Zechariah — Chapter 12

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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
Videos
Reflection

Summary

God will defend Jerusalem against all nations, pour out a spirit of grace and supplication, and they will look on Him whom they have pierced — mourning as for an only son in that day.

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.
Jerusalem becomes a "cup of staggering" and a "heavy stone" for all nations. Those who try to move it will be injured. God supernaturally defends Jerusalem — even the weakest will be "like David," and David's house will be "like God." Then comes the climactic verse 10: God pours out His Spirit, and Israel looks on "me whom they have pierced" — mourning for Him as for an only son. The identification is staggering: GOD says "they pierced ME," yet they mourn for "HIM." This implies the deity of the one pierced — God and yet distinct. This is Christ crucified.
Structure:
  • God's Credentials: Creator of Heaven, Earth, and Spirit (v.1)
  • Jerusalem: A Cup of Staggering for the Nations (v.2)
  • Jerusalem: A Heavy Stone That Injures All Who Lift It (v.3)
  • God Strikes the Enemies with Confusion (vv.4-5)
  • Judah as Fire Among Wood (v.6)
  • God's Salvation: The Weak Made Strong (vv.7-8)
  • God Seeks to Destroy All Opposing Nations (v.9)
  • The Spirit Poured Out: Looking on the Pierced One (v.10)
  • The Great Mourning — Every Family Apart (vv.11-14)

Map & Geography

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

Videos

The Bible Project — Zechariah Overview (Video)

Animated overview of the book of Zechariah showing the literary structure, key themes, and how this book fits into the larger biblical narrative. Excellent visual introduction.

Reflection

  • 1. God is both Creator AND Redeemer (v.1). The same God who stretched out the cosmos is the one who enters history to save Jerusalem. He is not too big for your problems — the maker of galaxies attends to your city, your life, your heart.
  • 2. Don't fight against what God has planted (v.3). Jerusalem is immovable because God set it there. In your life, certain things are GOD-established — don't try to uproot them, and don't let others move what God has placed.
  • 3. God's strength shines through your weakness (v.8). In God's economy, the feeblest becomes David. Stop disqualifying yourself because of weakness. God's power is not limited by your frailty — it is displayed through it.
  • 4. "They shall look upon me whom they have pierced" (v.10). One day, every human being will see the wounds of Christ and understand what happened at Calvary. For some it will be repentant mourning (leading to salvation). For others, it will be the terror of recognition. Look NOW — while repentance is still possible.
  • 5. True repentance is personal and grievous (vv.12-14). Each family mourns APART — individually, personally. Corporate revival begins with individual brokenness. Don't hide in the crowd. Let your repentance be personal, specific, and deep.