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ZECHARIAH 12

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

TEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. There is a parallel relationship between Zechariah, chapters 9-11 and 12-14, which can be seen in the use of "burden," Zech. 9:1 and 12:1 (see Baldwin, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, p. 187 and H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Zechariah, p. 223). Chapters 12-14 form a literary unit.
   
   
2. The military of the nations' defeat is expressed in powerful imagery.
   1. They drink the cup of YHWH's judgment which makes them drunk and unable to defend themselves. (v. 3)
   2. YHWH makes Jerusalem like a heavy stone that makes the soldiers weak and ineffective. (v. 3)
   3. YHWH defeats their military
      1. strikes their horses (v. 4)
      2. strikes their riders (v. 4)
      3. blinds their chariot horses (v. 4)
   4. Judah will be like a spark among dry wood (v. 6)
   
   
3. The emphasis of this chapter is on the restoration of YHWH's faithful followers.
   1. YHWH fighting for them as symbolized in Jerusalem under siege by the nations.
   2. Their repentance and faith in the crucified Messiah (cf. John 19:37 and Rev. 1:7).
   3. The phrase "in that day" or "on that day" occurs sixteen times in Zechariah 12-14. This phrase is often linked to an eschatological setting.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ZECHARIAH 12:1-5
 ¹The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, ²"Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. ³It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. ⁴In that day," declares the Lord, "I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness. But I will watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. ⁵Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘A strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the Lord of hosts, their God.'"

12:1 "The burden of the word" It seems that Zech. 9:1 and 12:1 introduce a parallel section in this closing section of the book of Zechariah. See note on "burden" at Zech. 9:1.

▣ "concerning Israel" This is the only use of "Israel" in this chapter and it seems to refer to all of the Jewish people, not just the northern tribes (cf. Zech. 9:1,13; 11:14). During this period the Jewish people only controlled a small area around Jerusalem. Most of the returning Jews were Judeans.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ISRAEL (THE NAME)

▣ "the Lord who" There are three major theological statements about YHWH's creative activity:

1. He "stretches out the heavens"
2. He "lays the foundation of the earth"
3. He "forms the spirit of man within him"

All of these VERBAL forms are Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLES, which emphasize

1. YHWH as Creator (Genesis 1-2)
2. ongoing creation, but exactly how is not specified

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D.

▣ "stretches out the heavens" This means to "put up a tent" (BDB 639, KB 692, Qal PARTICIPLE, e.g., Gen. 33:19; Exod. 12:8; Isa. 40:22; 42:5; 45:12; 51:13). This refers to the atmosphere above the earth. It was idiomatically spoken of as an inverted bowl of stretched skin.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH

SPECIAL TOPIC: HEAVENS

▣ "lays the foundation of the earth" This refers to creation (cf. Job 38:4-6; Ps. 102:25-26 [Heb. 1:10-12]; 104:5; Isa. 48:13; 51:13,16). It may be an allusion to Isa. 42:5. In Zechariah 12-14 this term (BDB 75-76) is used in several ways.

1. all the earth, Zech. 12:1,3; 14:9,17
2. inhabitants of a region, Zech. 12:12; 13:8
3. a region, Zech. 13:2; 14:10

▣ "forms the spirit of man within him" The Hebrew term "spirit" (ruah, BDB 924-926) can mean "breath," "wind," or "spirit."

1. In Gen. 2:7 YHWH's breath (ruah) turned a clay-formed man into a living being (nephesh).
2. the "wind" (ruah) of God (cf. Gen. 8:1, re-creation after the flood)
3. the "Spirit" of God (ruah, cf. Gen. 1:2, initial creation) are active forces of YHWH Elohim in Gen. 2:4

The unseen God is active initially and continually in creation. The physical material aspect of creation is only part of the wonder and scope of God's creative activities.

YHWH created/creates (first three PARTICIPLES are Qal ACTIVE) for the purpose of fellowship with mankind. We are partially like the animals of this planet (nephesh) and also partially like God ("image or likeness," cf. Gen. 1:26-27). The "spirit" of man means the unique person (cf. Psalm 139) with the potential of rebellion or fellowship.

SPECIAL TOPIC: BREATH, WIND, SPIRIT

SPECIAL TOPIC: NEPHESH

SPECIAL TOPIC: SPIRIT IN THE BIBLE

This phrase is in the Hebrew parallel relationship with "Jerusalem a heavy stone" from Zech. 12:3. This phrase means that the unbelieving nations who come against YHWH's people are going to be made drunk and foolish (cf. Jer. 51:7) because of their attacking Jerusalem.

