Zechariah 3:9

Zechariah 3:9 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
• New International Version (NIV)See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

Context of Zechariah 3:9

7‘These are the words of the Lord Almighty. Listen to them and obey them. “You will rule in my house. You will rule inside the walls of my house. I will give you a place among the angels that are standing here. 8Listen, Joshua, most important priest of the Lord. Listen you priests that sit with Joshua. You are like a sign. People can look at you. And they can know that good things will happen in future years. See! I will bring to you my servant who is called The Branch. See the stone that I have put in front of Joshua! It is a stone with seven sides and I will cut words in the stone”, says the Lord Almighty. “I will remove the sin of this country's people in one day.” 10“On that day”, says the Lord Almighty, “each of you will ask your friends to come. You will ask them to come and to sit under your own vines and fig trees.” ’

Zechariah 3:9 word by word

כִּ֣י׀ הִנֵּ֣ה הָאֶ֗בֶן אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָתַ֙תִּי֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוֹשֻׁ֔עַ עַל־אֶ֥בֶן אַחַ֖ת שִׁבְעָ֣ה עֵינָ֑יִם הִנְנִ֧י מְפַתֵּ֣חַ פִּתֻּחָ֗הּ נְאֻם֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת וּמַשְׁתִּ֛י אֶת־עֲוֹ֥ן הָאָֽרֶץ־הַהִ֖יא בְּי֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For behold the stoneאֶ֫בֶן'eben · stoneH68
• that I have laidנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַyehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ · JoshuaH3091
• upon oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• sevenשֶׁ֫בַעsheba‛ shib‛âh · sevenH7651
• eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• behold, I will engraveפָּתַחpâthach · to engraveH6605
• the gravingפִּתּוּחַpittûach pittûach · engravingH6603
• thereof, saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
• and I will removeמוּשׁmûsh · to removeH4185
• the iniquityעָוֺן‛âvôn ‛âvôn · iniquity: crimeH5771
• of that landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117

Cross-references for Zechariah 3:9

• Psalms 118:22The builders threw away a certain stone. But now that stone has become the most important stone at the corner of the building.
• Isaiah 8:14He will be a safe place for you. But for both nations in Israel he will become like a stone that causes people to fall to the ground. He will be like a rock that makes them fall down. He will take hold of the people who live in Jerusalem, like a trap that catches a bird.
• Isaiah 28:16So the Almighty Lord says this: ‘Look! I am putting a special stone in Zion. It is a valuable stone, because it makes a strong foundation at the corner of my building. Anyone who trusts in that foundation will never be disappointed.
• Matthew 21:42Jesus said to them, ‘I am sure that you have read this in the Bible: “The builders refused to use a certain stone. They thought that it had no value. But now that stone has become the most important stone at the corner of the building. The Lord God did this. And we can see that he did something great.”
• Acts 4:11The Bible says this about him: “The builders refused to use a certain stone. They thought that it had no value. But now that stone has become the most important stone at the corner of the building.” ’
• Romans 9:33It says this in the Bible: ‘Look, I am putting a special stone in Zion. That stone will cause people to fall to the ground. It is a rock that will make them fall down. But anyone who believes in him will never be disappointed.’
• 1 Peter 2:4So come to the Lord Jesus. He is like a big stone that a builder uses to build a house. But he is alive. People decided that he was not important. So they refused him. But God had chosen him. To God, Jesus is very valuable.
• Zechariah 4:10Everyone should know that the day of small things is important. Men will see Zerubbabel. Then they will sing and they will be happy. They will see him with a line in his hand to measure the walls. The Lord sees everything in the whole earth. (The seven lights are the seven eyes of the Lord.)
• 2 Chronicles 16:9The Lord carefully watches over the whole earth. If people serve him faithfully, he makes them strong. But you have done a foolish thing. As a result, you will now always be fighting wars.’
• Revelation 5:6Then I saw a Lamb. He was standing in the middle of the throne. The four beings that are alive and the leaders were around him. The Lamb appeared to be like a lamb that someone had killed. He had seven horns and seven eyes. His eyes are the seven spirits of God, that God has sent into all parts of the world.
• Exodus 28:11A worker who has skill to cut letters into metal must do this work. Then fix the stones into beautiful gold around their edges.
• John 6:27Do not work only for that kind of food. It soon becomes spoiled. Instead, work to get the food that continues for ever. That kind of food gives you life with God. The Son of Man will give this food to you. God, the Father, has given the Son authority to do this.’
• 2 Corinthians 1:22He has also put his mark on us, to show that we belong to him. He has given his Spirit to us, to live in us. Because of that, we know that we will receive all the good things that God has promised.
• 2 Corinthians 3:3It is clear that you are a like a letter that Christ himself has written. We are the people who brought God's message to you. Now people see what God has done in your lives. That is like a letter that they read. But it is not a letter written on paper with ink. It is the Spirit of the living God who wrote it. He did not write it on pieces of stone. Instead, he wrote it deep inside you.
• 2 Timothy 2:19But the group of true believers remains strong, like the foundation under a building. God has written his message there. It says, ‘The Lord knows who his own people are.’ It also says, ‘Everyone who says that he belongs to the Lord must stop doing bad things.’
• Zechariah 13:1‘On that day, water will start to pour from a fountain for King David's descendants and Jerusalem's people. It will make them clean from their sins and the dirty things that they have done.’

