Zechariah 7:12
in Zechariah 7They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which Jehovah of hosts had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets: therefore there came great wrath from Jehovah of hosts.
KJV
Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts.
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This verse in Zechariah 7
Commentary
8 notes on this verseYea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone,.... The word here used is translated a "diamond" in Jer 17:1 and it is said to be harder than a flint, Eze 3:
This site's exposition
refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder
on Zechariah 7:11-12
Three pictures of refusal stack on one another: they pulled away the shoulder like a beast that will not bear the yoke, stopped their ears, and made their hearts like an adamant stone, harder than flint and unmoved by the words the Spirit sent through the former prophets. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that adamant was the hardest stone known to the ancient world, so the image says the resistance was not weakness but a settled refusal maintained on purpose. Because of that hardened will, the text says, a great wrath came from the Lord of hosts, the judgment following the resistance rather than arriving without cause.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verses 8 onwards) And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear. They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Such an implacable enmity to the gospel as this was to the law and the prophets was that which brought wrath to the uttermost upon the last generation of the Jewish church, 1 Thess. ii. Great sins against the Lord of hosts, whose authority is incontestable, bring great wrath from the Lord of hosts, whose power is irresistible.
This occasional sermon, which the prophet preached, and which is recorded in this and the next chapter, was above two years after the former, in which he gave them an account of his visions, as appears by comparing the date of this (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Made their hearts as an adamant stone - שמיר shamir may mean the granite. This is the hardest stone with which the common people could be acquainted. Perhaps the corundum, of which emery is a species, may be intended. Bochart thinks it means a stone used in polishing others. The same name, in Hebrew, applies to different stones.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Lord . . . sent in Spirit by . . . prophets--that is, sent by the former prophets inspired with His Spirit. therefore . . . great wrath-- (2Ch 36:16). As they pushed from them the yoke of obedience, God laid on them the yoke of oppression. As they made their heart hard as adamant, God brake their hard hearts with judgments.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Harder than adamant - The stone, whatever it be, was hard enough to cut ineffaceable characters : it was harder than flint . It would cut rocks; it could not be graven itself, or receive the characters of God. This is the last sin, obduracy, persevering impenitence, which “resisted the Holy Spirit” Act 7:51. and “did despite to the Spirit of grace” Heb 10:29. Not through infirmity, but of set purpose, they hardened themselves, lest “they should convert” Isa 6:10 and be healed. They feared to trust themselves to God’s word, lest He should convert them by it. Lest they should hear the law and the words which the Lord God sent by His Spirit by the hand of the former prophets - The Holy Spirit was the chief agent; “by His Spirit;” the inspired prophets were His instruments; by the hand of. Nehemiah confesses the same to God: “Thou didst protest to them by Thy Spirit by the hand of Thy prophets” Neh 9:30. Moses was one of the greatest prophets. The law then may be included, either as delivered by Moses, or as being continually enforced by all the prophets. Observe the gradations: (1) The words of God are not heard. (2) The restive shoulder is shown; people turn away, when God, by the inner motions of His Spirit or by lesser chastisements, would bring them to the yoke of obedience. Osorius: “They would not bear the burden of the law, whereas they willingly bore that most heavy weight of their sins.” (3) Obduracy. Osorius: “Their adamantine heart could be softened neither by promises nor threats.” Therefore nothing remained but the great wrath, which they had treasured to themselves against the day of wrath. […]
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
shamir A worm stronger than flint. They would show it to the stone, which would split.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And it came about; as He called and they did not hearken the Lord said concerning them in those days: So shall they call and I will not hearken.
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. 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלִבָּ֞ם | velibam | and heart their | H3820 → | 595 times |
| שָׂ֣מוּ | samu | they made | H7760 → | 584 times |
| שָׁמִ֗יר | shamir | flint | H8068 → | |
| מִ֠שְּׁמוֹעַ | mishemoa' | from hearing | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַתּוֹרָ֤ה | hatorah | the law | H8451 → | |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַדְּבָרִים֙ | hadevarim | the words | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| שָׁלַ֜ח | shalach | he had sent | H7971 → | 845 times |
| יְהוָ֤ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| צְבָאוֹת֙ | tzevaot | of hosts | H6635 → | 485 times |
| בְּרוּח֔וֹ | berucho | by spirit his | H7307 → | 378 times |
| בְּיַ֖ד | beyad | by [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| הַנְּבִיאִ֣ים | haneviim | the prophets | H5030 → | 314 times |
| הָרִֽאשֹׁנִ֑ים | harishonim | <the> former | H7223 → | 182 times |
| וַֽיְהִי֙ | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| קֶ֣צֶף | ketzef | wrath | H7110 → | 29 times |
| גָּד֔וֹל | gadol | great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| מֵאֵ֖ת | meet | from with | H854 → | 929 times |
| יְהוָ֥ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| צְבָאֽוֹת׃ | tzevaot | of hosts | H6635 → | 485 times |
וְלִבָּ֞םand heart their
velibamH3820 →595 times
שָׂ֣מוּthey made
samuH7760 →584 times
שָׁמִ֗ירflint
shamirH8068 →
מִ֠שְּׁמוֹעַfrom hearing
mishemoa'H8085 →1159 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַתּוֹרָ֤הthe law
hatorahH8451 →
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
הַדְּבָרִים֙the words
hadevarimH1697 →1440 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
שָׁלַ֜חhe had sent
shalachH7971 →845 times
יְהוָ֤הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
צְבָאוֹת֙of hosts
tzevaotH6635 →485 times
בְּרוּח֔וֹby spirit his
beruchoH7307 →378 times
בְּיַ֖דby [the] hand of
beyadH3027 →1618 times
הַנְּבִיאִ֣יםthe prophets
haneviimH5030 →314 times
הָרִֽאשֹׁנִ֑ים<the> former
harishonimH7223 →182 times
וַֽיְהִי֙and it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
קֶ֣צֶףwrath
ketzefH7110 →29 times
גָּד֔וֹלgreat
gadolH1419 →526 times
מֵאֵ֖תfrom with
meetH854 →929 times
יְהוָ֥הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
צְבָאֽוֹת׃of hosts
tzevaotH6635 →485 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
Ezekiel 36:26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
it leads to
- Psalms 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 11:19–20
And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
- John 3:3–5
Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
- Deuteronomy 30:6
The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
- Psalms 51:10
Through
Ezekiel 11:19And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,
it leads to
- Ezekiel 36:26–27
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
- Jeremiah 31:33
“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And…
- Jeremiah 32:39–40
I will give them one heart and one way, so that they will always fear Me for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
- Ezekiel 36:26–27
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); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets; Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & 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.