God’s Word Translation
Zechariah 1:5
5Your ancestors—where are they now? And the prophets—are they still alive?
Zechariah 1:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
- New International Version (NIV)Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?
Context of Zechariah 1:5
3Tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: Return to me, declares the Lord of Armies, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Armies.’ 4Don’t be like your ancestors, who heard the earlier prophets preach to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds.’ But they didn’t listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. Your ancestors—where are they now? And the prophets—are they still alive? 6Didn’t my warnings and my laws, which I’ve commanded my servants the prophets ⌞to preach⌟, finally catch up with your ancestors? Then your ancestors turned away from their sins and said, ‘The Lord of Armies has done to us what he had planned to do. He has dealt with us as our ways and deeds deserve.’ ” 7On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month of Shebat) in Darius’ second year as king, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Zechariah, who was the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo.
Read all of Zechariah 1Zechariah 1:5 word by word
אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם אַיֵּה־הֵ֑ם וְהַ֨נְּבִאִ֔ים הַלְעוֹלָ֖ם יִֽחְיֽוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Zechariah 1:5
- Job 14:10But a human dies and is powerless. A person breathes his last breath, and where is he?
- Psalms 90:10Each of us lives for 70 years— or even 80 if we are in good health. But the best of them ⌞bring⌟ trouble and misery. Indeed, they are soon gone, and we fly away.
- Ecclesiastes 1:4Generations come, and generations go, but the earth lasts forever.
- Ecclesiastes 9:1Now, I have carefully thought about all this, and I explain it in this way: Righteous people and wise people, along with their accomplishments, are in God’s hands. No one knows whether there will be love or hatred.
- Ecclesiastes 12:5Remember your Creator when someone is afraid of heights and of dangers along the road, the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, ⌞and⌟ the caper bush has ⌞no⌟ fruit. Mortals go to their eternal rest, and mourners go out in the streets.
- Acts 13:36After doing God’s will by serving the people of his time, David died. He was laid to rest with his ancestors, but his body decayed.
- Hebrews 7:23There was a long succession of priests because when a priest died he could no longer serve.
- Hebrews 9:27People die once, and after that they are judged.
- 2 Peter 3:2I want you to remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and what the Lord and Savior commanded you through your apostles.
Commentaries on Zechariah 1:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Your fathers, where are they? - Israel has been destroyed and ruined in the bloody wars with the Assyrians; and Judah, in those with the Chaldeans. The prophets, do they live for ever? - They also, who spoke unto your fathers, are dead; but their predictions remain; and the events, which have taken place according to those predictions, prove that God sent them.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Your fathers, where are they? - The abrupt solemnity of the question seems to imply an unexpected close of life which cut short their hopes, plans, promises to self. “When they said, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them” 1 Thessalonians 5:3. Yet not they only but the prophets too, who ministered God‘s Word to them, these also being human beings, passed away, some of them before their time as people, by the martyr‘s death. Many of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-6The prelude identifies the book’s themes as repentance and spiritual renewal, and establishes a tone of hope and encouragement.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. Your fathers ... and the prophets, do they live for ever?--In contrast to "My words" (Zec 1:6), which "endure for ever" (1Pe 1:25). "Your fathers have perished, as was foretold; and their fate ought to warn you. But you may say, The prophets too are dead. I grant it, but still My words do not die: though dead, their prophetical words from Me, fulfilled against your fathers, are not dead with them. Beware, then, lest ye share their fate."Read the comment
Topics related to Zechariah 1:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Zechariah 1
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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