, as nominative to "sent." Their hypocrisy appeared because they showed more concern about a ceremony of human institution (not improper in itself) than about moral obedience. If, too, they had trusted God's promise as to the restoration of Church and State, the fast would have now given place to joy, for which there was more cause than for grief [PEMBELLUS].
to the prophets--Haggai and Zechariah especially. The tenth day of the fifth month was kept a fast, being the anniversary of the destruction of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 52:12-14). They ask, Should the fast be continued, now that the temple and city are being restored?
separating myself--sanctifying myself by separation, not only from food, but from all defilements (compare Joel 2:16) as was usual in a solemn fast.

The prophets - Haggai and Zechariah. Weep - Fast, in remembrance of the burning of the temple on the tenth day of that month. Separating myself - From worldly cares and designs.