Zechariah 12:9
in Zechariah 12So on that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
KJV
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
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This verse in Zechariah 12
Commentary
6 notes on this verse(Verse 9) And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications. LXX: And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem, and I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of mercy.
This site's exposition
seek to destroy all the nations
on Zechariah 12:9-10
The Lord announces he will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem, and in the same breath pours out on the house of David and the inhabitants of the city the spirit of grace and of supplications. Then comes the chapter's most argued line, they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son, a shift from first person to third person the bench reads through several proposed solutions rather than one settled grammar. John 19:37 quotes the verse of the crucifixion directly, with Revelation 1:7 carrying its language forward, and the pronoun crux is named here with its readings rather than resolved by the note.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And it shall come to pass in that day,.... So often mentioned in this chapter; by which is meant the latter part of the Gospel dispensation, the spiritual reign of Christ: that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem; and shall destroy them. The whole of this paragraph seems to refer to the same as in Eze 38:1.
These promises were of use then to the pious Jews that lived in the troublous times under Antiochus, and other persecutors and oppressors; and they are still to be improved in every age for the directing of our prayers and the encouraging of our hopes with reference to the gospel-church.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
In that day, I will seek to destroy - Woe indeed to those, whom Almighty God shall “‘seek’ to destroy!” Man may seek earnestly to do, what at last he cannot do. Still it is an earnest seeking. And whether it is used of human seeking which fails, or which succeeds 1Sa 14:4; 1Sa 23:10; Ecc 12:10, inchoate or permitted 1Ki 11:22; Zec 6:7, it is always used of seeking to do, what it is a person’s set purpose to do if he can. Here it is spoken of Almighty God .
I will seek to destroy all the nations - When this time shall arrive, all nations that “will not receive the faith of our Lord Jesus” shall be destroyed, when the longsuffering of God shall no longer wait upon them. This seems to belong to a period yet very remote.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
a spirit of grace and supplications That it should come into their mind to supplicate Me, and they will be in My good graces.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָ֖ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בַּיּ֣וֹם | baiyom | on the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַה֑וּא | hahu' | <the> that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| אֲבַקֵּ֗שׁ | ʾavakesh | I will seek | H1245 → | 225 times |
| לְהַשְׁמִיד֙ | lehashmid | to destroy | H8045 → | |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַגּוֹיִ֔ם | hagoyim | the nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| הַבָּאִ֖ים | habaim | that are coming | H935 → | 2568 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
וְהָיָ֖הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
בַּיּ֣וֹםon the day
baiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַה֑וּא<the> that
hahu'H1931 →1879 times
אֲבַקֵּ֗שׁI will seek
ʾavakeshH1245 →225 times
לְהַשְׁמִיד֙to destroy
lehashmidH8045 →
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הַגּוֹיִ֔םthe nations
hagoyimH1471 →561 times
הַבָּאִ֖יםthat are coming
habaimH935 →2568 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃Jerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 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
Isaiah 54:17No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the…
it leads to
- Romans 8:28–39
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
- Isaiah 54:15
If anyone attacks you, it is not from Me; whoever assails you will fall before you.
- John 10:28–30
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.
- Isaiah 50:8
The One who vindicates Me is near. Who will dare to contend with Me? Let us confront each other! Who has a case against Me? Let him approach Me!
- Romans 8:1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
- Romans 8:28–39
Through
Haggai 2:22I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his…
it leads to
- Micah 5:10
“In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will remove your horses from among you and wreck your chariots.
- Micah 5:10
Through
Zechariah 12:2“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples. Judah will be besieged, as well as Jerusalem.
it leads to
- Psalms 75:8
For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to the…
- Zechariah 14:14
Judah will also fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.
- Psalms 75:8
Where this verse is studied
About Zechariah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets; Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Zechariah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.