Zechariah 7

Zechariah · Chapter 7

Zechariah 7:10

1And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;2When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,3And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?4Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,5Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?6And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?7Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?8And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,9Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:10And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.11But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.12Yea, 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.13Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:14But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
10And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the sojourner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

People asked whether they should keep mourning and fasting in the fifth month as they had for years (Zechariah 7:3). God answered by asking whether their fasts had ever really been for him (7:5-6), then repeated what the former prophets had said: do true justice, show mercy, and do not oppress the weak or plot evil against one another (7:7-10). Their fathers refused to listen, and that refusal brought the exile (7:11-14). Zechariah 7:3Zechariah 7:5Zechariah 7:6Zechariah 7:7Zechariah 7:9Zechariah 7:10Zechariah 7:11Zechariah 7:12Zechariah 7:13Zechariah 7:14

SpeakingThe LORD of hosts, speaking through the prophet Zechariah, son of Berechiah. Zechariah 7:8Zechariah 7:9Zechariah overview

ToAll the people of the land and the priests (7:5). These were the people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon. Zechariah 7:5Zechariah overview

Also involvedThe widow, the fatherless, the stranger, and the poor, who were the people most easily wronged. It also covers every 'brother', meaning one's fellow Israelite. Zechariah 7:10Strong's H0251I

Four groups must not be oppressed: widows, orphans, foreigners living among them, and the poor. No one is even to plan harm against a neighbor in his heart. This sums up what God had always asked through the former prophets, in place of empty fasting. Zechariah 7:7Zechariah 7:9Zechariah 7:10Zechariah 7:5

The question was brought to the house of God, the temple then being rebuilt in Jerusalem, where Zechariah prophesied among the returned exiles. The verse recalls the earlier days when Jerusalem and the cities around it were full of people. Zechariah 7:2Zechariah 7:3Zechariah overviewZechariah 7:7

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThe word came in the fourth year of King Darius, in the ninth month, Chisleu, about 518 BC. It repeats words God had spoken before the exile, while Jerusalem was still inhabited and prosperous. Zechariah 7:1Zechariah overviewZechariah 7:7

WrittenTraditional view: Zechariah wrote it, and his dated messages run from 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly view: most scholars agree that chapters 1-8, which include this verse, come from Zechariah in 520-518 BC. Zechariah overview

HereIt shows what God actually wanted instead of fasts kept for their own sake. He wanted justice and mercy toward the weak. The returned people were warned not to repeat their fathers' refusal, which had left the land desolate. Zechariah 7:5Zechariah 7:6Zechariah 7:11Zechariah 7:12Zechariah 7:14

In the whole of ScriptureThe prophets spoke with one voice on this. Isaiah rebuked rulers who would not judge the fatherless or the widow's cause (Isaiah 1:23) and called, 'cease to do evil' (Isaiah 1:16). Jeremiah condemned those who did not judge the cause of the fatherless and needy (Jeremiah 5:28). Proverbs says the LORD will plead the cause of the afflicted (Proverbs 22:22-23). Isaiah 1:23Isaiah 1:16Jeremiah 5:28Proverbs 22:22Proverbs 22:23Psalms 72:4

For readersReligious practice means nothing to God if it sits alongside wronging the vulnerable. God also judges hidden plans of the heart, not only outward acts. John says the same when he writes, 'Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer' (1 John 3:15). Zechariah 7:5Zechariah 7:101 John 3:15

  • strangerגֵּר
    Hebrew · ger · H1616

    The word means a sojourner: a temporary resident or newcomer without inherited rights, used of foreigners living in Israel who were given certain rights. That lack of family land and standing made such people easy to exploit. Strong's H1616Zechariah 7:10

  • oppressעָשַׁק
    Hebrew · a.shaq · H6231

    Its meanings include to press upon, defraud, extort, and do violence. So the command covers cheating and exploiting the weak, not only open cruelty. Strong's H6231

