Zechariah 12 Study Notes

12:1 Pronouncement marks the beginning of the fourth section of Zechariah (see note at 9:1), which recapitulates themes treated earlier in the book. God’s great power—highlighted by reference to creation—is now focused on Jerusalem, which God promised to protect and exalt so it would be bigger and more significant than all other nations.

12:2-9 A cup that causes staggering recalls other prophets’ descriptions of the cup of God’s wrath (Jr 25:15-17,27-29; cp. Is 51:17; Ezk 23:32-34). What may taste good at first—when the nations attack Jerusalem—will leave them staggering around helplessly. Jerusalem’s destruction would involve moving heavy stones, but in this case the stones would be too large, resulting in severe injury to anyone who attempted it. Placing a firepot in a woodpile or a flaming torch among sheaves would result in a quick conflagration, signaling the ease with which Jerusalem’s enemies would be defeated. An especially vivid picture is seeing the one who is weakest transformed into a superior fighter like David. To declare that Jerusalem would become the house of David and that it would be like God is the highest exaltation possible—an amazing reversal from God forsaking his people (11:9-10).

12:3 On that day may be translated “in the future.” When all the nations of the earth gather against her may be a hyperbolic statement and not necessarily a reference to a final epic battle. However, some commentators think this language refers to a specific battle in the end times (Armageddon). In either case, Zechariah’s intent was to energize the current inhabitants of Jerusalem by looking ahead to God’s blessings.

12:10-14 The announcement of God’s blessing on Jerusalem shifts to spiritual reconciliation, which is dependent on divine grace and human contrition. The interpretive crux is the identity of me whom they pierced, especially when the prophet declared, they will mourn for him. The best explanation is that God’s true followers will recognize that by their disobedience and rejection of the divine Shepherd, they in effect pierced God’s soul. In their remorse, family after family will weep with the deepest bitterness imaginable. Verse 10 also anticipates Jesus’s crucifixion, as indicated by the quotation in Jn 19:37.