New King James Version
Zechariah 7:12
12Yes, 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.
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 Living Translation (NLT)They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.
Context of Zechariah 7:12
10Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother.’ 11“But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. 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. 13Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts. 14“But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”
Read all of Zechariah 7Zechariah 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 testified against them, That You might bring them back to Your law. Yet they acted proudly, And did not heed Your commandments, But sinned against Your judgments, ‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’ And they shrugged their shoulders, Stiffened their necks, And would not hear.
- Job 9:4God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?
- Isaiah 48:4Because I knew that you were obstinate, And your neck was an iron sinew, And your brow bronze,
- Jeremiah 5:3O Lord, are not Your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, But they have not grieved; You have consumed them, But they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to return.
- Ezekiel 2:4For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’
- Ezekiel 3:7But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted.
- Ezekiel 11:19Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,
- Ezekiel 36:26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
- Psalms 50:17Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you?
- Isaiah 6:10“Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”
- Matthew 13:15For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’
- Mark 4:12so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”
- Luke 8:12Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
- John 3:19And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
- John 3:20For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
- Acts 28:27For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should 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
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries