Zechariah 12

Zechariah · Chapter 12

Zechariah 12:11

1The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.2Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.3And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.4In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.5And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.6In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.7The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.8In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.9And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.10And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.11In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.12And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;13The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;14All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
11In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be as great as the wailing of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

After God pours out "the spirit of grace and of supplications," Jerusalem will look on the one they pierced and mourn for him (12:10). This verse says how deep that grief will be: like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. Scripture records that King Josiah was killed at Megiddo and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him. Zechariah 12:10Zechariah 12:112 Kings 23:292 Chronicles 35:24Strong's H1910

SpeakingThe LORD speaks in this "burden of the word of the LORD," given through the prophet Zechariah. Zechariah 12:1Zechariah overview

ToThe people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon. Zechariah overview

Also involvedThe house of David and the people of Jerusalem, who mourn. Then the whole land mourns, family by family: David, Nathan, Levi, Shimei and all the rest, each apart, with their wives apart. Zechariah 12:10Zechariah 12:12Zechariah 12:13Zechariah 12:14

A great public mourning will fill Jerusalem. It is compared to the national grief at Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo. The lexicon says that grief was held for the death of King Josiah, who was slain at Megiddo and mourned by all Judah and Jerusalem. Zechariah 12:11Strong's H19102 Kings 23:292 Chronicles 35:24

The mourning is in Jerusalem. The comparison points to Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo, an ancient city on the southern rim of the plain of Esdraelon, well north of Jerusalem. Zechariah 12:11JerusalemMegiddoStrong's H4023Strong's H1910

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemMegiddoTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdod

The eventsThe mourning happens "in that day." This is the future day of the chapter's second burden, when God defends Jerusalem against the nations and pours out his spirit on it. The comparison looks back to Josiah's death at Megiddo. Zechariah 12:9Zechariah 12:10Zechariah 12:11Zechariah overview2 Kings 23:29

WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the whole book, and his dated messages fall in 520-518 BC. Scholarly: chapters 9-14 carry no dates, and many scholars assign them to a later writer or writers, while others hold that Zechariah wrote them. Zechariah overview

HereThe verse shows how great the grief over the pierced one will be. It matches the bitterness of mourning an only son or a firstborn, and the nation's sorrow over a beloved king. Zechariah 12:10Zechariah 12:112 Chronicles 35:24

In the whole of ScriptureThis mourning answers 12:10, "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced." John 19:37 quotes that line, and the second burden goes on to Jerusalem's cleansing and the day of the LORD. Zechariah 12:10Zechariah overview

For readersTrue sorrow over the pierced one is a gift: it follows God pouring out his spirit of grace and of supplications. It is also personal, as each family mourns apart. Zechariah 12:10Zechariah 12:12Zechariah 12:14

  • mourningמִסְפֵּד
    Hebrew · mis.ped · H4553

    The word means wailing, loud grief, not quiet sadness. It fits the comparison to mourning an only son or firstborn in 12:10. Strong's H4553Zechariah 12:10

  • Hadadrimmonהֲדַדְרִמּוֹן
    Hebrew · ha.dad.rim.mon · H1910

    The lexicon names it as a place in the valley of Megiddo where a national lamentation was held for King Josiah's death. That ties the verse to the grief recorded in 2 Chronicles 35:24. Strong's H19102 Chronicles 35:24

  • Megiddonמְגִדּוֹ
    Hebrew · me.gid.don · H4023

    This is Megiddo, where Pharaoh Necho slew Josiah. The lexicon notes the same place is also named Armageddon. Strong's H40232 Kings 23:29

  • greatגָּדַל
    Hebrew · ga.dal · H1431

    The verb means to grow or become great. Here it describes how large the mourning in Jerusalem will become. Strong's H1431Zechariah 12:11

Takeaway

When God opens Jerusalem's eyes to the one they pierced, their grief will be as deep as the nation's mourning for good King Josiah at Megiddo. It will be shared by all, yet carried by each family apart. Zechariah 12:10Zechariah 12:11Zechariah 12:122 Chronicles 35:24

Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.

The world around the text

Behind this verse

The mourning at Megiddo
King Josiah was killed in battle in the valley of Megiddo, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned him; Jeremiah wrote laments for him. Zechariah compares the coming mourning to "the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon." Zechariah 12:112 Chronicles 35:22-25

About 520-518 BC. King of Persia: Darius I (522-486 BC). Where Zechariah prophesied. A small, poor community was rebuilding the temple among the ruins of the city Babylon had burned.

Who ruled
  • King of PersiaDarius I522-486 BC

    Zechariah dates his messages by the years of Darius. Darius confirmed Cyrus's decree and ordered the temple work to go on at royal expense. Zechariah 1:1Zechariah 7:1Ezra 6:1-12Haggai 1:1Behistun Inscription

  • Governor of JudahZerubbabelc. 520 BC

    A descendant of David who led the rebuilding. "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it." Zechariah 4:6-10Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:8

  • High priestJoshua the high priestc. 520 BC

    Called Jeshua in Ezra. He stands in Zechariah's vision clothed in filthy garments, which are taken away, and later receives crowns as a sign. Zechariah 3:1-10Zechariah 6:11Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:2

  • Persian governor "on this side the river"Tattenaic. 520 BC

    The governor of the province west of the Euphrates. He asked who had allowed the building, wrote to Darius, and was told to let the work go on. Ezra 5:3-6Ezra 6:6-13

