FocusTruthful worship and renewed community
Connection to the wholeA question about fasting leads to exhortations about justice and words of future blessing and gathering.
interpretation Zechariah 7:11
KJVBut they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
Read it in context
A Call to Justice and Mercy
Start reading at Zechariah 7:1 (Zechariah 7:1 to Zechariah 7:14).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
A question about fasting leads to exhortations about justice and words of future blessing and gathering.
- 7:1 And 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;
- 7:2 When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,
- 7:3 And 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?
- 7:4 Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,
- 7:5 Speak 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?
- 7:6 And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
- 7:7 Should 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?
- 7:8 And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,
- 7:9 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
- 7:10 And 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.
- 7:11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
- 7:12 Yea, 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.
- 7:13 Therefore 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:
- 7:14 But 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.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, is the named prophet and traditional author. The composition of the later portions is debated. Biblical references: Zechariah 1:1. stated in the text
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Zechariah 7:1–8:23): A delegation asks the priests and prophets about fasting; Zechariah conveys the LORD's answer to the people and priests and promises concerning Jerusalem. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? The restored community of Judah and Jerusalem, with messages for its leaders and visions extending beyond that immediate community. Biblical references: Zechariah 1:3; Zechariah 4:9; Zechariah 7:5. stated in the text
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? A Call to Justice and Mercy. Read Zechariah 7:1 through Zechariah 7:14 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? A question about fasting leads to exhortations about justice and words of future blessing and gathering. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The opening dates messages to Darius' reign; later oracles are not all introduced with the same level of dating. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? The returned community, Jerusalem, the temple, and symbolic visionary scenes are central, with wider nations and conflicts in view. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in A Call to Justice and Mercy (Zechariah 7:1 to Zechariah 7:14). Start reading at Zechariah 7:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? The Gospels explicitly connect the king riding on an ass with Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and cite other passages in the passion accounts. Additional identifications should still be marked as interpretation. See Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:4, Matthew 21:5, Zechariah 13:7, Matthew 26:31. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Join worship with truth, mercy, and justice. Begin interpretation of a vision with its supplied explanation and avoid treating speculation about present events as the words of the prophecy. interpretation
Cited: Zechariah 7:1, Zechariah 7:14, Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:4, Matthew 21:5, Zechariah 13:7, Matthew 26:31
Who wrote it, and how we know
Zechariah
Named in Scripture
What Scripture saysThe book opens with the word of the LORD to Zechariah.
Zechariah 1:1
Early traditionTradition names Zechariah.
What is debatedSome scholars propose a second author for chapters 9 through 14.
Related passages
- they refused Zech 1:4 Exod 10:3 2 Kgs 17:13-15 2 Chr 33:10 Neh 9:17,26,29 Prov 1:24-32 Isa 1:19-20 Jer 6:16-17
- pulled away the shoulder Neh 9:29 Jer 8:5 Hos 4:16 Heb 10:38-39
- stopped Ps 58:4-5 Isa 6:10 Acts 7:57
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Zechariah 7
Zechariah's dated opening belongs to the post-exilic setting under Darius. The book includes interpreted visions, exhortations, and later oracles. Retain explanations supplied by the text and label further symbolic connections as interpretation. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Zechariah 1:1 Zechariah 1:3 Zechariah 7:1
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Zechariah
Zechariah's dated opening belongs to the post-exilic setting under Darius. The book includes interpreted visions, exhortations, and later oracles. Retain explanations supplied by the text and label further symbolic connections as interpretation.
Zechariah 1:1 Zechariah 1:3 Zechariah 7:1
Return to the LORD
Zechariah 1:1–6FocusThe warning from the fathers
Connection to the wholeThe opening appeal recalls earlier refusals to hear the prophets and calls the present community to return.
interpretation The night visions and the crown
Zechariah 1:7–6:15FocusRestoration, cleansing, and the Branch
Connection to the wholeA sequence of visions and explanations addresses the community's situation and the LORD's purposes, followed by the symbolic crowning.
interpretation FocusTruthful worship and renewed community
Connection to the wholeA question about fasting leads to exhortations about justice and words of future blessing and gathering.
interpretation The king and the shepherds
Zechariah 9:1–11:17FocusDeliverance and rejected shepherding
Connection to the wholeThe oracles present the coming king and conflicts involving the flock and shepherds, requiring careful attention to their changing images.
interpretation Jerusalem, cleansing, and the LORD's reign
Zechariah 12:1–14:21FocusConflict and final hope
Connection to the wholeThe closing oracles move through mourning, cleansing, conflict, and the LORD's kingship; detailed fulfillments must be argued rather than assumed.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.