Zechariah 12:5
in Zechariah 12Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts: ‘The people of Jerusalem are my strength, for the LORD of Hosts is their God.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the chieftains of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Jehovah of hosts their God.
KJV
And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God.
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This verse in Zechariah 12
Commentary
6 notes on this verse(Verse 5) And the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts: Let the inhabitants of Jerusalem be strengthened in the Lord their God. LXX: And the tribunes, that is, the commanders, will say in their hearts: Let us find for ourselves, those who dwell in Jerusalem, in the Almighty Lord their God. When the Lord opens His eyes upon Judah and strikes all the horses of the nations with blindness, the leaders of Judah, of whom it was said above, will be besieged against Jerusalem.
This site's exposition
smite every horse with astonishment
on Zechariah 12:4-6
The Lord promises to smite every horse of the besieging nations with astonishment and its rider with madness, striking the cavalry blind while keeping his own eyes open upon the house of Judah. Judah's governors become in that day like a hearth of fire in the wood and a torch in a sheaf, devouring the surrounding peoples on the right hand and the left, and Jerusalem is inhabited again in her own place. Gill and Barnes read the reversal, panic falling on the strong horses of the nations while the weak governors of Judah turn to fire, as the pattern the whole chapter repeats, human strength undone and human weakness armed.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Jerusalem--here distinguished as the country and the metropolis. Judah recognizes her "strength" to be "Jerusalem and its inhabitants" as the instrument, and "Jehovah of hosts their God" (dwelling especially there) as the author of all power (Joe 3:16). My strength is the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who have the Lord their God as their help.
The governors of Judah - This supposes a union between the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And the princes of Judah - He pictures the onemindedness of the Church. No one shall assume anything to himself; each shall exalt the strength which the other was to him; but all, “in the Lord.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאָֽמְר֛וּ | veameru | and they will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אַלֻּפֵ֥י | ʾalufei | [the] chiefs of | H441 → | 69 times |
| יְהוּדָ֖ה | yehudah | Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| בְּלִבָּ֑ם | belibam | in heart their | H3820 → | 595 times |
| אַמְצָ֥ה | ʾamtzah | [are] strength | H556 → | |
| לִי֙ | li | of me | ||
| יֹשְׁבֵ֣י | yoshevei | [the] inhabitants of | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔ם | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| בַּיהוָ֥ה | bayahweh | by Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| צְבָא֖וֹת | tzevaot | of hosts | H6635 → | 485 times |
| אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃ | ʾeloheihem | God their | H430 → | 2601 times |
וְאָֽמְר֛וּand they will say
veameruH559 →5305 times
אַלֻּפֵ֥י[the] chiefs of
ʾalufeiH441 →69 times
יְהוּדָ֖הJudah
yehudahH3063 →819 times
בְּלִבָּ֑םin heart their
belibamH3820 →595 times
אַמְצָ֥ה[are] strength
ʾamtzahH556 →
לִי֙of me
li
יֹשְׁבֵ֣י[the] inhabitants of
yosheveiH3427 →1079 times
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔םJerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
בַּיהוָ֥הby Yahweh
bayahwehH3068 →6520 times
צְבָא֖וֹתof hosts
tzevaotH6635 →485 times
אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃God their
ʾeloheihemH430 →2601 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 144:1Blessed be the LORD, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
it leads to
- Psalms 18:34
He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
- 2 Samuel 22:35
He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
- Psalms 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- Psalms 44:3–4
For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because…
- Ephesians 6:10–11
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
- Psalms 18:34
Through
Zechariah 10:12I will strengthen them in the LORD, and in His name they will walk,” declares the LORD.
it leads to
- Isaiah 41:10
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand…
- Isaiah 41:10
Through
Psalms 18:32It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
it leads to
- Isaiah 45:5
I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me,
- Psalms 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song.
- Isaiah 45:5
Where this verse is studied
About Zechariah
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonPatriarchsJudahJacob's fourth son who pledges himself for Benjamin; the tribe that carries the scepter to Shiloh (49:10) and the line to Christ (…
- PlaceJerusalemJerusalemThe city David took from the Jebusites and made his capital, where Solomon built the temple, where Christ was crucified and rose,…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Zechariah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).