Zechariah 13
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Zec 13:1 1”In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.
Zec 13:1 “In that day” This is the repeated eschatological marker of chapters 1:0-14 (cf. Zec 13:2 ).
▣ “a fountain will be opened” The concept of a fountain of life comes from Isa 12:2-3 ; Jer 2:13 (for the negative see Jer 51:36 ; Hos 13:15 ); and Jer 17:13 . God is the source of life (cf. Psa 36:5-9 ). In this context it refers to the forgiveness of sin, which is obviously related to the repentance mentioned in Zec 12:10 . This is a picture of the new covenant of Jer 31:34 ; Eze 36:25 (cf. Rom 11:26-27 ; Eph 5:26 ; Tit 3:5 ).
The VERB (BDB 83:4 I, KB 98:6 , Niphal PARTICPLE) also connected to it is a Qal IMPERFECT, “to be” (BDB 22:4 , KB 24:3 ), which denotes an emphasis of permanently opened! God's life-giving water will now flow forever (cf. Zec 14:8 ; Eze 47:1-12 ; Rev 22:1 ; Psa 46:4 ).
▣ “for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem” The royal line and the people who returned from exile are the recipients (cf. Zec 12:10 ). Notice there is no distinction between Jerusalem and Judah, as in Zec 12:2 ; Zec 12:5 ; Zec 12:7 .
▣ “for sin” This is the common Hebrew term (BDB 30:8 ) which means “to miss the goal,” “to miss the mark,” or “to miss the way” (cf. BDB 30:6 ).
▣ “for impurity” This Hebrew term (BDB 62:2 ) was used mostly of ceremonial defilement by menstrual flow, but was also used for idolatry (cf. 2Ch 29:5-6 ; Ezr 9:11 ).
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Zec 13:2-6 2”It will come about in that day,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3And if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, for you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD'; and his father and mother who gave birth to him will pierce him through when he prophesies. 4Also it will come about in that day that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a hairy robe in order to deceive; 5but he will say, ‘I am not a prophet; I am a tiller of the ground, for a man sold me as a slave in my youth.' 6And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will say, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'“
Zec 13:2 “it will come about in that day, declares the LORD of hosts” This is the continuing use of the eschatological phrase, “that day,” combined with the common post-exilic title for God, which implies military power.
▣ “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land” The VERB “cut off” (BDB 50:3 , KB 50:0 , Hiphil IMPERFECT) means to remove and destroy the idols and their followers (cf. Mic 5:10-15 ; Zep 1:4-6 ).
Again, the time setting of Zechariah 9-14 is very difficult to ascertain. It is obvious that idol worship was a major problem with the Jewish people before the Exile, but after the Exile this was not a problem. This verse seems to imply that idolatry will again become a major sin of the people of God.
This context is similar to Eze 36:22-38 in that YHWH chooses to act Himself because of His people's inadequacy to act. In Ezekiel He acts on their behalf to inaugurate the New Covenant (cf. Jer 31:31-34 ). Here He acts to remove evil from their midst (i.e., idols, false prophets, and the unclean spirit).
▣ “and I will also remove the prophets” The VERB (BDB 71:6 , Hiphil #4, KB 77:8 ) is used of removing evil people in 1Ki 15:12 and 2Ch 15:8 .
This obviously refers to false prophets (cf. LXX). The discussion in Zec 13:3-6 deals with those who claim to know and speak for God, but who are actually a tool for the evil one (cf. Mat 24:4-5 ; Mat 24:11 ; Mat 24:23-24 ).
▣ “and the unclean spirit from the land” The presence of the DEFINITE ARTICLE could mean that we are identifying a particular figure (i.e., Satan, cf. 1Ki 22:21 ) or this is a hendiadys, which means “the prophets” and “the unclean spirit” form one group (i.e., false prophets). This same phrase is also used quite often in the NT to refer to the demonic (see Special Topic: The Demonic in the OT <http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/special_topics/demonic_ot.html>). It (i.e., Leupold, p. 246, “spirit of uncleanness”) is obvious that this is the exact opposite of “the spirit of grace” mentioned in Zec 12:10 .