What was happening, 539 BC to 332 BC
  1. 539 BC
    WarBabylon falls to Cyrus

    Cyrus king of Persia took Babylon, ending the empire that had destroyed Jerusalem. Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Cyrus Cylinder

  2. 538 BC
    God's peopleThe first return

    Cyrus let the exiles go home to build the LORD's house. About fifty thousand returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Ezra 1:1-4Ezra 2:1-2Ezra 2:64-65

  3. c. 536 BC
    God's peopleThe foundation is laid, then the work stops

    The returned exiles laid the temple's foundation with shouting and weeping. Opposition from their neighbors stopped the work until the second year of Darius. Ezra 3:10-13Ezra 4:4-5Ezra 4:24

  4. 525 BC
    WarPersia conquers Egypt

    Cyrus's son Cambyses invaded and took Egypt, bringing the whole region from the Nile to the Indus under one king. Herodotus, Histories 3.1-16

  5. 522-521 BC
    WarDarius crushes the revolts

    When Darius took the throne, provinces across the empire rebelled, Babylon twice. By 520 he had put them all down. Compare the riders' report in Zechariah's first vision: "all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest." Behistun InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 3.150-159Zechariah 1:11

  6. 520 BC
    God's peopleHaggai and Zechariah stir the people to build

    In Darius's second year the two prophets urged the people to take up the temple work again, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua began to build. Ezra 5:1-2Haggai 1:1-15Zechariah 1:1

  7. c. 520-519 BC
    RulersDarius confirms Cyrus's decree

    Tattenai questioned the building. A search found Cyrus's decree at Achmetha, and Darius ordered the work to continue and be paid for from royal taxes. Ezra 5:3-6:12

  8. 515 BC
    BuildingThe second temple is finished

    The temple was finished on the third day of Adar in Darius's sixth year and dedicated with joy. Ezra 6:14-18Zechariah 4:9

  9. 490-479 BC
    WarPersia's wars with Greece

    Persia invaded Greece twice and was turned back at Marathon (490), Salamis (480) and Plataea (479). Greece, which Zechariah names in 9:13, was becoming Persia's great rival. Herodotus, Histories 6.102-117Herodotus, Histories 8.40-96Herodotus, Histories 9.1-89Zechariah 9:13

  10. 445 BC
    BuildingNehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem's walls

    Under the Persian king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah came from Shushan and rebuilt the walls in fifty-two days. Nehemiah 2:1-8Nehemiah 6:15

  11. 332 BC
    WarAlexander takes Tyre and Gaza

    Alexander the Great besieged island Tyre for seven months and then Gaza for two, on his way to Egypt. Zechariah 9 speaks of Tyre's "strong hold" and of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron and Ashdod. Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 2.15-27Zechariah 9:3-7

The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records (the Behistun Inscription, the Cyrus Cylinder, the Babylonian Chronicles) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.

Where

Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
on the dayבַּיּ֣וֹםbai-YOMH3117G
day

יוֹם (yom) : day/when/time/period 1) day, time, year 1a) day (as opposed to night) 1b) day (24 hour period) 1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1 1b2) as a division of time 1b2a) a working day, a day's journey 1c) days, lifetime (pl.) 1d) time, period (general) 1e) year 1f) temporal references 1f1) today 1f2) yesterday 1f3) tomorrow

the thatהַה֗וּאha-HU'H1931
he/she/it

הוּא (hu) pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article)

it will be greatיִגְדַּ֤לyig-DALH1431
to magnify

גָּדַל (ga.dal) 1) to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to grow up 1a2) to become great 1a3) to be magnified 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to cause to grow 1b2) to make great, powerful 1b3) to magnify 1c) (Pual) to be brought up 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to make great 1d2) to magnify 1d3) to do great things 1e) (Hithpael) to magnify oneself

the mourningהַמִּסְפֵּד֙ha-mis-PEDH4553
mourning

מִסְפֵּד (mis.ped) wailing

in Jerusalemבִּיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔םbi-RU-sha-LIMH3389
Ariel

אֲרִיאֵל (a.ri.el) Ariel = "lion of God" or "lioness of God" Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

like [the] mourning ofכְּמִסְפַּ֥דke-mis-PADH4553
mourning

מִסְפֵּד (mis.ped) wailing

Hadad-הֲדַדְ־ha-dad-H1910
Hadad-rimmon

הֲדַדְרִמּוֹן (ha.dad.rim.mon) § Hadad-rimmon = "Hadad of the pomegranates" a place in the valley of Megiddo where a national lamentation was held for the death of King Josiah; named after two Syrian gods

Rimmonרִמּ֖וֹןri-MONH1910
Hadad-rimmon

הֲדַדְרִמּוֹן (ha.dad.rim.mon) § Hadad-rimmon = "Hadad of the pomegranates" a place in the valley of Megiddo where a national lamentation was held for the death of King Josiah; named after two Syrian gods

in [the] plain ofבְּבִקְעַ֥תbe-vik-'ATH1237K
plain

בִּקְעָא (biq.a) plain Aramaic of biq.ah (בִּקְעָה "valley" H1237K)

Megiddoמְגִדּֽוֹן׃me-gi-DONH4023
Megiddo

מְגִדּוֹ (me.gid.don) Megiddo or Megiddon = "place of crowds" ancient city of Canaan assigned to Manasseh and located on the southern rim of the plain of Esdraelon 6 miles (10 km) from Mount Carmel and 11 miles (18 km) from Nazareth Also named: Armageddōn (Ἀρμαγεδδών "Armageddon" G0717)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.