  • poorעָנִי
    Hebrew · a.ni · H6041

    The word means poor, but also afflicted, weak, wretched, or lowly. It points to anyone who is helpless and pressed down, not only someone short of money. Strong's H6041

  • imagineחָשַׁב
    Hebrew · cha.shav · H2803I

    It means to think, plan, or devise. The ban reaches back to the scheming that comes before any harmful act, much as Psalm 21:11 speaks of those who 'imagined a mischievous device.' Strong's H2803IPsalms 21:11

Takeaway

God wants justice and mercy more than religious ritual. That means protecting widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor, and refusing even to plot harm in the heart. Israel's refusal to hear this ended in exile, so the command was given to be obeyed. Zechariah 7:5Zechariah 7:9Zechariah 7:10Zechariah 7:11Zechariah 7:14

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.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and [the] widowוְאַלְמָנָ֧הve-'al-ma-NAHH0490
widow

אַלְמָנָה (al.ma.nah) widow

and [the] fatherlessוְיָת֛וֹםve-ya-TOMH3490
orphan

יָתוֹם (ya.tom) an orphan, fatherless

[the] sojournerגֵּ֥רgerH1616
sojourner

גֵּר (ger) 1) sojourner 1a) a temporary inhabitant, a newcomer lacking inherited rights 1b) of foreigners in Israel, though conceded rights

and [the] poorוְעָנִ֖יve-'a-NIH6041
afflicted

עָנִי (a.ni) 1) poor, afflicted, humble, wretched 1a) poor, needy 1b) poor and weak 1c) poor, weak, afflicted, wretched 1d) humble, lowly

may notאַֽל־'al-H0408
not

אַל (al) 1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference) 1a) do not, let not (with a verb) 1b) let there not be (with a verb understood) 1c) not, no (with substantive) 1d) nothing (as substantive) Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)

you oppressתַּעֲשֹׁ֑קוּta-'a-SHO-kuH6231
to oppress

עָשַׁק (a.shaq) 1) to press upon, oppress, violate, defraud, do violence, get deceitfully, wrong, extort 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to oppress, wrong, extort 1a2) to oppress 1b) (Pual) to be exploited, be crushed

and [the] harm ofוְרָעַת֙ve-ra-'ATH7451INo entry
eachאִ֣ישׁ'ishH0376I
man

אִישׁ (ish) : man 1) man 1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female) 1b) husband 1c) human being, person (in contrast to God) 1d) servant 1e) mankind 1f) champion 1g) great man 2) whosoever 3) each (adjective)

brother hisאָחִ֔יו'a-CHIVH0251I
brother: male-sibling

אָח (ach) : male-sibling 1) brother 1a) brother of same parents 1b) half-brother (same father) 1c) relative, kinship, same tribe 1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship) 1e) (fig.) of resemblance

may notאַֽל־'al-H0408
not

אַל (al) 1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference) 1a) do not, let not (with a verb) 1b) let there not be (with a verb understood) 1c) not, no (with substantive) 1d) nothing (as substantive) Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)

you planתַּחְשְׁב֖וּtach-she-VUH2803I
to devise: design

חָשַׁב (cha.shav) : design/skillful 1) to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to think, account 1a2) to plan, devise, mean 1a3) to charge, impute, reckon 1a4) to esteem, value, regard 1a5) to invent 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be accounted, be thought, be esteemed 1b2) to be computed, be reckoned 1b3) to be imputed 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to think upon, consider, be mindful of 1c2) to think to do, devise, plan 1c3) to count, reckon 1d) (Hithpael) to be considered

in heart yourבִּלְבַבְכֶֽם׃bil-vav-KHEMH3824
heart

לֵבָב (le.vav) 1) inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding 1a) inner part, midst 1a1) midst (of things) 1a2) heart (of man) 1a3) soul, heart (of man) 1a4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory 1a5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will) 1a6) conscience 1a7) heart (of moral character) 1a8) as seat of appetites 1a9) as seat of emotions and passions 1a10) as seat of courage Aramaic equivalent: le.vav (לְבַב "heart" H3825)

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