New International Version
Zechariah 13:7
7“Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!” declares the Lord Almighty. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
Zechariah 13:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me," declares the Lord of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, the man who is my partner,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Strike down the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn against the lambs.
Context of Zechariah 13:7
5Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.’ 6If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’ “Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!” declares the Lord Almighty. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones. 8In the whole land,” declares the Lord, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. 9This 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.’ ”
Read all of Zechariah 13Zechariah 13:7 word by word
חֶ֗רֶב עוּרִ֤י עַל־רֹעִי֙ וְעַל־גֶּ֣בֶר עֲמִיתִ֔י נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת הַ֤ךְ אֶת־הָֽרֹעֶה֙ וּתְפוּצֶ֣יןָ הַצֹּ֔אן וַהֲשִׁבֹתִ֥י יָדִ֖י עַל־הַצֹּעֲרִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Awakeעוּר‛ûr · to rouseH5782
- O swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- against my shepherdרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
- and against the manגָּבֶרgeber · great manH1397
- my fellowעָמִית‛âmîyth · neighborH5997
- saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
- smiteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- and the sheepצֹאןtsô'n tse'ôn · flockH6629
- shall be scatteredפּוּץpûts · to scatterH6327
- and I will turnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- mine handיָדyâd · handH3027
- upon the little onesצָעַרtsâ‛ar · be littleH6819
Cross-references for Zechariah 13:7
- Deuteronomy 32:41when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me.
- Isaiah 27:1In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword— his fierce, great and powerful sword— Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea.
- Jeremiah 47:6“ ‘Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest? Return to your sheath; cease and be still.’
- Ezekiel 21:4Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.
- Zechariah 11:4This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.
- Isaiah 40:11He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
- Ezekiel 34:23I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.
- Ezekiel 37:24“ ‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.
- Micah 5:2“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
- John 10:10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
- Hebrews 13:20Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
- 1 Peter 5:4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
- Isaiah 9:6For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Jeremiah 23:5“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
- Hosea 12:3In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel; as a man he struggled with God.
- Matthew 1:23“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Commentaries on Zechariah 13:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd - This is generally understood of Jesus Christ. The sword is that of Divine justice which seemed to have been long asleep, and should long ago have struck either Man, or his Substitute, the Messiah. Jesus is here called God's Shepherd, because he had appointed him to feed and govern, as well as to save, the whole lost world. This is a prosopopoeia, and the address to the sword is very poetic. There is a fine passage in…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Awake, O sword - So Jeremiah apostrophises the sword, “O thou sword of the Lord, when wilt thou be quiet?” Jeremiah 47:6. The prophets express what “will be,” by a command that it should be; “Make the heart of this people heavy” Isaiah 6:10. But by this command he signifies that human malice, acting freely, could do no more than His “Hand and” His “counsel determined before to be done” Acts 4:28. The envy and hatred of Satan, the blind fury of the chief…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. 7The sword is described as a warrior called to awaken for battle, emphasizing its role as God's servant and a tool of death (see Isaiah 31:8; 34:6; 66:16). My shepherd represents the Messiah, the future leader of Israel (see Ezekiel 34:23; 37:24). My partner shows the shepherd's equality with God (see Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. Expounded by Christ as referring to Himself (Mt 26:31, 32). Thus it is a resumption of the prophecy of His betrayal (Zec 11:4, 10, 13, 14), and the subsequent punishment of the Jews. It explains the mystery why He, who came to be a blessing, was cut off while bestowing the blessing. God regards sin in such a fearful light that He spared not His own co-equal Son in the one Godhead, when that Son bore the sinner's guilt. Awake--Compare a similar address…Read the comment
Topics related to Zechariah 13:7
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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