Zechariah 12:3

Zechariah 12:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
• New International Version (NIV)On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.
• English Standard Version (ESV)On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

Context of Zechariah 12:3

1The oracle (a burdensome message) of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him: 2“Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling (staggering) to all the surrounding peoples; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. And in that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will come and be gathered against it. 4In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with panic and his rider with madness; but I will open My eyes and watch over the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the [opposing] nations with blindness. 5Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are our strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’

Zechariah 12:3 word by word

וְהָיָ֣ה בַיּוֹם־הַ֠הוּא אָשִׂ֨ים אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם אֶ֤בֶן מַֽעֲמָסָה֙ לְכָל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים כָּל־עֹמְסֶ֖יהָ שָׂר֣וֹט יִשָּׂרֵ֑טוּ וְנֶאֶסְפ֣וּ עָלֶ֔יהָ כֹּ֖ל גּוֹיֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And in that dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• will I makeשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
• Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
• a burdensomeמַעֲמָסָהma‛ămâsâh · burdenH4614
• stoneאֶ֫בֶן'eben · stoneH68
• for all peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• all that burdenעָמַס‛âmas ‛âmaώ · loadH6006
• themselves with it shall be cut in piecesשָׂרַטώâraţ · to inciseH8295
• though all the peopleגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• be gathered togetherאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622

Cross-references for Zechariah 12:3

• Zechariah 12:4In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with panic and his rider with madness; but I will open My eyes and watch over the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the [opposing] nations with blindness.
• Zechariah 2:8For thus says the Lord of hosts, “After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you—for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.
• Zechariah 10:3“My anger is kindled against the shepherds [who are not true shepherds], And I shall punish the male goats (leaders); For the Lord of hosts has visited His flock, the house of Judah (the Southern Kingdom), And will make them like His beautiful and majestic horse in the battle.
• Zechariah 13:1“In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the people of Jerusalem for [cleansing from] sin and impurity.
• Zechariah 14:2For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured and the houses plundered and the women ravished; and half of the city will be exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.
• Isaiah 60:12For the nation or the kingdom which will not serve you [Jerusalem] shall perish, And the nations [that refuse to serve] shall be utterly ruined.
• Isaiah 66:14When you see this, your heart will rejoice; Your bones will flourish like new grass. And the [powerful] hand of the Lord will be revealed to His servants, But His indignation will be toward His enemies.
• Ezekiel 38:1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
• Joel 3:8Also I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation,” for the Lord has spoken.
• Obadiah 1:18Then the house of Jacob shall be a fire And the house of Joseph a flame [in executing God’s wrath]; But the house of Esau will be like stubble. They (Jacob) shall set them on fire and consume them (the Edomites), So that there shall be no survivor of the house of Esau,” For the Lord has spoken.
• Micah 5:8The remnant of Jacob Shall be among the nations, In the midst of many peoples Like a lion among the beasts of the forest, Like a young lion [suddenly appearing] among the flocks of sheep Which, if he passes through, Tramples down and tears into pieces [the nations in judgment], And there is no one to rescue.
• Micah 7:15“As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt, I shall show you marvelous and miraculous things.”
• Habakkuk 2:17For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you; The destruction of the animals will terrify you On account of human bloodshed and the violence done to the land, To the city and all its inhabitants.
• Zephaniah 3:19Behold, at that time I am going to deal With all your oppressors; I will save the lame And gather the scattered, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In every land [where they have suffered].
• Haggai 2:22I will [in the distant future] overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the [ungodly] nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them, and the horses and their riders will go down, every one by the sword of his brother [annihilating one another].
• Daniel 2:34As you were looking, a stone was cut out without [human] hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them.

Commentaries on Zechariah 12:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3A burdensome stone - Probably referring to that stone which was thrown on the breast of a culprit adjudged to lose his life by stoning, by which the whole region of the thorax, heart, lungs, liver, etc., was broken to pieces.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone to all nations - What is “a stone to all nations?” It is not a rock or anything in its own nature immovable, but a “stone,” a thing rolled up and down, moved, lifted, displaced, piled on others, in every way at the service and command of people, to do with it what they willed. So they thought of that “stone cut out without hands” Daniel 2:45; that “tried stone and sure foundation, laid in Zion” Isaiah 28:16; that…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Jerusalem will be like a heavy stone that no one can move. Anyone who tries to conquer or control the city will be injured by it. This is because the Lord founded Jerusalem and loves it more than any other city in Israel (Psalm 87:1–2). In the book of Zechariah, stone imagery is often connected to the temple. These stones point to God’s work of building, restoring, and protecting his holy place (Zechariah 3:9; 4:7; 10:4).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. (Zec 14:4, 6-9, 13). Jerome states it was a custom in Palestine to test the strength of youths by their lifting up a massive stone; the phrase, "burden themselves with it," refers to this custom. Compare Mt 21:44: The Jews "fell" on the rock of offense, Messiah, and were "broken"; but the rock shall fall on Antichrist, who "burdens himself with it" by his assault on the restored Jews, and "grind him to powder." all ... people of ... earth--The…Read the comment

Topics related to Zechariah 12:3

• Israel, Prophecies Concerning

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• That Day
• Bible, the
• Burden
• Cut; Cutting
• Ezekiel
• Games
• Salvation
• Stone, Stones
• Zechariah, Book of

Commentaries on Zechariah 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings