Zechariah 12:1

Zechariah 12:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
• New International Version (NIV)A prophecy: The word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person, declares:
• English Standard Version (ESV)The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him:
• New King James Version (NKJV)The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:

Context of Zechariah 12:1

This is the Lord's message about Israel. The Lord made the skies and the whole wide earth. He makes men and women. 2‘I will frighten the enemies that live round Jerusalem. I will frighten them so much that they will run. They will run as fast as they can from Jerusalem and from Judah. 3There will be a time when all the countries of the earth will be ready to attack Jerusalem. Then I will make Jerusalem like a heavy rock that nobody can move. All those who try to lift it will hurt themselves very badly.

Zechariah 12:1 word by word

מַשָּׂ֥א דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל נְאֻם־יְהוָ֗ה נֹטֶ֤ה שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ וְיֹסֵ֣ד אָ֔רֶץ וְיֹצֵ֥ר רֽוּחַ־אָדָ֖ם בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The burdenמַשָּׂאmaώώâ' · oracleH4853
• of the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• for Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
• which stretchethנָטָהnâţâh · to stretchH5186
• forth the heavensשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
• and layeth the foundationיָסַדyâsad · to foundH3245
• of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and formethיָצַרyâtsar · to form: formedH3335
• the spiritרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
• of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• withinקֶ֫רֶבqereb · entrails: amongH7130

Cross-references for Zechariah 12:1

• Zechariah 9:1The Lord speaks against the land of Hadrach, and against the city of Damascus. The Lord watches all men and all the groups of people in Israel.
• Lamentations 2:14Your prophets have promised you many good things. Those good things will not happen. They should have told you that you should not do wrong things. If they had told you that, none of these troubles would have happened. The prophets do not tell you true messages from God and their dreams are false.
• Malachi 1:1This is the message that the Lord told to Malachi. Malachi knew that he must tell this message to the Israelites.
• Isaiah 51:22The Lord God who is your Lord stands beside his people. He says, ‘Look! Now I have taken the cup of my punishment out of your hand. You will no longer have to drink the strong wine of my anger that makes you drunk.
• Jeremiah 30:10The Lord says, ‘Do not be afraid, descendants of Jacob, my servants. People of Israel, do not be upset. I will rescue you and your descendants from your enemies. I will bring you back from the land far away, where you are prisoners. Jacob's descendants will return to their own land. They will live there safely in peace. There will be no enemies to make them afraid.’
• Jeremiah 50:34But my name is the Lord Almighty. I am strong and I will rescue my people. I will fight hard to save them. I will bring peace to their land. But the people of Babylonia will only have trouble.’
• Ezekiel 36:5So this is what the Almighty Lord says: I am very angry with those nations and I will punish them. I am even more angry with the people of Edom because they insulted my people. They were happy to take my land for themselves so that their animals could eat the grass.”
• Joel 3:19But Egypt will be empty, and Edom will become a desert. They attacked the people in Judah, and they killed them for no good reason.
• Obadiah 1:16You drank on my special hill. In the same way, people from all countries will drink and they will not stop. They will drink until God has killed them.
• Job 26:7He puts the skies in their place in the north, so that they cover empty space. He hangs the earth in the skies and it stays there.
• Psalms 102:25Long ago, you built the world on a strong foundation. You created the heavens with your own hands.
• Psalms 104:2Light is all round you, like the clothes that you wear. You have put the skies as a roof over the earth.
• Isaiah 40:12Nobody has done what God has done! He measured all the water of the seas in one hand. He used his hand to measure the whole sky. He carefully weighed the soil of the earth. He carefully weighed the mountains in his scales, and the hills too.
• Isaiah 42:5The Lord is God. He is the God who created the sky. He hung it up like a curtain. He created the earth and everything that lives on it. He gives life and breath to all the people who live on it. The Lord says to his servant:
• Isaiah 44:24The Lord is your Redeemer. He took care of you before you were born. He says, ‘I am the Lord. I made everything. I alone hung up the sky like a curtain. I made the whole earth by myself.

Commentaries on Zechariah 12:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1The burden of the word of the Lord - This is a new prophecy. It is directed both to Israel and Judah, though Israel alone is mentioned in this verse. Which stretcheth forth the heavens - See on Isaiah 42:5; (note). Formeth the spirit of man within him - Then it is not the same substance with his body. It is a Spirit within Him.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The burden of the word of the Lord for - Rather, “upon (see at Nahum 1:1, p. 129) Israel.” If this prophecy is a continuation of the last, notwithstanding its fresh title, then “Israel” must be the Christian Church, formed of the true Israel which believed, and the Gentiles who were grafted into them. So Cyril; “Having spoken sufficiently of the Good Shepherd Christ, and of the foolish, most cruel shepherd who butchered the sheep, that is, antichrist, he…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Punishment of the enemies of Judah. (1-8) Repentance and sorrow of the Jews. (9-14) Verses 1-8 Here is a Divine prediction, which will be a heavy burden to all the enemies of the church. But it is for Israel; for their comfort and benefit. It is promised that God will make foolish the counsels, and weaken the courage of the enemies of the church. The exact meaning is not clear; but God often begins by calling the poor and despised; and in that day even…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-14The theme of Jerusalem versus the nations connects the four messages in Zechariah's second oracle. The nations gather against Jerusalem at both the start (Zechariah 12:1–9) and the end (14:1–15) of the oracle. The repeated phrase on that day points to the future day of the Lord. This oracle shows both judgment and blessing for Jerusalem. The main focus is the cleansing of the people of Israel (Zechariah 13:1), ending with God's universal kingdom…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-141. burden--"weighty prophecy"; fraught with destruction to Israel's foes; the expression may also refer to the distresses of Israel implied as about to precede the deliverance. for Israel--concerning Israel [Maurer]. stretcheth forth--present; now, not merely "hath stretched forth," as if God only created and then left the universe to itself (Joh 5:17). To remove all doubts of unbelief as to the possibility of Israel's deliverance, God prefaces the…Read the comment

Topics related to Zechariah 12:1

• God
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Man

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Bible, the
• Burden
• Ezekiel
• Malachi
• Psychology
• Salvation
• 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