Zechariah 7:2
in Zechariah 7Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, along with their men, to plead before the LORD
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Now they of Beth-el had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, and their men, to entreat the favor of Jehovah,
KJV
When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regem–melech, and their men, to pray before the Lord,
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This verse in Zechariah 7
Commentary
8 notes on this verseWhen they had sent - Sherezer and Regem-melech - To inquire whether the fasts should be continued, which they had hitherto observed on account of their ruined temple; and the reason why they inquired was, that they were rebuilding that temple, and were likely to bring it to a joyful issue.
This site's exposition
the fourth year of king Darius
on Zechariah 7:1-3
The date sets the question two full years after the night visions of chapters 1 through 6, in the fourth year of Darius, when men from Bethel send Sherezer and Regemmelech to ask the priests and prophets whether the fast of the fifth month should continue. That fast marked Jerusalem's burning in the summer of 586 BC, and with the temple's rebuilding now underway the question is whether the old grief still fits the changed hour. Keil and Pusey read the very asking as significant, since the delegation puts the matter to both priest and prophet, law and living word, and the answer that follows addresses the heart behind the ritual rather than the ritual itself.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter 7, verses 1 onwards) In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Casleu. And they sent to the house of God Sarasar and Rogommelech, along with the men who were with him, to seek the face of the Lord and to speak to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, saying: Should I weep in the fifth month and separate myself as I have done for many years?
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The answer to this question, which is given in this and the next chapter; and this answer was given not all at once, but by piece-meal, and, it should seem, at several times, for here are four distinct discourses which have all of them reference to this case, each of them prefaced with "the word of the Lord came,"
Regem-melech - It appears not who these were, but no doubt they were eminent in dignity and piety. Their men - The train of friends that accompanied them. To pray - To intreat the Lord for pardon of what was past, acceptance of them at present, and an answer to their enquiry.
When they had sent unto the house of God,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The altar was long since reared (Ezr 3:3), though the temple was not completed till two years afterwards (Ezr 6:15). The priests' duty was to give decision on points of the law (De 17:9; Beth-el is here used instead of Beth-Jehovah, because the religious authorities, rather than the house itself (designated "Beth-Jehovah" in Zec 7:3), are intended.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
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
When they held sent unto the house of God - Rather, “And Bethel sent;” that is, the inhabitants of Bethel sent. “The house of God” is nowhere in Holy Scripture called Bethel. Bethel is always the name of the place. . The “house of God” is designated by historians, Psalmists, prophets, by the name, “Beth-elohim,” more commonly “Beth-Ha-elohim, the God;” or “of the Lord,” YHVH. Zechariah and Haggai use these names. It is not likely that the name, Beth-el, should have first been given to the house of God, when it had been desecrated by the idolatries of Jeroboam. Bethel also is, in the Hebrew order of the words, naturally the subject . Nor is there any reason why they should have sent to Bethel, since they sought an answer from God. For it would be forced to say that they sent to Bethel, in order that those at Bethel should send to Jerusalem; which is not said. It were unnatural also that the name of the sender should not have been mentioned, when the names of persons inferior, because sent, are recorded . Bethel, in Nehemiah’s time Neh 11:31, was one of the chief places of Benjamin. “Two hundred twenty and three of the men of Bethel and Ai” Ezr 2:28 had returned with Zerubbabel. The answer being to “the people” of the land, such were doubtless the enquirers, not those still in Babylon. The answer shows that the question was not religious, though put as matter of religion. It is remarkable that, whereas in the case of those who brought presents from Babylon, the names express some relation to God, these names are singularly, the one of a parricide son of Sennacherib Isa 37:38; 2Ki 19:37, and of one, chief among the King of Babylon’s princes ; the other probably a secular name, “the king’s friend”. Osorius: “I do not see why under the name of Bethel, the city so called is not understood. […]
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁלַח֙ | vaiyishlach | and it had sent | H7971 → | 845 times |
| בֵּֽית־ | beit- | Beth- | H1008 → | |
| אֵ֔ל | ʾel | -el | H1008 → | |
| שַׂר־ | sar- | Shar- | H8272 → | |
| אֶ֕צֶר | ʾetzer | -ezer | H8272 → | |
| וְרֶ֥גֶם | veregem | and Regem- | H7278 → | |
| מֶ֖לֶךְ | melekh | Melech | H7278 → | |
| וַֽאֲנָשָׁ֑יו | vaanashav | and men his | H582 → | 566 times |
| לְחַלּ֖וֹת | lechalot | to entreat | H2470 → | 76 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| פְּנֵ֥י | penei | [the] face of | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַיִּשְׁלַח֙and it had sent
vaiyishlachH7971 →845 times
בֵּֽית־Beth-
beit-H1008 →
אֵ֔ל-el
ʾelH1008 →
שַׂר־Shar-
sar-H8272 →
אֶ֕צֶר-ezer
ʾetzerH8272 →
וְרֶ֥גֶםand Regem-
veregemH7278 →
מֶ֖לֶךְMelech
melekhH7278 →
וַֽאֲנָשָׁ֑יוand men his
vaanashavH582 →566 times
לְחַלּ֖וֹתto entreat
lechalotH2470 →76 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
פְּנֵ֥י[the] face of
peneiH6440 →2123 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 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
Zechariah 8:21and the residents of one city will go to another, saying: ‘Let us go at once to plead before the LORD and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I myself am going.’
it leads to
- Psalms 146:1–2
Hallelujah! Praise the LORD, O my soul.
- Psalms 146:1–2
Through
1 Kings 13:6Then the king responded to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the…
it leads to
- Exodus 10:17
Now please forgive my sin once more and appeal to the LORD your God, that He may remove this death from me.”
- Exodus 9:28
Pray to the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not need to stay any longer.”
- Acts 8:24
Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
- Exodus 8:8
Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people. Then I will let your people go, that they may sacrifice to the…
- Exodus 10:17
Through
Zechariah 6:10“Take an offering from the exiles—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon—and go that same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.
it leads to
- Ezra 7:14–16
You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.
- Ezra 7:14–16
Through
Jeremiah 26:19Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did Hezekiah not fear the LORD and seek His favor, and did not the LORD relent of the disaster He…
it leads to
- Exodus 32:14
So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.
- 2 Samuel 24:16
But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that…
- Exodus 32:14
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Zechariah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
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; Edward Bouverie Pusey, The Minor Prophets: A Commentary; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Zechariah; 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.