Zechariah 7:12

Zechariah 7:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts.
• New International Version (NIV)They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts.

Context of Zechariah 7:12

10You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, or the poor, nor should anyone secretly plot evil against his fellow human being.’ 11“But they refused to pay attention, turning away stubbornly and stopping their ears so they could not hear. Indeed, they made their heart as hard as diamond, so that they could not obey the Torah and the other words the Lord who rules over all had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore, the Lord who rules over all had poured out great wrath. 13“‘It then came about that just as I cried out, but they would not obey, so they will cry out, but I will not listen,’ the Lord Lord who rules over all had said. 14‘Rather, I will sweep them away in a storm into all the nations they are not familiar with.’ Thus the land had become desolate because of them, with no one crossing through or returning, for they had made the fruitful land a waste.”

Zechariah 7:12 word by word

וְלִבָּ֞ם שָׂ֣מוּ שָׁמִ֗יר מִ֠שְּׁמוֹעַ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָ֤ה וְאֶת־הַדְּבָרִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר שָׁלַ֜ח יְהוָ֤ה צְבָאוֹת֙ בְּרוּח֔וֹ בְּיַ֖ד הַנְּבִיאִ֣ים הָרִֽאשֹׁנִ֑ים וַֽיְהִי֙ קֶ֣צֶף גָּד֔וֹל מֵאֵ֖ת יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Yea, they madeשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
• their heartsלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• an adamant stoneשָׁמִירshâmîyr · thornH8068
• lest they should hearשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
• the lawתּוֹרָהtôrâh tôrâh · instructionH8451
• and the wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• which the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
• hath sentשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• in his spiritרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
• byיָדyâd · hand: byH3027
• the formerרִאשׁוֹןri'shôn ri'shôn · first: previousH7223
• prophetsנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
• therefore came a greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• wrathקֶ֫צֶףqetseph · wrathH7110

Cross-references for Zechariah 7:12

• Nehemiah 9:29And you solemnly admonished them in order to return them to your law, but they behaved presumptuously and did not obey your commandments. They sinned against your ordinances – those by which an individual, if he obeys them, will live. They boldly turned from you; they rebelled and did not obey.
• Job 9:4He is wise in heart and mighty in strength – who has resisted him and remained safe?
• Isaiah 48:4I did this because I know how stubborn you are. Your neck muscles are like iron and your forehead like bronze.
• Jeremiah 5:3Lord, I know you look for faithfulness. But even when you punish these people, they feel no remorse. Even when you nearly destroy them, they refuse to be corrected. They have become as hardheaded as a rock. They refuse to change their ways.
• Ezekiel 2:4The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and hard-hearted, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’
• Ezekiel 3:7But the house of Israel is unwilling to listen to you, because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted.
• Ezekiel 11:19I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within them; I will remove the hearts of stone from their bodies and I will give them tender hearts,
• Ezekiel 36:26I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh.
• Psalms 50:17For you hate instruction and reject my words.
• Isaiah 6:10Make the hearts of these people calloused; make their ears deaf and their eyes blind! Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, their hearts might understand and they might repent and be healed.”
• Matthew 13:15For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
• Mark 4:12so that although they look they may look but not see, and although they hear they may hear but not understand, so they may not repent and be forgiven.”
• Luke 8:12Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
• John 3:19Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.
• John 3:20For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.
• Acts 28:27For the heart of this people has become dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.”’

Commentaries on Zechariah 7:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Made their hearts as an adamant stone - שמיר shamir may mean the granite. This is the hardest stone with which the common people could be acquainted. Perhaps the corundum, of which emery is a species, may be intended. Bochart thinks it means a stone used in polishing others. The same name, in Hebrew, applies to different stones.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Harder than adamant - The stone, whatever it be, was hard enough to cut ineffaceable characters: it was harder than flint. It would cut rocks; it could not be graven itself, or receive the characters of God. This is the last sin, obduracy, persevering impenitence, which “resisted the Holy Spirit” Acts 7:51. and “did despite to the Spirit of grace” Hebrews 10:29. Not through infirmity, but of set purpose, they hardened themselves, lest “they should…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-14Verses 8-14 God's judgements upon Israel of old for their sins, were written to warn Christians. The duties required are, not keeping fasts and offering sacrifices, but doing justly and loving mercy, which tend to the public welfare and peace. The law of God lays restraint upon the heart. But they filled their minds with prejudices against the word of God. Nothing is harder than the heart of a presumptuous sinner. See the fatal consequences of this to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12To make your heart like flint is to resist God's will (see Jeremiah 17:1; compare Ezekiel 3:9). The law (torah in Hebrew) refers to God's laws and commands as taught and explained by the prophets.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. hearts ... adamant--(Eze 3:9; 11:19). Lord ... sent in Spirit by ... prophets--that is, sent by the former prophets inspired with His Spirit. therefore ... great wrath--(2Ch 36:16). As they pushed from them the yoke of obedience, God laid on them the yoke of oppression. As they made their heart hard as adamant, God brake their hard hearts with judgments. Hard hearts must expect hard treatment. The harder the stone, the harder the blow of the hammer to…Read the comment

Topics related to Zechariah 7:12

• Adamant
• Afflictions and Adversities
• Impenitence
• Prophets
• Wicked (People)
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• Lord of Hosts
• Adamant
• Diamond
• Bible, the
• Canon of the Old Testament
• Ezekiel
• Revelation
• Stones, Precious
• Trinity
• Zechariah, Book of

Commentaries on Zechariah 7

• 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