Zechariah 12

General context

The chapter opens as the burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, from the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the earth's foundation and forms man's spirit within him. He will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling to all the people round about when they besiege Judah and Jerusalem, and a burdensome stone that cuts in pieces all who lift it, even if the whole earth gathers against her. He will smite every horse with astonishment and its rider with madness, open his eyes upon the house of Judah and strike the peoples' horses with blindness. The governors of Judah will say in their heart that Jerusalem's inhabitants are their strength in the Lord of hosts, and he will make those governors like a hearth of fire among wood and a torch in a sheaf, so that Jerusalem is inhabited again in her own place. The tents of Judah are saved first so that the glory of the house of David and of Jerusalem's inhabitants does not magnify itself against Judah. He will defend Jerusalem's inhabitants, the feeble among them will be as David and the house of David as the angel of the Lord before them, and he will seek to destroy the nations that come against the city. He will pour the spirit of grace and of supplications on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and they will look upon him whom they have pierced and mourn as for an only son and a firstborn. The mourning will be like that of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon, and the land will mourn family by family, the houses of David, Nathan, Levi and Shimei each apart with their wives, and all remaining families likewise.

Cited passages: Zechariah 12:1, Zechariah 12:2, Zechariah 12:3, Zechariah 12:4, Zechariah 12:5, Zechariah 12:6, Zechariah 12:7, Zechariah 12:8, Zechariah 12:9, Zechariah 12:10, Zechariah 12:11, Zechariah 12:12, Zechariah 12:13, Zechariah 12:14

Zechariah 12 (KJV)

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The opening line is "The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel," with no date, prophet's name or king. The nations that besiege and gather are never named, and no army, commander or year is given. The families listed for mourning are the house of David, the house of Nathan, the house of Levi and the family of Shimei, each with wives apart, and the text does not say why these four are singled out. "The mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon" is used as a measure of grief and is left unexplained. Verse 10 shifts person within one sentence: the Lord says "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced" and then "they shall mourn for him." The chapter does not say who is pierced, who pierces, or when. A later book cites the line: John 19:37 reads, "And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced." That is a later citation and does not add an identification to Zechariah's verses. The governors of Judah are named by office only, and "the house of David" appears as a group rather than a person.

Cited passages: Zechariah 12:1, Zechariah 12:10, Zechariah 12:11, Zechariah 12:12, Zechariah 12:13, Zechariah 12:14, John 19:37, Zechariah 12:5, Zechariah 12:8, Zechariah 12:2

Literary context

The chapter runs on one repeated phrase, "in that day," which recurs in verses 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 11 and carries the same day through chapters 13 and 14. Jerusalem is given two contradictory shapes in two verses, a cup that makes the drinkers stagger and a stone that injures whoever lifts it, so the city's danger is in being handled at all. The battle is described almost entirely by what happens to the attackers' animals and minds, astonishment, madness, blindness, rather than by fighting. Verse 7 inserts a careful order, Judah's tents saved first, and gives the reason as a guard against Jerusalem's glory outweighing Judah's. The sharpest turn is verse 10, where victory gives way to weeping and the pronoun moves from me to him inside one line. The last four verses slow everything down by listing, family apart and wives apart, repeated until the grief is counted rather than described, and chapter 13 opens on the same day with a fountain for sin and uncleanness.

Cited passages: Zechariah 12:2, Zechariah 12:3, Zechariah 12:4, Zechariah 12:6, Zechariah 12:7, Zechariah 12:8, Zechariah 12:9, Zechariah 12:10, Zechariah 12:11, Zechariah 12:12, Zechariah 12:14, Zechariah 13:1

Key moments

1. A cup of trembling (Zechariah 12:2). Jerusalem is made a cup that unsteadies the peoples besieging her.
2. A burdensome stone (Zechariah 12:3). All who lift the city against themselves are cut in pieces.
3. Horses struck with madness (Zechariah 12:4). The attackers’ horses and riders are struck with astonishment and blindness.
4. Judah saved first (Zechariah 12:7). The tents of Judah are saved before Jerusalem so glory is not misplaced.
5. The feeble as David (Zechariah 12:8). The weakest in Jerusalem are promised the strength of David.
6. Him whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10). The spirit of grace is poured out and the people mourn as for an only son.
7. Every family apart (Zechariah 12:12). The land mourns household by household, wives apart from husbands.

For reflection

The day that ends with the nations defeated also ends with the city weeping as for an only son. What does the text gain by putting deliverance and mourning on the same day?

People in this chapter

• Judah
• David
• Jacob
• Levi

Also indexed here:

• Nathan
• Shimei