This is the burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel.
2“Behold, I will make Jerusalema 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 ofHosts istheir 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 LORDwill 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 Davidwill 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.
10NTThen I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit†of graceand 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.
ⓘThe clan of David... Nathan... Levi, and... Shimei:...
The clan of David . . . Nathan . . . Levi, and . . . Shimei: Zechariah might be referring to the royal families (David and his son Nathan; see 1 Chr 14:4) and the priestly families (Levi and his grandson Shimei; see Num 3:16–18; 1 Chr 6:16–17). Alternatively, the four families might represent the four principal classes of leadership in Old Testament times: the king (David, 1 Sam 16:1–13; the prophet (Nathan, 2 Sam 7:2), the priest (Levi, Deut 33:8–11), and the tribal leader (Shimei, 1 Kgs 1:8; 4:18). The first interpretation correlates with Zechariah’s emphasis on the Branch that will be both king and priest (see Zech 6:12–13).
each clan by itself: This separation depicts the depth and totality of Israel’s mourning.
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.
Commentary
Zechariah 12:2
intoxicating drink (literally bowl of reeling or cup of staggering): The cup of alcoholic drink is a metaphor for God’s judgment (Isa 51:17; Jer 25:15; Hab 2:16; Matt 26:39, 42; Rev 14:10; 16:1). Jerusalem would be instrumental in God’s judgment on the nearby nations.
Commentary
Zechariah 12:3
Jerusalem will be an immovable rock that cuts and gashes those who attempt to conquer and control it, because the city was founded by the Lord, who loves it more than any other city of Israel (Ps 87:1–2). In Zechariah, imagery involving a stone is associated with the Temple (Zech 3:9; 4:7; 10:4).
Commentary
Zechariah 12:4
Madness, blindness, and panic were among the curses threatened against Israel for covenant disobedience (Deut 28:28). The day of the Lord will witness a reversal as these curses are turned against Israel’s enemies (see 2 Kgs 7:6–7).
watch over (literally open my eyes): The open eyes of God represent divine provision for those in desperate need (see Gen 16:13–14; 21:19–21).
Commentary
Zechariah 12:5
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: This title emphasizes God’s irrepressible power (see study note on 1:3). The frequent repetition of this title in Zechariah’s second oracle (chs 12–14) assured his audience that the divine promises concerning Judah’s victory would certainly be fulfilled (12:7).
Commentary
Zechariah 12:6
flame (literally firepan): Bronze or gold firepans were used to carry hot coals to and from the sacrificial altars of the Tabernacle and the Temple (Exod 27:3; 1 Kgs 7:50). God would set Israel among the nations like a burning firepan to destroy or purify them.
Commentary
Zechariah 12:8
The angel of the Lord is here equated with God, represented as a Divine Warrior, rescuer, and protector (see 1:11; 3:1; Exod 14:19; 15:3; Isa 59:15–20; 63:1–6). By divine enabling, the weak will be imbued with God’s power.
pour out: This word describes the outpouring of God’s spirit of prophecy upon Israel and all people on the day of the Lord (cp. Ezek 39:28–29; Joel 2:28–29) and God’s judgment upon the wicked (Lam 2:4; Hos 5:10; Zeph 3:8).
a spirit of grace: God’s unmerited and unsought favor persuades God’s people to seek him in contrite and repentant prayer (see Ps 86:15–16).
me whom they have pierced: The New Testament understands the piercing of God as a reference to the piercing of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth (John 19:34–37; Rev 1:7).
The name Hadad-rimmon combines the names of two Syrian deities, the storm-god Hadad and the thunder-god Rimmon. The great mourning for these gods may be similar to the weeping for Tammuz, one of the rituals practiced in the Mesopotamian fertility cults.
Joshua captured Megiddo (Josh 12:21), a major city on the southwest edge of the Jezreel Valley; it was allotted to the tribe of Manasseh (Josh 17:11). Megiddo controlled a key pass on the great highway from Egypt to Mesopotamia, and so was of great strategic importance. It was a district capital during Solomon’s reign (1 Kgs 4:12). King Josiah was mortally wounded in a battle against Pharaoh Neco and the Egyptians on the plain of Megiddo (2 Chr 35:22–23), and the mountain of Megiddo is the site of the great battle depicted in Rev 16:16.
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