Zechariah 13:3
in Zechariah 13And if anyone still prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You shall not remain alive, because you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD.’ When he prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will pierce him through.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it shall come to pass that, when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of Jehovah; and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
KJV
And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
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This verse in Zechariah 13
Commentary
8 notes on this verse(Verse 3) And it will be, when someone prophesies further, his father and mother, who bore him, will say to him: You shall not live, because you have spoken falsehood in the name of the Lord. And his father and mother, who bore him, will pierce him when he prophesies. (Septuagint: If a man prophesies further, his father and mother, who bore him, will say to him: You shall not live, because you have spoken falsehood in the name of the Lord. And his father and mother, who bore him, will bind him when he prophesies.)
This site's exposition
cut off the names of the idols
on Zechariah 13:2-3
The Lord promises to cut off the names of the idols from the land so they are no longer remembered, and to remove the prophets and the unclean spirit along with them, purging false worship and false prophecy in the same stroke. The purge reaches into the family itself, if a son should still prophesy, his own father and mother will tell him he speaks lies in the name of the Lord and will thrust him through for it. Gill and Wesley read the extremity of the household's own hand turned against a false prophet as measuring how seriously the restored community will guard the Lord's name, without the notes claiming the law was ever carried out to that letter.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
): When any shall set up for a prophet, and shall speak lies in the name of the Lord, shall preach that which tends to draw people from God and to confirm them in sin, his own parents shall be the first and most forward to prosecute him for it, according to the law. 6-11 , " If thy son entice thee secretly from God, thou shalt surely kill him.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy,....
But here is another who was reduced by stripes, and so prevented the capital punishment; and he had the sense and honesty to own that they were his friends, his real friends, who thus wounded him, that they might reclaim him; for faithful are the wounds of a friend, Prov. xxvii.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
His father and mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live - The prophet describes the zeal against false prophecy, with reference to the law against those who seduced to apostasy from God. Deu 13:6-10: “the nearest relations were themselves to denounce any who had secretly tried to seduce them, and themselves, as the accusers, to cast the first stone at them.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The substantial truth expressed is that false prophecy shall be utterly abolished. If it were possible for it again to start up, the very parents of the false prophet would not let parental affection interfere, but would be the first to thrust him through. Love to Christ must be paramount to the tenderest of natural ties (Mt 10:37).
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
When any shall yet prophesy - Falsely; such shall be the horror of such an evil, that there shall be no toleration of it. Itself, and they who practice it, shall be everywhere destroyed.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
a hairy mantle So is the custom of those who entice or draw away [the people], to enwrap themselves with mantles as though they are righteous men in order that their lies be accepted.
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
22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָ֗ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יִנָּבֵ֣א | yinave' | he will prophesy | H5012 → | 115 times |
| אִישׁ֮ | ʾish | anyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| עוֹד֒ | ʾod | still | H5750 → | 490 times |
| וְאָמְר֣וּ | veameru | and they will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵ֠לָיו | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אָבִ֨יו | ʾaviv | father his | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וְאִמּ֤וֹ | veimo | and mother his | H517 → | |
| יֹֽלְדָיו֙ | yoledav | [who] begot him | H3205 → | |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִֽחְיֶ֔ה | tichyeh | you will live | H2421 → | 282 times |
| כִּ֛י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| שֶׁ֥קֶר | sheker | falsehood | H8267 → | 113 times |
| דִּבַּ֖רְתָּ | dibarta | you have spoken | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| בְּשֵׁ֣ם | beshem | in [the] name of | H8034 → | 864 times |
| יְהוָ֑ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וּדְקָרֻ֜הוּ | udekaruhu | and they will pierce through him | H1856 → | |
| אָבִ֧יהוּ | ʾavihu | father his | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וְאִמּ֛וֹ | veimo | and mother his | H517 → | |
| יֹלְדָ֖יו | yoledav | [who] begot him | H3205 → | |
| בְּהִנָּבְאֽוֹ׃ | behinaveo | when prophecies he | H5012 → | 115 times |
וְהָיָ֗הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
יִנָּבֵ֣אhe will prophesy
yinave'H5012 →115 times
אִישׁ֮anyone
ʾishH376 →1663 times
עוֹד֒still
ʾodH5750 →490 times
וְאָמְר֣וּand they will say
veameruH559 →5305 times
אֵ֠לָיוto him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
אָבִ֨יוfather his
ʾavivH1 →1212 times
וְאִמּ֤וֹand mother his
veimoH517 →
יֹֽלְדָיו֙[who] begot him
yoledavH3205 →
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תִֽחְיֶ֔הyou will live
tichyehH2421 →282 times
כִּ֛יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
שֶׁ֥קֶרfalsehood
shekerH8267 →113 times
דִּבַּ֖רְתָּyou have spoken
dibartaH1696 →1141 times
בְּשֵׁ֣םin [the] name of
beshemH8034 →864 times
יְהוָ֑הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וּדְקָרֻ֜הוּand they will pierce through him
udekaruhuH1856 →
אָבִ֧יהוּfather his
ʾavihuH1 →1212 times
וְאִמּ֛וֹand mother his
veimoH517 →
יֹלְדָ֖יו[who] begot him
yoledavH3205 →
בְּהִנָּבְאֽוֹ׃when prophecies he
behinaveoH5012 →115 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
2 Corinthians 5:16So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
it leads to
- Colossians 3:11
Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all.
- John 6:63
The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
- Philippians 3:7–8
But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ.
- James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- James 2:1–4
My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism.
- Colossians 3:11
Through
Deuteronomy 18:20But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 13:1–5
If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you,
- Jeremiah 27:15
For I have not sent them, declares the LORD, and yet they are prophesying falsely in My name; therefore I will banish you, and you will perish—you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”
- Jeremiah 23:31
“Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and proclaim, ‘The LORD declares it.’”
- Deuteronomy 13:1–5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Zechariah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; 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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.