Zechariah 12

Zechariah · Chapter 12

Zechariah 12:3

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
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.On that day, when all the nations of the earth gather against her, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who would heave it away will be severely injured.And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

In the second "burden" of Zechariah, the LORD says that "in that day" he will make Jerusalem like a heavy stone that injures anyone who tries to lift it, even if every nation gathers against it. The verses around it say the same thing in other pictures: a cup that makes the nations tremble, and God destroying the nations that come against the city. Then the passage turns to Jerusalem's own mourning over the one they pierced and to a fountain opened to cleanse them. Zechariah 12:2Zechariah 12:3Zechariah 12:9Zechariah 12:10Zechariah 13:1Zechariah overview

Commonly taken out of context

How it’s often usedQuoted on its own as a slogan or rule about modern politics and diplomacy over the city of Jerusalem.

In contextIn its passage the verse is God's promise of what he himself will do "in that day." The same passage goes on at once to Jerusalem's own need for grace, mourning, and cleansing from sin (12:10-14; 13:1). It is a promise about God's own action, which the text does not tie to any date, and it is not a free-standing rule for politics. Zechariah 12:3Zechariah 12:9Zechariah 12:10Zechariah 12:12Zechariah 13:1

SpeakingThe LORD is the speaker, the one who stretches out the heavens and forms the spirit of man. His word came through the prophet Zechariah. Zechariah 12:1Zechariah overview

ToThe message is a "burden of the word of the LORD for Israel." It was given to the people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon. Zechariah 12:1Zechariah overview

Also involved"All people," the nations that gather against Jerusalem and Judah, are the ones who will be hurt by the stone. Zechariah 12:2Zechariah 12:3Zechariah 12:9

God promises to make Jerusalem a "burdensome stone," a heavy stone of burden. Whoever tries to lift and carry it will be cut by it, no matter how many nations join in. The next verses say the LORD himself strikes the attackers' horses and riders, defends Jerusalem's people, and makes Judah's leaders like fire among wood. Zechariah 12:3Zechariah 12:4Zechariah 12:6Zechariah 12:8Strong's H4614Strong's H6006Strong's H8295

The scene is Jerusalem and the land of Judah around it, with the nations besieging both. The book was written from Jerusalem among the returned exiles. Zechariah 12:2Zechariah 12:6JerusalemZechariah overview

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThe events are set "in that day," a phrase that runs through chapters 12 to 14 for the time when God acts for Jerusalem. Zechariah 14:2 also says God will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle. The text gives no calendar date. Zechariah 12:3Zechariah 12:9Zechariah 14:2Zechariah 14:4Zechariah 14:6

WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the whole book; his dated messages fall in 520-518 BC. Scholarly: most agree chapters 1-8 come from Zechariah then, but chapters 9-14, including this verse, carry no dates, and many assign them to a later writer or writers, while others hold Zechariah wrote them. Zechariah overview

HereThe verse assures God's people that he himself will defend Jerusalem. Any power that tries to seize it will be the one that is hurt. Verse 5 has Judah's governors say their strength is "in the LORD of hosts their God." Zechariah 12:3Zechariah 12:5Zechariah 12:8Zechariah 12:9Zechariah overview

In the whole of ScriptureThis verse belongs to the book's last section (12:1-14:21), the second burden, about Jerusalem's cleansing and the day of the LORD. Rescue comes first, then a spirit of grace, mourning for the pierced one, and a fountain for sin. The book looks to the day when the LORD is king over all the earth, and John 19:37 applies the "pierced" line of this chapter to Jesus. Zechariah overviewZechariah 12:10Zechariah 13:1

For readersThe verse teaches that God's people are safe because God defends them, not because of their own strength. The book says the same elsewhere: "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit." Other Scripture uses a similar picture of a stone that breaks whoever opposes it (Daniel 2:34-35; Matthew 21:44; Luke 20:18). Zechariah 12:5Zechariah 12:8Zechariah overviewDaniel 2:34Daniel 2:35Matthew 21:44Luke 20:18

Christians read this differently

The verse itself names the stone as Jerusalem, but no cited Scripture says when "that day" comes. Some Christians read it as a future, end-time attack on the literal city of Jerusalem, alongside Zechariah 14:2-4. Others, noting that John 19:37 applies 12:10 to Jesus' crucifixion, read the chapter as fulfilled in Christ and his people. Zechariah 12:3Zechariah 14:2Zechariah 14:4Zechariah overview

  • burden (burdensome)מַעֲמָסָה
    Hebrew · ma.a.ma.sah · H4614

    The word means "load, burden." The "burdensome stone" is a stone of burden, a heavy load someone tries to pick up and carry. Strong's H4614Zechariah 12:3

  • Hebrew · a.mas · H6006

    This verb means to load or carry a load. The picture is of nations trying to lift Jerusalem and carry it, not just of bearing a hardship. Strong's H6006Zechariah 12:3

