# Zechariah 13 📖: Strike the Shepherd
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> [!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 Refinement of Judah
[[#Verse 01.]] “In that day there will be a fountain opened up for the dynasty of David and the people of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
[[#Verse 02.]] And also on that day,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will remove the names of the idols from the land and they will never again be remembered. Moreover, I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.
[[#Verse 03.]] Then, if anyone prophesies in spite of this, his father and mother to whom he was born will say to him, ‘You cannot live, for you lie in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and mother to whom he was born will run him through with a sword when he prophesies.
[[#Verse 04.]] “Therefore, on that day each prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies and will no longer wear the hairy garment of a prophet to deceive the people.
[[#Verse 05.]] Instead he will say, ‘I am no prophet; indeed, I am a farmer, for a man has made me his indentured servant since my youth.’
[[#Verse 06.]] Then someone will ask him, ‘What are these wounds on your chest?’ and he will answer, ‘Some that I received in the house of my friends.’
[[#Verse 07.]] “Awake, sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is my associate,”
says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
“Strike the shepherd that the flock may be scattered;
I will turn my hand against the insignificant ones.
[[#Verse 08.]] It will happen in all the land,” says the Lord,
“that two-thirds of the people in it will be cut off and die,
but one-third will be left in it.
[[#Verse 09.]] Then I will bring the remaining third into the fire;
I will refine them like silver is refined
and will test them like gold is tested.
They will call on my name and I will answer;
I will say, ‘These are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. William Cowper's hymn "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood" draws on the image in 13:1.
2. God promises to remove the names of idols and false prophets from the land (13:2).
3. Under the law, a false prophet was to be put to death (Deuteronomy 18:20).
4. Prophets often wore a hairy cloak (13:4), as Elijah did (2 Kings 1:8).
5. Pagan prophets sometimes cut themselves in worship (1 Kings 18:28), which may explain the wounds in 13:6.
6. Jesus quotes 13:7 on the night before His crucifixion (Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27).
7. God calls the shepherd "the man who is My associate" (13:7), suggesting a close relationship with God.
8. The disciples fled when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:50), fulfilling the scattering of the sheep.
9. Refining silver and gold in fire (13:9) removed impurities, a picture of God purifying His people.
10. "They are My people" and "The Lord is my God" (13:9) echo the covenant promise and Hosea 2:23.
## 🧠 Chapter Summary
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the Shepherd whom God struck so the sheep were scattered (13:7). Jesus applied this verse to Himself the night He was arrested (Matthew 26:31), and His death opened a fountain to cleanse us from sin (13:1; 1 John 1:7).
## 🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## 💬 Discussion Questions
1. God promises a fountain to cleanse sin and impurity (13:1). How does the cross become that fountain for us?
2. God says He will refine His people like silver and test them like gold (13:9). How has God used trials to purify your faith?
3. The refined people will call on God, and He will say, "They are My people" (13:9). What does it mean to belong to God?
## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember
- 📖 verse 1: A fountain will be opened to cleanse the house of David and Jerusalem from sin and impurity.
- 📖 verse 7: Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.
- 📖 verse 9: God will refine them like silver, and they will call on His name.
## 🔗 Related Passages
- 🔗 [[Matthew 26#Verse 31.|Matthew 26:31]] - Jesus quotes Zechariah before His arrest.
- 🔗 [[1 John 01#Verse 07.|1 John 1:7]] - The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
- 🔗 [[Mark 14#Verse 27.|Mark 14:27, 50]] - The disciples scatter.
- 🔗 [[1 Peter 01#Verse 06.|1 Peter 1:6-7]] - Faith refined like gold.
- 🔗 [[Hosea 02#Verse 23.|Hosea 2:23]] - You are My people.
## 🙏 Devotional Reflection
📝 SOAP: [[Zechariah 13- SOAP|Purification Through Difficulty]]
## 📂 Internal Notes