Zechariah 12

Zechariah · Chapter 12

Zechariah 12:8

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
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.On that day the LORD will defend the people of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD going before them.In that day shall Jehovah 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 Jehovah before them.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

In Zechariah's second burden, the LORD promises that when the peoples besiege Judah and Jerusalem, he himself will defend Jerusalem's inhabitants. Even the feeblest among them will be like David, and David's house will be like God, like the angel of the LORD going before them. The next verses add that God will seek to destroy the attacking nations and pour out a spirit of grace, so that the people mourn for the one they pierced. Zechariah 12:2Zechariah 12:3Zechariah 12:8Zechariah 12:9Zechariah 12:10

SpeakingThe LORD, speaking through the prophet Zechariah. The chapter opens as 'the burden of the word of the LORD for Israel.' Zechariah 12:1Zechariah overview

ToThe people of Judah who had returned from exile in Babylon. The message is given 'for Israel.' Zechariah overviewZechariah 12:1

Also involvedThe inhabitants of Jerusalem and the house of David, whom the LORD defends and strengthens. The nations that come against Jerusalem are the ones God will seek to destroy. Zechariah 12:8Zechariah 12:9

This is a promise of God's protection and strength. The LORD will defend Jerusalem's people. The one who stumbles becomes like David, the king of Judah. David's house will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before the people. Verse 7 adds a balance: Judah's tents are saved first, so David's house and Jerusalem will not boast over Judah. Zechariah 12:8Zechariah 12:7Strong's H1598Strong's H3782Strong's H1732

The promise centers on Jerusalem and on Judah, which are pictured under siege by the peoples round about. Zechariah 12:2Zechariah 12:6Zechariah 12:7JerusalemZechariah overview

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThe verse points to 'that day,' a coming time when all the people of the earth gather against Jerusalem. The phrase repeats through the chapter. The text does not give a date for it. Zechariah 12:3Zechariah 12:8Zechariah 12:9Zechariah 12:11Strong's H3117G

WrittenTraditional view: Zechariah wrote the whole book, and his dated messages run from about 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly view: most agree chapters 1-8 come from Zechariah then; many assign the undated chapters 9-14, which include this verse, to a later writer or writers, while others hold that Zechariah wrote them. Zechariah overview

HereThe verse assures the returned people that their safety rests on the LORD's defense. It fits the book's theme: 'not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit.' Zechariah overviewZechariah 12:8

In the whole of ScriptureOther passages make the same promise. In Zechariah 2:5 the LORD will be 'a wall of fire round about' Jerusalem, and in Zechariah 9:8 he will 'encamp about mine house.' Joel 3:16 says the LORD will be 'the strength of the children of Israel,' and Micah 5:4 says the ruler from Bethlehem 'shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD.' Zechariah 2:5Zechariah 9:8Joel 3:16Micah 5:2Micah 5:4

For readersGod's people stand by his defense, not by their own strength. The one who stumbles can stand like David because the LORD defends him; as Micah 7:8 says, 'when I fall, I shall arise.' In the same chapter this strength comes with humility (v.7) and with grief and turning to God (v.10). Zechariah 12:7Zechariah 12:8Zechariah 12:10Micah 7:8

Christians read this differently

The text calls the time 'that day' and no cited Scripture says when or how it is fulfilled, though John 19:37 quotes 12:10, 'they shall look upon me whom they have pierced.' Some Christians read the chapter as a future rescue of the city of Jerusalem and its people. Others read it as fulfilled in Christ and his people. Zechariah 12:8Zechariah 12:10Zechariah overview

  • defendגָּנַן
    Hebrew · ga.nan · H1598

    The word means to defend, cover, or surround. That matches the LORD as 'a wall of fire round about' Jerusalem in Zechariah 2:5 and encamping about his house in 9:8. Strong's H1598Zechariah 2:5Zechariah 9:8

  • feebleכָּשַׁל
    Hebrew · ka.shal · H3782

    The Hebrew here is 'the one who stumbles.' The word means to stumble, stagger, or totter, and can also mean to be feeble. So it is the one who falls who is made like David. Strong's H3782Micah 7:8

