New English Translation
Zechariah 13:9
9Then I will bring the remaining third into the fire; I will refine them like silver is refined and will test them like gold is tested. They will call on my name and I will answer; I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
Zechariah 13:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.
- New International Version (NIV)This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’ ”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are my people'; and they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'"
- New King James Version (NKJV)I will bring the one–third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”
Context of Zechariah 13:9
7“Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate,” says the Lord who rules over all. Strike the shepherd that the flock may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the insignificant ones. 8It will happen in all the land, says the Lord, that two-thirds of the people in it will be cut off and die, but one-third will be left in it. Then I will bring the remaining third into the fire; I will refine them like silver is refined and will test them like gold is tested. They will call on my name and I will answer; I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
Read all of Zechariah 13Zechariah 13:9 word by word
וְהֵבֵאתִ֤י אֶת־הַשְּׁלִשִׁית֙ בָּאֵ֔שׁ וּצְרַפְתִּים֙ כִּצְרֹ֣ף אֶת־הַכֶּ֔סֶף וּבְחַנְתִּ֖ים כִּבְחֹ֣ן אֶת־הַזָּהָ֑ב ה֣וּא׀ יִקְרָ֣א בִשְׁמִ֗י וַֽאֲנִי֙ אֶעֱנֶ֣ה אֹת֔וֹ אָמַ֙רְתִּי֙ עַמִּ֣י ה֔וּא וְה֥וּא יֹאמַ֖ר יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָֽי׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And I will bringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
- the third partשְׁלִישִׁיshelîyshîy · thirdH7992
- through the fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
- and will refineצָרַףtsâraph · to refineH6884
- them as silverכֶּ֫סֶףkeseph · silver: moneyH3701
- and will tryבָּחַןbâchan · to testH974
- them as goldזָהָבzâhâb · goldH2091
- they shall callקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
- on my nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- and I will hearעָנָה‛ânâh · to answerH6030
- them: I will sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- my Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
Cross-references for Zechariah 13:9
- Psalms 66:10For you, O God, tested us; you purified us like refined silver.
- Isaiah 43:2When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you.
- 1 Corinthians 3:11For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ.
- 1 Peter 4:12Dear friends, do not be astonished that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as though something strange were happening to you.
- Job 23:10But he knows the pathway that I take; if he tested me, I would come forth like gold.
- Proverbs 17:3The crucible is for refining silver and the furnace is for gold, likewise the Lord tests hearts.
- Isaiah 48:10Look, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have purified you in the furnace of misery.
- Malachi 3:2Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can keep standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.
- James 1:12Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him.
- 1 Peter 1:6This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials.
- Zechariah 10:6“I (says the Lord) will strengthen the kingdom of Judah and deliver the people of Joseph and will bring them back because of my compassion for them. They will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and therefore I will hear them.
- Zechariah 12:10“I will pour out on the kingship of David and the population of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication so that they will look to me, the one they have pierced. They will lament for him as one laments for an only son, and there will be a bitter cry for him like the bitter cry for a firstborn.
- Psalms 34:15The Lord pays attention to the godly and hears their cry for help.
- Psalms 50:15Pray to me when you are in trouble! I will deliver you, and you will honor me!”
- Psalms 91:15When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him when he is in trouble; I will rescue him and bring him honor.
- Isaiah 58:9Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’ You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.
Commentaries on Zechariah 13:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9I will bring the third part through the fire - The Christian Church shall endure a great fight of afflictions, by which they shall be refined - not consumed. They shall call on my name - In this way shall they offer all their prayers and supplications to God. I will say, It is my people - The Church that I have chosen in the place of the Jews who have filled up the measure of their iniquity. And they shall say, The Lord is my God - And thus communion…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9I will bring the third part through the fire - Such is always God‘s ways. “Thou hast proved us, O God; Thou hast tried us, like as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the snare, Thou laidest trouble upon our loins: we went through fire and water, and Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place” Psalm 66:9-11. “I have refined thee, but not with silver, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction” Isaiah 48:10; and, “Through much tribulation we…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-9Verses 7-9 Here is a prophecy of the sufferings of Christ. God the Father gave order to the sword of his justice to awake against his Son, when he freely made his soul an offering for sin. As God, he is called "my Fellow." Christ and the Father are one. He is the Shepherd who was to lay down his life for the sheep. If a Sacrifice, he must be slain, for without shedding of the life-blood there was no remission. This sword must awake against him, yet he had…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9Fire is a metaphor for God's judgment (see Isaiah 66:15; Jeremiah 4:4; Ezekiel 36:5; Amos 5:6). God's fire can destroy the wicked or, as in this context, test and purify the righteous. Refine them … like gold: God acts as a divine metallurgist, using fire to remove impurities from metal (Isaiah 1:25; Malachi 3:2–3). They are my people … The LORD is our God: These declarations of loyalty by God and Israel restore their broken covenant relationship…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 8-98-9. Two-thirds of the Jewish nation were to perish in the Roman wars, and a third to survive. Probably from the context (Zec 14:2-9), which has never yet been fulfilled, the destruction of the two-thirds (literally, "the proportion of two," or "portion of two") and the saving of the remnant, the one-third, are still future, and to be fulfilled under Antichrist.Read the comment
Topics related to Zechariah 13:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Zechariah 13
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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