Zec 13:3 “And it will come about that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother” A tremendous change of attitude has occurred where even parents are ready to discipline their children for idol worship.
There are several similarities between this paragraph and Zec 12:10-14 . It almost seems that a true prophet suffered the fate of the false prophets.
▣ “You shall not live, for you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD” This refers to the punishment for false prophets from Deu 13:1-10 ; Deu 18:20 ; Deu 18:22 . The only difference is that in Zec 13:3 the offender is pierced, while in Deuteronomy they are stoned.
▣ “pierce him through” This is the same term used in Zec 12:10 and the implication is that he is pierced by his parents because he is a false prophet and a blasphemer. This may be so that the whole family may not be judged (cf. Jer 23:34 ). This is exactly the reason that the Jews crucified Jesus because they saw Him as a false prophet and a blasphemer.
Zec 13:4 “in that day that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies” Zec 13:4-6 describe the excuses that these false prophets will make when they are confronted with their false prophecies. A good descriptive parallel to “ashamed” (BDB 10:1 ) prophets is Mic 3:5-7 .
▣ “a hairy robe” This was (CONSTRUCT BDB 1:2 and 97:2 ) the distinctive dress of some prophets.
1. Samuel, 1Sa 28:14 (different word)
2. Elijah, 1Ki 19:13 ; 2Ki 2:8 3. Elisha, 1Ki 19:19 ; 2Ki 2:13-14 4. John the Baptist, Mat 3:4 ; Mar 1:6 Zec 13:5 “I am not a prophet; I am a tiller of the ground” This man will claim to be a farmer, not a prophet.
NASB “for a man sold me as a slave in my youth”
NKJV “man taught me to keep cattle from my youth”
NRSV “for the land has been my possession since my youth”
TEV “I have farmed the land all my life”
NJB “for the land has been my living since I was a boy”
This phrase is very ambiguous, but it is related to the phrase, “a tiller of the ground.” The differences are because of the possible origins of hqnni.
1. NKJV, connects it to mqnh (BDB 88:9 ), a flock or herd
2. NASB, connects it to qnh (BDB 88:8 , KB 111:4 ), acquire or purchase
3. NRSV, slightly changes the MT by adding one consonant
F. F. Bruce, Answers to Questions, makes a good point,
“The clause is an amplification of the preceding one ('I am a tiller of the ground') and means that the speaker is a simple agricultural laborer and no prophet” (p. 38).
Zec 13:6 “And one will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms'“ The false prophet will be easily recognized by special cultic marks on his body. “Between his arms” is a Hebrew idiom (BDB 38:8 ) for somewhere on his back, chest, arms, or hands. There seem to be two OT allusions to this practice: (1) the prophets of Ba'al (cf. 1Ki 18:28 ) and (2) special pagan practices for mourning (cf. Lev 19:28 ; Lev 21:5 ; Deu 14:1 ; Jer 16:6 ; Jer 41:5 ; Jer 48:37 ).
▣ “Then he will say, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends'“ He tries to explain his wounds by saying he received them while meeting with his friends (Hebrew is MASCULINE). However, the term “friends” or “lovers” (BDB 1:2 , Piel) is used in the OT for associates in idolatry (cf. Jer 22:20 ; Jer 22:22 ; Jer 30:14 ; Eze 16:33 ; Eze 16:36-37 ; Eze 23:5 ; Eze 23:9 ; Eze 23:22 ; Hos 2:7 ; Hos 2:9 ; Hos 2:12 ; Hos 2:14-15 ; also LXX of Hos 7:14 ).
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Zec 13:7-9 7”Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,
And against the man, My Associate,”
Declares the LORD of hosts.
“Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered;
And I will turn My hand against the little ones.
8It will come about in all the land,”
Declares the LORD, “
That two parts in it will be cut off and perish;
But the third will be left in it.