The idiom of "cup" (several different words) in the Bible usually refers to judgment (cf. Ps 75:8; Isa. 51:17,22; Jer. 25:15-16,27-28; 49:12; Matt. 20:22; 26:39,42; Luke 22:42; John 18:11).

SPECIAL TOPIC: CUP

▣ "to all the peoples around" This refers to the nations of Mesopotamia and Canaan which have attacked YHWH's people (cf. Zech. 12:3; Isa. 51:22; Jer. 25:17,28).

This is a very ambiguous phrase because of the brevity of the Hebrew. There is no consistency in how the ancient versions translate it.

Because of Zech. 14:14 some Jewish interpreters see this as Judah being forced to fight against Jerusalem by the invading enemy army (cf. UBS, Handbook, p. 311; UBS Text Project, p. 420).

12:3 "all who lift it will be severely injured" This seems to be used of a stone which the nations attempted to lift off of its foundation, but all were herniated by the attempt.

This is an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB of the same root (BDB 976, KB 1355), which intensifies the meaning "to scratch" or "cut." Possibly the pagan nations practiced ritual cutting (cf. Lev. 19:28; 21:5), but Israel was forbidden to do this. Now the eschatological judgment on these attacking pagan nations will be "cutting" or "scratching" (irony). The Rotherham Emphasized Bible has "cut themselves in pieces."

▣ "and all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it" It is a continuing emphasis throughout prophetic literature that the kingdoms of this world will attack YHWH and His people in a future, end-time, climactic battle (cf. Zech. 12:3; Psalm 2; Isa. 8:9-10; 17:12-14; Ezekiel 38-39; Dan. 9:24-27; 11:36-45; Joel 3:9-17; Zech. 14:2; Rev. 16:14-16; 19:17-19). History is moving toward a climactic moment of confrontation with evil. Evil will lose and be isolated.

12:4 "in that day" This is a common theme in the literary unit of Zechariah 12-14. It is used sixteen times and refers to an eschatological future (cf. Zeph. 1:14-18; 3:16; Amos 5:18-20; Joel 1:15; 2:11; 3:14; Mal. 4:5).

SPECIAL TOPIC: THAT DAY

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE LAST DAYS

▣ "I will strike every horse with bewilderment, and his rider with madness" This is related to the curse of Deut. 28:28 (both BDB 1067, "bewilderment" and BDB 993, "madness"); also "blindness" (BDB 234) is used in Deuteronomy 28 and 29. The history of God's OT people can be viewed through the cursing and blessing section of Lev. 26 and Deut. 27-29.

The NKJV is the most literal. This phrase is a Hebrew idiom for care and attentiveness (cf. 1 Kgs. 8:29; 2 Chr. 7:15; Neh. 1:6). The question remains if this phrase intends to show that Judah had been forced to join in the attack against Jerusalem and if so that YHWH spared the Judean soldiers when all the rest of the invading army was struck mad.

In the Ancient Near East, cavalry and chariots were the most powerful and feared military weapon, but YHWH will overpower them (cf. Zech. 10:5; 12:4; 14:15; Hag. 2:22), and remove them, even those of Ephraim and Judah, Zech. 9:10. He is the victor!

This intervention by YHWH on behalf of His people is reminiscent of His action during

1. the Exodus
2. conquest and settlement of Canaan
3. the fall of Mesopotamian capitals

12:5 "A strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through. . .their God" This phrase is understood in several ways.

1. there was a tension between the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the rest of Judah (cf. Zech. 12:7 and New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, vol. 1, p. 440)
2. Judah was forced to participate in the besieging of Jerusalem (cf. Zech. 12:2c; 4b), but took courage to rebel when they saw the faith of Jerusalem's defenders (UBS, Handbook; UBS Text Project)
3. Judah's leaders recognized YHWH's help by His defense of Jerusalem

▣ "the Lord of hosts" This is a common post-exilic title (YHWH Sabaoth), which emphasizes YHWH as military warrior. It seems to see Him as the captain of the military army (i.e., Josh. 5:13-15). Zechariah 12:5 also recognizes the intervention of the supernatural God, which must be linked to Zech. 12:7 and 8.

SPECIAL TOPIC: LORD OF HOSTS

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ZECHARIAH 12:6-9
 ⁶"In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem. ⁷The Lord also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above Judah. ⁸In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. ⁹And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem."

12:6 "In that day" See note at Zech. 12:4.

▣ As Zech. 12:5 affirms YHWH's help to Jerusalem, 12:6 affirms His help to the "clans of Judah" (BDB 49 II, lit. "thousands," but used of leaders, cf. Zech. 9:7).

