# Zechariah 12 📖: Looking on the One Pierced [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Zechariah Overview]] | [[Zechariah 11]] | [[Zechariah 13]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ### The Repentance of Judah [[#Verse 01.]] This is an oracle, the Lord’s message concerning Israel: The Lord—he who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth, who forms the human spirit within a person—says,  [[#Verse 02.]] “I am about to make Jerusalem a cup that brings dizziness to all the surrounding nations; indeed, Judah will also be included when Jerusalem is besieged. [[#Verse 03.]] Moreover, on that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy burden for all the nations, and all who try to carry it will be seriously injured; yet all the peoples of the earth will be assembled against it.  [[#Verse 04.]] On that day,” says the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness. I will pay close attention to the house of Judah, but will strike all the horses of the nations with blindness. [[#Verse 05.]] Then the leaders of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a means of strength to us through their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’  [[#Verse 06.]] On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like an igniter among sticks and a burning torch among sheaves, and they will burn up all the surrounding nations right and left. Then the people of Jerusalem will settle once more in their place, the city of Jerusalem.  [[#Verse 07.]] The Lord also will deliver the homes of Judah first, so that the splendor of the kingship of David and of the people of Jerusalem may not exceed that of Judah.  [[#Verse 08.]] On that day the Lord himself will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like mighty David, and the dynasty of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them.  [[#Verse 09.]] So on that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. [[#Verse 10.]] “I will pour out on the kingship of David and the population of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication so that they will look to me, the one they have pierced. They will lament for him as one laments for an only son, and there will be a bitter cry for him like the bitter cry for a firstborn.  [[#Verse 11.]] On that day the lamentation in Jerusalem will be as great as the lamentation at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. [[#Verse 12.]] The land will mourn, each clan by itself—the clan of the royal household of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the clan of the family of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves;  [[#Verse 13.]] the clan of the descendants of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; and the clan of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves;  [[#Verse 14.]] all the clans that remain, each separately with their wives. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary **Verse 2-9**. Prophecy takes time. It is hard to realize this prophecy speaks of great hope. However, those living would not see its fulfillment. This reminds us that God moves within His own timing. Therefore, we cannot get discouraged when things take longer than we would prefer. This simply means He is moving on His own timetable. ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Chapter 12 begins the second "burden" or oracle of Zechariah (12:1). 2. Jerusalem will be a cup that makes the nations stagger (12:2). 3. Jerusalem is pictured as a heavy stone that injures anyone who tries to lift it (12:3). 4. The phrase "in that day" appears again and again in chapters 12-14. 5. John 19:37 quotes 12:10 about the soldiers piercing Jesus' side. 6. Revelation 1:7 echoes 12:10: every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. 7. In 12:10, God says "they will look on Me," linking the One pierced with the Lord Himself. 8. The mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo (12:11) likely recalls the mourning for King Josiah, killed at Megiddo (2 Chronicles 35:22-25). 9. The families of David and Nathan represent the royal line, and Levi and Shimei the priestly line (12:12-13). 10. Mourning for an only son or firstborn (12:10) was the deepest grief in the ancient world. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the One they pierced (12:10). John saw this fulfilled at the cross (John 19:37), and God pours out a spirit of grace so people mourn for their sin and turn to Him (Revelation 1:7). ## 🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. God is described as the One who stretched out the heavens and formed the human spirit (12:1). How does God's power as Creator give you confidence? 2. God promises to pour out a spirit of grace and prayer (12:10). How does grace lead us to prayer and repentance? 3. The people mourn for the One they pierced like someone mourning an only child (12:10). What does true sorrow over sin look like? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 1: The Lord stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the human spirit. - 📖 verse 8: The Lord will protect the people of Jerusalem. - 📖 verse 10: God will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on the One they pierced and mourn. ## 🔗 Related Passages - 🔗 [[John 19#Verse 34.|John 19:34-37]] - They will look on the One they pierced. - 🔗 [[Revelation 01#Verse 07.|Revelation 1:7]] - Every eye will see Him. - 🔗 [[Acts 02#Verse 36.|Acts 2:36-38]] - The people are cut to the heart. - 🔗 [[2 Chronicles 35#Verse 24.|2 Chronicles 35:24-25]] - Mourning for Josiah. - 🔗 [[Isaiah 53#Verse 05.|Isaiah 53:5]] - He was pierced for our transgressions. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Zechariah 12- SOAP|Where Does Your Strength Come From?]] ## 📂 Internal Notes