9And I will bring the third part through the fire,
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, ‘They are My people,'
And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.'“
Zec 13:7 There is an obvious radical break between Zec 13:6-7 . As Zec 13:6 refers to false prophets, Zec 13:7 refers to the coming Messiah. Notice in your translation that Zec 13:1-6 is in prose, while Zec 13:7-9 is poetry. This poetry is definitely related to Zec 11:4-14 , which describes the godly shepherd.
▣ “Awake” This is a Qal IMPERATIVE (BDB 73:4 , KB 80:2 ).
▣ “O sword” This is obviously a personification of death (cf. the VOCATIVE is also used in Jer 47:6-7 in a military sense). Notice that God is the spokesman. God is the One who strikes the Shepherd. The terms “awake” and “sword,” in Zec 13:7 a, are both FEMININE, while the word “strike” in Zec 13:7 d is Hiphil IMPERATIVE MASCULINE SINGULAR (BDB 64:5 , KB 69:7 ) and refers to God striking the shepherd (i.e., vicarious substitutionary atonement, cf. Isa 53:10 ; Act 2:23 ; 2Co 5:21 ).
▣ “My Shepherd” This is an obvious reference to the Davidic king (cf. Zec 12:10 ). “Shepherd” originally referred to God (cf. Psalms 2:3 ), but it is later used of the leaders of Israel (cf. Ezekiel 3:4 ). It is used in the NT to describe the Messiah (cf. John 1:0 ).
▣ “And against the man, My Associate” The NIV translates this “and against the man who is close to me.” This is obviously a reference to a close associate (BDB 76:5 ). This is why identifying this shepherd with the one in Zec 11:17 is misleading. This term (BDB 76:5 ) is used only here and in the book of Leviticus (cf. Lev. 5:21; Lev 18:20 ; Lev 19:15 ; Lev 19:17 ; Lev 24:19 ; Lev 25:14-15 ). It obviously means a close friend or covenant neighbor.
▣ “strike the shepherd” This VERB (BDB 64:5 , KB 69:7 ) is a Hiphil IMPERATIVE.
▣ “that the sheep may be scattered” The VERB (BDB 80:6 I, KB 91:8 ) is a Qal IMPERFECT used as a JUSSIVE. This is used as a fulfillment of the cursing section of Deu 28:64 . Jesus makes an allusion to this when He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane (cf. Mat 26:31 ; Mar 14:27 ).
▣ “I will turn My hand against the little ones” The VERB (BDB 99:6 [top of, p. 999], KB 142:7 , Hiphil PERFECT) is used especially of God's judgment (cf. Isa 1:25 ; Zec 13:7 ; Psa 81:15 ). The phrase “the little ones” is parallel to “the sheep,” which are scattered in the previous verse. This must be a time of testing initiated by God Himself.
Zec 13:8 “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it” This seems to refer to some type of punishment by God where two-thirds of the people perish. This is either a reference to a military invasion or to the spiritual rejection of the Messiah by two-thirds of God's people. Again, the time setting is ambiguous.
Zec 13:9 “And I will bring the third part through the fire,
Refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested”
This refers to the purpose of refining (BDB 86:4 , cf. Mal 3:2 ) for strengthening (cf. Isa 48:10 ; Dan 11:35 ). YHWH wants a purified people who reflect His character! This use of the metallurgical term is quite common in the Bible to describe God testing His people (i.e., the faithful remnant) for approval (cf. Pro 17:3 ; Isa 1:25 ; Isa 48:10 ).
▣ “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 my God'“ This is a series of covenant phrases (e.g., Hos 2:19-23 ) to describe that in the midst of God's judgment on the shepherd and the sheep, His purpose is a stronger covenant relationship (cf. Zec 8:8 ).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
1. What is the historical setting of Zechariah 1:3 ?
2. How is the unclean spirit related to the idols and prophets?
3. Why is the false prophet in Zec 13:3 pierced instead of being stoned?
4. Was a hairy robe a sign of YHWH's prophets in the OT?
5. List the major theological truths about the purpose of God in Zec 13:7 .
6. How is Zechariah 1:3 related to Zechariah 1:1 ?
7. Will only a remnant of Israel be saved? How does this apply or not apply to the church?