  • Hebrew · sa.rat · H8295

    The word means to incise, scratch, or cut. Those who try to lift the stone are cut and injured by it. Strong's H8295Zechariah 12:3

Takeaway

Zechariah 12:3 is God's promise that he will defend Jerusalem "in that day," so that whoever tries to carry it off is hurt by it. It belongs with the verses that follow, where God also pours out grace, and his people mourn over the one they pierced and are cleansed. Zechariah 12:3Zechariah 12:8Zechariah 12:10Zechariah 13:1

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

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
and it will beוְהָיָ֣הve-ha-YAHH1961
to be

הָיָה (ha.yah) 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) --- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) …

on the dayבַיּוֹם־vai-yom-H3117G
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 thatהַ֠הוּאHA-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)

I will makeאָשִׂ֨ים'a-SIMH7760A
to set: make

שׂוּם (sum) : make/establish 1) to put, place, set, appoint, make 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on 1a2) to set, direct, direct toward 1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig) 1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix 1a4) to set, station, put, set in place, plant, fix 1a5) to make, make for, transform into, constitute, fashion, work, bring to pass, appoint, give 1b) (Hiphil) to set or make for a sign 1c) (Hophal) to be set

Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֜םye-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)

a stone ofאֶ֤בֶן'E-venH0068G
stone

אֶ֫בֶן (e.ven) : stone 1) stone (large or small) 1a) common stone (in natural state) 1b) stone, as material 1b1) of tablets 1b2) marble, hewn stones 1c) precious stones, stones of fire 1d) stones containing metal (ore), tool for work or weapon 1e) weight 1f) plummet (stones of destruction) also made of metal 1g) stonelike objects, eg hailstones, stony heart, ice 1h) sacred object, as memorial Samuel set up to mark where God helped Israel to defeat the Philistines 1i) (simile) 1i1) sinking in water, motionlessness 1i2) strength, firmness, solidity 1i3) commonness 1j) (metaph) 1j1) petrified with terror …

burdenמַֽעֲמָסָה֙ma-'a-ma-SAHH4614
burden

מַעֲמָסָה (ma.a.ma.sah) load, burden

for allלְכָל־le-kholH3605
all

כֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

the peoplesהָ֣עַמִּ֔יםha-'a-MIMH5971A
people

עַם (am) : people/nation 1) nation, people 1a) people, nation 1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

allכָּל־kol-H3605
all

כֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

[those who] carry itעֹמְסֶ֖יהָ'o-me-SEI-haH6006
to lift

עָמַס (a.mas) 1) to load, carry, carry a load 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to load 1a2) to carry a load 1b)(Hiphil) to lay a load on

severely injureשָׂר֣וֹטsa-ROTH8295
to incise

שָׂרַט (sa.rat) 1) to incise, scratch, tattoo, cut 1a) (Qal) to make incision 1b) (Niphal) to be scratched or lacerated, be cut

they will injure themselvesיִשָּׂרֵ֑טוּyi-sa-RE-tuH8295
to incise

שָׂרַט (sa.rat) 1) to incise, scratch, tattoo, cut 1a) (Qal) to make incision 1b) (Niphal) to be scratched or lacerated, be cut

and they will gatherוְנֶאֶסְפ֣וּve-ne-'es-FUH0622
to gather

אָסַף (a.saph) 1) to gather, receive, remove, gather in 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to gather, collect 1a2) to gather (an individual into company of others) 1a3) to bring up the rear 1a4) to gather and take away, remove, withdraw 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to assemble, be gathered 1b2) (pass of Qal 1a2) 1b2a) to be gathered to one's fathers 1b2b) to be brought in or into (association with others) 1b3) (pass of Qal 1a4) 1b3a) to be taken away, removed, perish 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to gather (harvest) 1c2) to take in, receive into 1c3) rearguard, rearward (subst) 1d) (Pual) to be gathered 1e) (Hithpael) to gather oneself or themselves

on itעָלֶ֔יהָ'a-LEI-haH5921A
upon

עַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) …

allכֹּ֖לkolH3605
all

כֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

[the] nations ofגּוֹיֵ֥יgo-YEIH1471A
nation

גּוֹי (goy) 1) nation, people 1a) nation, people 1a1) usually of non-Hebrew people 1a2) of descendants of Abraham 1a3) of Israel 1b) of swarm of locusts, other animals (fig.)

the earthהָאָֽרֶץ׃ha-'A-retzH0776G
land: country/planet

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) : country/field 1) land, earth 1a) earth 1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part) 1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven) 1a3) earth (inhabitants) 1b) land 1b1) country, territory 1b2) district, region 1b3) tribal territory 1b4) piece of ground 1b5) land of Canaan, Israel 1b6) inhabitants of land 1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world 1b8) city (-state) 1c) ground, surface of the earth 1c1) ground 1c2) soil 1d) (in phrases) 1d1) people of the land 1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance) 1d3) level or plain country 1d4) land of the living 1d5) end(s) of the earth …

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