The Word of the Lord to Zechariah

Chapter 13

The fountain of cleansing for Jerusalem, 1, from idolatry and false prophecy, 2-6. The death of Christ, and the trial of a third part, 7-9.

1 "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

2 "And it shall come to pass in that day," says the LORD of hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land and they shall no longer be remembered. And I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3 And it shall come to pass, that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and his mother who begot him shall say to him, 'You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the LORD.' And his father and his mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies. 4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall each be ashamed of his vision when he has prophesied, and they shall not wear a rough garment to deceive, 5 But he shall say, 'I am no prophet. I am a farmer, for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.' 6 And someone shall say to him, 'What are these wounds between your hands?' Then he shall answer, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'

"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd/
and against the man who is my fellow,"

says the LORD of hosts.

"Smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered./
And I will turn my hand upon the little ones.

And it shall come to pass, that in all the land,"

says the LORD,

"two parts therein shall be cut off and die,/
but the third shall be left therein.

And I will bring the third part through the fire,/
and I will refine them as silver is refined/
and try them as gold is tried./
They shall call on my name,/
and I will hear them./
I will say, 'They are my people,'/
and they shall say, 'The LORD is our God.'"

Commentary

Matthew Henry Commentary - Zechariah, Chapter 13[➚]

Notes

John Gill's Chapter Summary

In this chapter are prophecies concerning the purification of the penitent Jews before spoken of; the removal of idols, and false prophets, out of the earth; the death of Christ; the destruction of the greater part of men, and the salvation of a few of them. The cleansing of such that mourn for sin, in a fountain opened for that purpose, is spoken of (verse 1); the utter abolition of idols, and false prophets, and unclean spirits, is affirmed (verse 2); the parents of false prophets will forbid them to prophesy; they themselves will be ashamed of their visions; they will throw off the rough garment, which was a token of their being prophets, and by which they deceived; they will confess they are no prophets, and what they are, and own the wounds they have received from their friends on that account (verses 3-6); and whereas the Messiah, as pierced and crucified, is spoken of in the preceding chapter (verse 10), whose blood is the cleansing fountain mentioned in this, an account is given of his death; who is described by his office, the Shepherd of the Lord; and by his natures, human and divine, the Man his fellow; his death is signified by smiting with the sword, which was done by the order of the Lord; the consequences of which were the scattering of the sheep, and the turning of the hand of the Lord upon them in a way of mercy (verse 7); and then it is declared that two parts in three of the land should be cut off, and a third part saved, but yet so as by fire, whom the Lord would own as his people, and they should acknowledge him to be their God (verses 8-9).

[v.6] - "between your hands" - Or, "between your arms." That is, on the chest or back.

[v.7] - Quoted in Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27.

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