Commentaries on Zechariah 3:9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9For behold the stone that I have laid - Alluding no doubt to the foundation stone of the temple: but this represented Christ Jesus: "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tried stone, a precious Corner Stone, a Sure Foundation," Isaiah 28:16. This means Christ, and none other; on him his whole Church rests, as a building does on its foundation. Upon one stone shall be seven eyes - This is supposed to mean the providence of God, as under it all…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9For behold the stone, that I hare laid before Joshua - This must be an expansion of what he had said, or the ground of it, being introduced by, for. It must be something future, to be done by God Himself, since God says, “I will grave the graving thereof;” something connected with the remission of sins, which follows upon that graying. The stone, then, cannot be the stone of foundation of the material temple (Rashi). For this had long before been laid…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-10Verses 6-10 All whom God calls to any office he finds fit, or makes so. The Lord will cause the sins of the believer to pass away by his sanctifying grace, and will enable him to walk in newness of life. As the promises made to David often pass into promises of the Messiah, so the promises to Joshua look forward to Christ, of whose priesthood Joshua's was a shadow. Whatever trials we pass through, whatever services we perform, our whole dependence must…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9The stone represents authority. It may refer to the last stone of the temple placed by Zerubbabel (Zechariah 4:7), the cornerstone of the rebuilt Jerusalem (Isaiah 28:16), or the precious stones on the high priests' ephod (Exodus 25:7; 35:9). The seven parts (seven eyes) of the stone suggest perfect and complete knowledge and wisdom. They might connect to the seven lamps of the golden lampstand (Zechariah 4:2) or to God’s seven spirits (Revelation 1:4)…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 8-139. For--expressing the ground for encouragement to the Jews in building the temple: I (Jehovah) have laid the (foundation) stone as the chief architect, before (in the presence of) Joshua, by "the hand of Zerubbabel" (Zec 4:10; Ezr 3:8-13), so that your labor in building shall not be vain. Antitypically, the (foundation) stone alluded to is Christ, before called "the Branch." Lest any should think from that term that His kingdom is weak, He now calls it…Read the comment

Topics related to Zechariah 3:9

• God Continued...
• Seven
• Stones

In the dictionaries

• Joshua
• Lord of Hosts
• Angel
• Carve
• Graving
• Jeshua
• Rebuke
• Atonement, Day of
• Bible, the
• Christ, Offices of

Commentaries on Zechariah 3

• 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