Zechariah — Chapter 12

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1This is the burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD, who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, who forms the spirit of man within him:

2“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples. Judah will be besieged, as well as Jerusalem.

3On that day, when all the nations of the earth gather against her, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who would heave it away will be severely injured.

4On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and every rider with madness. I will keep a watchful eye on the house of Judah, but I will strike with blindness all the horses of the nations.

5Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts: ‘The people of Jerusalem are my strength, for the LORD of Hosts is their God.’

6On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among the sheaves; they will consume all the peoples around them on the right and on the left, while the people of Jerusalem remain secure there.

7The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and of the people of Jerusalem may not be greater than that of Judah.

8On that day the LORD will defend the people of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD going before them.

9So on that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

11On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be as great as the wailing of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

12The land will mourn, each clan on its own: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives,

13the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives,

14and all the remaining clans and their wives.

1The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

2Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

3And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

4In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.

5And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.

6In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.

7The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.

8In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.

9And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

11In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

12And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;

13The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;

14All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

1The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. [Thus] saith Jehovah, who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him:

2behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling unto all the peoples round about, and upon Judah also shall it be in the siege against Jerusalem.

3And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it.

4In that day, saith Jehovah, I will smite every horse with terror, and his rider with madness; and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the peoples with blindness.

5And the chieftains of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Jehovah of hosts their God.

6In that day will I make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and [they of] Jerusalem shall yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem.

7Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem be not magnified above Judah.

8In that day shall Jehovah defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of Jehovah before them.

9And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.

11In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

12And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;

13the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of the Shimeites apart, and their wives apart;

14all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

1This is an oracle, the Lord’s message concerning Israel: The Lord—he who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth, who forms the human spirit within a person—says,

2“I am about to make Jerusalem a cup that brings dizziness to all the surrounding nations; indeed, Judah will also be included when Jerusalem is besieged.

3Moreover, on that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy burden for all the nations, and all who try to carry it will be seriously injured; yet all the peoples of the earth will be assembled against it.

4On that day,” says the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness. I will pay close attention to the house of Judah, but will strike all the horses of the nations with blindness.

5Then the leaders of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a means of strength to us through their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’

6On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like an igniter among sticks and a burning torch among sheaves, and they will burn up all the surrounding nations right and left. Then the people of Jerusalem will settle once more in their place, the city of Jerusalem.

7The Lord also will deliver the homes of Judah first, so that the splendor of the kingship of David and of the people of Jerusalem may not exceed that of Judah.

8On that day the Lord himself will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like mighty David, and the dynasty of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them.

9So on that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10“I will pour out on the kingship of David and the population of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication so that they will look to me, the one they have pierced. They will lament for him as one laments for an only son, and there will be a bitter cry for him like the bitter cry for a firstborn.

11On that day the lamentation in Jerusalem will be as great as the lamentation at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

12The land will mourn, each clan by itself—the clan of the royal household of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the clan of the family of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves;

13the clan of the descendants of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; and the clan of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves;

14all the clans that remain, each separately with their wives.

1A revelation, Yahweh’s word concerning Israel. Yahweh, who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him says:

2“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the surrounding peoples, and it will also be on Judah in the siege against Jerusalem.

3It will happen in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples. All who burden themselves with it will be severely wounded, and all the nations of the earth will be gathered together against it.

4In that day,” says Yahweh, “I will strike every horse with terror, and his rider with madness; and I will open my eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.

5The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of Armies their God.’

6In that day I will make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they will devour all the surrounding peoples, on the right hand and on the left; and Jerusalem will yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem.

7Yahweh also will save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of David’s house and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem not be magnified above Judah.

8In that day Yahweh will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He who is feeble among them at that day will be like David, and David’s house will be like God, like Yahweh’s angel before them.

9It will happen in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10I will pour on David’s house, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they will look to me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for his firstborn.

11In that day there will be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

12The land will mourn, every family apart; the family of David’s house apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;

13the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of the Shimeites apart, and their wives apart;

14all the families who remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

The Lord, who formed the heavens, earth, and human spirit, declares Jerusalem will become an intoxicating cup and an immovable stone that injures every nation that lays siege to it (vv. 1-3). He will strike enemy cavalry with panic and blindness while defending Judah, and Jerusalem's leaders and inhabitants will become like fire consuming the surrounding peoples, restored securely to their place (vv. 4-7). The Lord will shield Jerusalem so that even its weakest citizen is like David, and the house of David is like God himself (v. 8), determined to destroy every nation that attacks the city (v. 9). Most significantly, God will pour out a spirit of grace on the house of David and Jerusalem, and the people will look on the one they have pierced, mourning for him with the grief of losing an only child, a sorrow spreading through every family in the land (vv. 10-14).

Authorship & Background

Author: Zechariah son of Berechiah. Prophesied 520-480 BC. Contemporary with Haggai. Key theme: Messianic hope and the coming kingdom. The most Messianic of the Minor Prophets. Famous passages: the Branch (3:8, 6:12), "Not by might... but by my spirit" (4:6), the triumphal entry (9:9), "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced" (12:10), the shepherd struck (13:7), and the LORD's return to the Mount of Olives (14:4).
Classification: Prophetic Oracle — Jerusalem's Deliverance and National Mourning Over the Pierced One
Key Themes: Jerusalem as an immovable burden stone, God's supernatural defense of His people, the spirit of grace poured out, Israel looking on Him whom they pierced, national repentance and mourning, the deity of Christ implied
Historical Context: Chapter 12 begins the second "burden" (oracle) of the final section (chs. 12-14), dealing with the end times and Israel's final deliverance. The chapter describes a future siege against Jerusalem by "all the nations" — a scenario that has no complete historical fulfillment yet. God introduces Himself with creation-credentials (v.1): the One who stretched the heavens, founded the earth, and forms the human spirit. This is not a minor prophet speaking — this is the Creator of the universe.
God's Credentials as Creator (v.1): The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Before a word is said about the siege, the speaker is identified by three acts of creation, and the third is the one that matters for what follows, because the chapter will turn on a spirit poured out on men. The one who forms the human spirit is the one who can pour out grace on it.
Jerusalem a Cup of Staggering and a Heavy Stone (vv.2-3): I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about. The first image is a drink that takes the legs out from under whoever swallows it. The second is heavier, I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people, all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces. A stone too heavy to lift injures the man who tries, and the injury is self-inflicted in the act of lifting. Though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
The Enemies Struck with Confusion (vv.4-5): I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness. The cavalry is disabled from inside rather than defeated in the field, blindness on the horses and panic on the men, and mine eyes will be open upon the house of Judah. Then what Judah's own leaders conclude, the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. The relief is read correctly by the people who receive it.
Judah as Fire Among Wood (v.6): I will make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf, and they shall devour all the people round about. Both images are of a small thing dropped into a large quantity of fuel, and both describe an outcome disproportionate to the size of what starts it. And Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem, which is a deliberately flat ending to a violent verse.
The Weak Made Strong and the Nations Destroyed (vv.7-9): The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves. The order of rescue is arranged to prevent the capital taking credit, which is a striking thing to legislate inside a promise. Then the levelling, he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David, and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. And in that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
The Spirit Poured Out: Looking on the Pierced One (v.10): I will pour upon the house of David the spirit of grace and of supplications, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced. The grammar is the difficulty and the point. God says they pierced me, and then speaks of the pierced one in the third person, they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son. John quotes the verse at the crucifixion and Revelation quotes it of the return. The mourning is produced by the spirit of grace, not by remorse arriving on its own.
The Great Mourning, Every Family Apart (vv.11-14): The mourning is compared to the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon, which is the grief over Josiah's death, the last good king, remembered as the deepest national sorrow available. Then it is broken down household by household, the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart, the family of the house of Nathan apart, Levi apart, Shimei apart. Royal line, prophetic line, priestly line, and all the families that remain. The word apart is repeated until it is unmistakable: this is not a crowd weeping, it is every house on its own.

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem (v.2, v.3, v.5): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Zechariah 12-13 | The Pierced Commander | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Looking, Weeping, And Living - Zechariah 12:10
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org 'They will look on me, the one they have pierced' -- who is speaking and who is pierced.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Zechariah -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Creator and Redeemer in One (v.1) — God introduces this oracle by describing Himself as the one who stretched out the heavens and formed the human spirit, before promising to defend Jerusalem. Does the God you pray to feel big enough to be both Creator of the universe and personally attentive to your life?
  • An Immovable Stone (v.3) — Jerusalem is described as a heavy stone that injures every nation that tries to move it, because God has fixed it in place. Are you trying to uproot or fight against something in your life that God has firmly established?
  • Strength Displayed in Weakness (v.8) — God promises that even the feeblest among the people will be made like David when He defends them. Where are you disqualifying yourself from something because you feel too weak, forgetting God's power shows up precisely there?
  • Looking on the One They Pierced (v.10) — God pours out a spirit of grace so the people will look on the one they pierced and mourn as for an only child. Have you truly looked at what Christ's death cost, or has it become too familiar to still move you?
  • Mourning That Is Personal, Not Just Communal (vv.12-14) — Each family and individual is described mourning separately rather than as one indistinct crowd. Is your own repentance genuinely personal and specific, or do you let yourself hide in general, vague acknowledgment of sin?