  • angelמַלְאָךְ
    Hebrew · ma.le.akh · H4397H

    The word means messenger or angel, and the entry also lists 'the theophanic angel,' an angel in whom God appears. In this verse 'as God' and 'as the angel of the LORD' stand side by side. Strong's H4397HStrong's H0430GZechariah 12:8

Takeaway

When the LORD defends his people, even the one who stumbles stands like David. David's house goes before them like the angel of the LORD, in the LORD's strength. Zechariah 12:8Strong's H3782Joel 3:16Micah 5:4

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
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)

he will defendיָגֵ֤ןya-GENH1598
to defend

גָּנַן (ga.nan) 1) to defend, cover, surround 1a) (Qal) to defend 1b) (Hiphil) to defend

Yahwehיְהוָה֙YAH-wehH3068G
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

forבְּעַד֙be-'ADH1157
about/through/for

בַּ֫עַד (be.ad) 1) behind, through, round about, on behalf of, away from, about 1a) through (of action) 1b) behind (with verbs of shutting) 1c) about (with verbs of fencing) 1d) on behalf of (metaph. especially with Hithpael)

[the] inhabitant[s] ofיוֹשֵׁ֣בyo-SHEVH3427
to dwell

יָשַׁב (ya.shav) 1) to dwell, remain, sit, abide 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to sit, sit down 1a2) to be set 1a3) to remain, stay 1a4) to dwell, have one's abode 1b) (Niphal) to be inhabited 1c) (Piel) to set, place 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to sit 1d2) to cause to abide, set 1d3) to cause to dwell 1d4) to cause (cities) to be inhabited 1d5) to marry (give an dwelling to) 1e) (Hophal) 1e1) to be inhabited 1e2) to make to dwell Aramaic equivalent: ye.tiv (יְתִב "to dwell" H3488)

Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֔םye-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)

and he will beוְהָיָ֞הve-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) …

the [one who] stumblesהַנִּכְשָׁ֥לha-nikh-SHALH3782
to stumble

כָּשַׁל (ka.shal) 1) to stumble, stagger, totter 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to stumble 1a2) to totter 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to stumble 1b2) to be tottering, be feeble 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to cause to stumble, bring injury or ruin to, overthrow 1c2) to make feeble, make weak 1d) (Hophal) to be made to stumble 1e) (Piel) bereave

on the dayבַּיּ֥וֹםbai-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 thatהַה֖וּאha-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)

like Davidכְּדָוִ֑ידke-da-VIDH1732
David

דָּוִד (da.vid) A king of the tribe of Judah living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at Rut.4.17; son of: Jesse (H3448) and Nahash (H5176I); brother of: Eliab (H0446I), Abinadab (H0041I), Shimeah (H8093), Zeruiah (H6870), Abigail (H0026H)(?), Nethanel (H5417H), Raddai (H7288), Ozem (H0684) and Elihu (H0453J); married to Michal (H4324), Abigail (H0026), Ahinoam (H0293H), Maacah (H4601I), Haggith (H2294), Abital (H0037), Eglah (H5698) and Bathsheba (H1339); …

and [the] house ofוּבֵ֤יתu-VEITH1004MNo entry
Davidדָּוִיד֙da-VIDH1732
David

דָּוִד (da.vid) A king of the tribe of Judah living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at Rut.4.17; son of: Jesse (H3448) and Nahash (H5176I); brother of: Eliab (H0446I), Abinadab (H0041I), Shimeah (H8093), Zeruiah (H6870), Abigail (H0026H)(?), Nethanel (H5417H), Raddai (H7288), Ozem (H0684) and Elihu (H0453J); married to Michal (H4324), Abigail (H0026), Ahinoam (H0293H), Maacah (H4601I), Haggith (H2294), Abital (H0037), Eglah (H5698) and Bathsheba (H1339); …

[will be] like Godכֵּֽאלֹהִ֔יםke-lo-HIMH0430G
God

אֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) This name means "gods" (plural intensive-singular meaning), "God" Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

like [the] angel ofכְּמַלְאַ֥ךְke-mal-'AKHH4397H
messenger

מַלְאָךְ (ma.le.akh) : messenger 1) messenger, representative 1a) messenger 1b) angel 1c) the theophanic angel

Yahwehיְהוָ֖הYAH-wehH3068G
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

to before themלִפְנֵיהֶֽם׃lif-nei-HEMH6440G
face: before

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

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