Zechariah · chapter 12 of 14
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Zechariah 12 announces that the Lord will make Jerusalem a cup of staggering and a heavy stone for the nations that attack her, and that he himself will save Judah. Then he pours out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, and they will look on the one they have pierced and mourn as for an only child. John 19:37 quotes this verse concerning Jesus on the cross.
Chapter 12 begins the last great oracle of Zechariah, which extends to chapter 14 and speaks of what will happen on that day. It is written in poetic, symbolic language, and interpreters read it in several ways: as an announcement of a historical deliverance, as a vision of the time of the Messiah or as a promise of the last days. What unites the readings is the certainty that God defends his people and leads them to repentance.
The oracle is introduced as the word of the Lord concerning Israel, from the one who stretched out the heavens, founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him. He says he will make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples, and in the siege against Judah and Jerusalem she will be a heavy stone for all peoples: all who lift it will be hurt, and all the nations of the earth will gather against her.
On that day the Lord will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness, but he will keep watch over the house of Judah. The clans of Judah will say in their hearts that the inhabitants of Jerusalem are their strength through the Lord of hosts, their God. He will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood and like a flaming torch among sheaves; they will devour all the surrounding peoples, and Jerusalem will again be inhabited in her place.
The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. He will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. He will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
He will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy; they will look on me, on him whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him as one weeps over a firstborn. The mourning in Jerusalem will be great, like the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David and their wives, the family of Nathan, of Levi, of Shimei, and all the rest of the families.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Jerusalem will be a heavy stone for all the peoples who try to lift it. The image shows that the city's defense does not depend on its strength but on the Lord who commits himself to her.
The Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem so that the feeblest is like David. The power of his people comes from his protection, not from their own resources.
The Lord pours out a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, and the people look on the one they pierced and mourn as for an only child. John 19:37 applies this text to Jesus on the cross, and Revelation 1:7 takes it up when speaking of his return.
The mourning will be as great as that of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The prophet compares the people's repentance with one of the best-known laments in Israel's history.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: A cup of staggering and a heavy stone. — Zechariah 12:2-3
Answer: Strike them with panic and madness. — Zechariah 12:4
Answer: Like David. — Zechariah 12:8
Answer: A spirit of grace and pleas for mercy. — Zechariah 12:10
Answer: As one mourns for an only child or a firstborn. — Zechariah 12:10
Answer: That of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. — Zechariah 12:11
Zechariah 12 shows that true repentance springs from God's work: it is he who pours out the spirit of grace and pleas. In a class or small group you can talk about how to pray that God would awaken in us and in others a sincere sorrow for sin, which leads us to look on Christ in faith.
The text also consoles those who feel weak: on the day of the Lord, the feeblest will be like David. The strength of God's people is not measured by their size but by the presence of the Lord who protects them.
Zechariah 12 announces the defense of Jerusalem and the mourning of a people who look on the pierced one. Chapter 13 continues with God's answer to repentance: he opens a fountain to cleanse from sin, removes idols and refines a remnant.
In the text the speaker is the Lord, who says they will look on me, on him whom they have pierced. John 19:37 applies the text to Jesus on the cross, when a soldier pierced his side with a spear. Christians see in this a prophecy fulfilled in Christ, who is God made man.
The text says on that day, with no concrete date. Some see it fulfilled in Judah's victories in ancient times and in the coming of Christ; others expect a future fulfillment, at the Lord's return. What is certain is that the Lord defends his people and leads them to repentance.
The text does not explain. Many link it to the mourning for the death of King Josiah at Megiddo (2 Chronicles 35:22-25), or to a lament for a fertility god. In either case the image is of very great mourning.