YHWH will make the clans (or leaders) rebel and become a destroying flame against the invading army of the nations. They became His destroyers amidst the enemy's army.

There is a constant tension between "the nations" as enemies (cf. Zech. 12:9) and welcomed converts (cf. Zech. 2:11; 8:20-23) throughout the book of Zechariah.

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

▣ "the clans of Judah" This is literally "the thousands of Judah."

SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (ELEPH)

12:7 "The Lord also will save the tents of Judah first" The VERB (BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil PERFECT with waw) has two ways to be understood.

1. YHWH allows the Judean forces to defeat the invaders so that Jerusalem will not be overly exalted.
2. YHWH saves the tents of Judah first because they are more vulnerable to attack. In this way He shows that He has no favoritism between those who live in Jerusalem and those who live in the countryside.

The word "tents" (BDB 13) is being interpreted in two senses:

1. a military camp
2. imagery for homes

12:8 "the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem" This VERB means "cover as with a shield" (BDB 170, KB 199, Hiphil IMPERFECT, cf. Zech. 4:14-15; 9:15). YHWH as a shield is also mentioned in Gen. 15:1; 2 Sam. 22:26; Ps. 3:3; 18:2; 144:2; Prov. 30:5.

▣ "and the one who is feeble among them" The literal meaning is "stumble" (BDB 505, KB 502, Niphal PARTICIPLE). This refers to the oldest and weakest of the community who will be made as strong as King David, who was noted as a formidable warrior.

▣ "the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them" This is a striking hypebole used in the sense of God's empowering of His Davidic leader. The term for God is the term Elohim, which is used in the sense of supernatural beings (cf. Exod. 4:16; 7:1; 1 Sam. 28:13; Ps. 8:5; 82:1,6).

The angel of the Lord is often seen as YHWH's representative among the people (cf. Exod. 13:21; 14:19; 23:20-21; 32:34; 33:2,14-15,22). In two passages David is likened to the angel of the Lord (cf. 1 Sam. 29:9; 2 Sam. 14:17,20; 19:27). Remember, there are three phrases (no VERBS) here which build on each other for literary, not theological, effect.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ANGEL OF THE LORD

12:9 This shows the continuing imagery of YHWH's sovereign protection of His people. These invading nations were defeated by Judean forces, but through YHWH's empowerment (i.e., holy war imagery)!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ZECHARIAH 12:10-14
 ¹⁰"I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. ¹¹In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. ¹²The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; ¹³the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; ¹⁴all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves.

12:10 "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication" The VERB "will pour out" (BDB 1049, KB 1629, Qal PERFECT with waw) is used quite often in the OT to denote YHWH giving the Spirit (cf. Ezek. 39:29; Joel 2:28,29, a different word but same concept in Isa. 12:15; 44:3).

The terms "grace" (BDB 336, cf. Zech. 4:7) and "supplication" (BDB 337, cf. Jer. 31:9) are from the same root. This is a strong verse which emphasizes the national conversion of Israel to faith in YHWH's crucified ("pierced"; NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 983) Messiah (cf. Sukka, 52a; Rom. 11:25-27; John 19:37; Rev. 1:7). The physical deliverance of Zech. 12:2-9 are not complete without the spiritual deliverance of Zech. 12:10! See SPECIAL TOPIC: A SUFFERING MESSIAH

The phrase "a spirit of" (NRSV, NJB) or "the Spirit" (NASB, NKJV) has no ARTICLE in the Hebrew text. This is not a reference to the Holy Spirit, but the human spirit:

1. positive attributes
   1. Deut. 34:9, "filled with the spirit of wisdom"
   2. Isa. 28:6, "a spirit of justice"
2. negative attributes
   1. Num. 5:14,30, "a spirit of jealousy"
   2. Isa. 19:4, "a spirit of distortion"
   3. Isa. 29:10, "a spirit of deep sleep"
   4. Hosea 4:12, "a spirit of harlotry"

These physically delivered Jewish people will be empowered by YHWH to see and understand their spiritual need and His redemptive plan.

Other prophetic texts where "the Spirit" is poured out are Isa. 44:3; Ezek. 39:29 and also the classic text of Joel 2:28. It is YHWH who energizes and motivates the fallen human spirit to appropriate and righteous attitudes and actions.

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

SPECIAL TOPIC: SPIRIT IN THE BIBLE

▣ "so that they will look on Me" The VERB (BDB 613, KB 661) is a Hiphil PERFECT. The Hebrew PREPOSITION translated "on" (BDB 39) in this verse should really be translated as "to" or "unto" (see New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, vol. 3, p. 9 and The Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 683). It speaks of looking to this one for help or grace (cf. Num. 21:9; Isa. 45:22 for this usage of the PREPOSITION).

Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 345-346, asserts that this is the only text in the OT that alludes to two comings of the Messiah.

It also clearly asserts a suffering Messiah, who will in the future, be recognized and mounred by the Jewish people.
SPECIAL TOPIC: A SUFFERING MESSIAH
SPECIAL TOPIC: THIS AGE AND THE AGE TO COME
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE MESSIANIC ERA
SPECIAL TOPIC: MESSIAH

The MT has "me" but Jewish scribes and Masoretic scholars were very uncomfortable with anthropomorphic language used of YHWH and changed it to "him" (which does occur later in the verse).

SPECIAL TOPIC: ANTHROPOMORPHIC LANGUAGE USED TO DESCRIBE GOD

▣ "whom they have pierced" This VERB (BDB 201, KB 230, Qal PERFECT) means "to pierce through" ("kill," cf. Num. 25:8; Jdgs. 9:54; 1 Sam. 31:4; 1 Chr. 10:4). This is a different word from the one in Isaiah 53 (see exegetical note online), but the theological concept is exactly the same (cf. John 19:37; Rev. 1:7).

▣ "they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son" The VERB (BDB 704, KB 763) is another Qal PERFECT with waw. This seems to imply their repentance and faith ("look to") in the one whom they had pierced (cf. Isa. 53:5).

The mourning (lit. "wailing" or "lamenting" BDB 704, cf. Zech. 12:10,11,12) will be intense like that over the loss of an only son (cf. Jer. 6:26), who in a Jewish home was an especially important person to carry on the family name and blood line.

Zechariah 12:10 has been extremely difficult for the rabbis to interpret.

1. Therefore, they developed from this verse the concept of two Messiahs; one of the son of David (who does not suffer) and one of the son of Joseph, who was going to die (cf. the Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah, 52a). This same theory of two messiahs also appears among the Essenes of the Dead Sea community.
2. The modern translators of the Jewish Publication Society of America turn this verse into a lament by Israel to YHWH to spare the remnant of the invading nations, but admits in the footnote that the Hebrew is uncertain.

▣ "they will weep bitterly" The term (BDB 600, KB 638, Hiphil INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE), which is used twice, means a bitter outcry (cf. Isa. 22:4).

12:11 "In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo" There have been many theories to try to describe what is referred to here:

1. the RSV and NRSV translate this as referring to a person
2. the KJV and NKJV, following Jerome, interpret this to refer to a city located four miles from Megiddo (the site of the end-time battle, cf. Zech. 12:2-9)
3. recent scholars believe that this refers to a Canaanite deity, Ba'al, mentioned in 2 Kgs. 5:18. This word, "Hadadrimmon" is made up of two proper names (one Syrian and one Assyrian) which are used in the OT for ancient deities
4. the term is ambiguous

It is possible that it refers to the mourning over Josiah's death at this geographical location (609 B.C., cf. 2 Kgs. 23:29ff; 2 Chr. 35:20ff). The exact allusion is uncertain, but great mourning occurred over something and this is simply the illustration used to back up the emphasis of Zech. 12:10.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE LAST DAYS

12:12 "And the land will mourn" This could mean several things.

1. the term land stands for the inhabitants of the land, as in Zech. 12:12 and 13:8
2. the land is affected by human actions (e.g., Gen. 3:17-19; Deut. 27-29; Rom. 8:19-25)

▣ "every family by itself" This is a continuing emphasis on the gravity and extent of the mourning. The royal family is mentioned, David and his son Nathan (cf. 2 Sam. 5:14; 1 Chr. 3:5; 14:4; Luke 3:31; this is the line of David [i.e., Judah]). Levi and his son (Shimeites) are mentioned in Num. 3:18; 1 Chr. 6:17. The royal family and the priestly family (Shimeites were Levites, cf. Exod. 6:16-17; Num. 3:12-18,21) are uniquely involved in this mourning as representatives of the entire people. It is also possible to note that Zechariah combined the royal and priestly roles (cf. Zechariah 3 and 4, as well as Zech. 6:9-15; also note Psalm 110).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Is the continuing allusion in the prophets to the people of God's battle with the surrounding nations a continuing event, a contemporary event of the prophet, or a future event? Why?
2. Why and how did the rabbis develop the theory of two Messiahs?
3. List the prophecies in this chapter which were fulfilled in the life of Jesus.
4. Will national Israel repent and turn to the Messiah one day? (Give references)
5. What is your interpretation of Zech. 12:11 and why?

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