Zechariah Chapter 12 — The Deliverance of Jerusalem
God promises to defend Jerusalem against all nations and grant the inhabitants a spirit of grace that leads to deep, widespread mourning.
1A revelation of the LORD’s word concerning Israel: The LORD, 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 the LORD, “I will strike every horse with terror and his rider with madness. 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 the LORD 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. 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.
7The LORD 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 the LORD 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 the LORD’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. They will look to me*After “me”, the Hebrew has the two letters “Aleph Tav” (the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet), not as a word, but as a grammatical marker. 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 Megiddo.
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.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Zechariah 12:3
“It 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.”
This verse emphasizes God's sovereign protection of Jerusalem and the consequences for those who oppose it.
Zechariah 12:10
“I will pour on David’s house and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication. They will look to me whom they have pierced.”
This passage describes a profound spiritual transformation and a moment of deep national recognition and grief.
Chapter Summary
Zechariah 12 begins with a declaration of God's power as the Creator who stretches out the heavens and forms the spirit of man. The Lord promises to make Jerusalem a 'burdensome stone' for all the nations that gather against it, warning that those who try to move it will be severely wounded. God pledges to supernaturally protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, making even the weakest among them as strong as David, while the house of David will be like the angel of the Lord. The chapter describes a dramatic shift in the leaders of Judah, who find their strength in the Lord. Following this physical deliverance, the text transitions to a spiritual event: God pours out a spirit of grace and supplication on the house of David. The people look upon the one they have pierced and mourn with a grief as intense as one mourning for an only child. This mourning is described as universal across the land but practiced individually by every family, emphasizing the deep and personal nature of the sorrow experienced.
Frequently Asked Questions
The text describes Jerusalem as a heavy stone that will injure any nation attempting to lift or move it. This metaphor illustrates God's commitment to making the city immovable and protected from its enemies who try to burden themselves with it.
According to the chapter, God will pour out the spirit of grace and supplication specifically on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. This divine influence causes the people to look toward the one they have pierced and engage in deep, bitter mourning.
The Lord promises to defend the inhabitants so that even the most feeble among them will become like King David in strength, and the house of David will be like the angel of the Lord before them in battle.
Study Note
The Hebrew phrase 'Aleph Tav' appears in verse 10 as an untranslated grammatical marker, which has historically intrigued scholars regarding its placement before the reference to the one who was pierced.
Related Chapters
John 19
This New Testament chapter explicitly cites the prophecy regarding the 'pierced' individual from Zechariah 12:10.
Revelation 1
The vision of every eye seeing the one who was pierced mirrors the themes of mourning and recognition found in this chapter.
Psalm 22
A poetic passage that also contains imagery of being pierced and looking for divine deliverance.
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