[Note: For a text color-coded emphasis on the entire passage that should help to enhance the student’s understanding of our study, please see Zechariah 13: A Contextual Study of Yeshua and Israel FaithWriters.com]
Zechariah 13 is a very unusual chapter and can be quite confusing for the Bible student. The central issue to comprehending this chapter, I believe, is to understand that there are three different prophetic focuses intertwined, and the passage contextually actually begins at Zechariah 12:10.
In attempting to make this study as simple as possible, we will break down Zechariah 12:10 through Zechariah 13:9 into these three divisions for the Bible student to consider. These three divisions can be understood with the following keys:
- Zechariah 12:10-14 and Zechariah 13:6 constitute a bracketed “[]” evaluation of Israel mourning Messiah Yeshua at His Second Coming as they witness the wounds of His crucifixion.
- Zechariah 13:1-5 is a parenthetical “()” notation of Israel being cleansed and purified of their sins as they went through the Tribulation and came to faith in Messiah Yeshuaand the ensuing Messianic Kingdom.
- Zechariah 13:7 is a second parenthetical “()” united with Zechariah 13:8-9that goes through Messiah Yeshua’s initial sacrifice for sins and the details of how many Israelites will be saved at the end of the Tribulation – essentially passing over the church age, except for a subtle allusion in Zechariah 13:7 that we will note.
Here is how the breakdown looks when separated into the three distinct divisions, using the keys above as the subheadings, with added commentary and additional Scriptural references. All underlined Scripture passages are my own emphasis.
- Zechariah 12:10-14 and Zechariah 13:6 constitute a bracketed “[]” evaluation of Israel mourning Messiah Yeshua at His Second Coming as they witness the wounds of His crucifixion.
“[And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” – Zechariah 12:10
This well-known verse speaks of Israel’s redemption when Messiah Yeshua pours out His “Spirit of grace and of supplications” onto “the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem” when He has His holy angels regather “His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven” (Mark 13:27) and reestablishes them in the Promised Land following His Second Coming. This will be fulfilled when, as the Lord had declared to them at His First Advent…
“… Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” – Matthew 23:39
When this occurs – after scattered Israel finally accepts Yeshua as their Messiah at the end of the Tribulation – “they shall look upon [Yeshua] whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” Both the agony of their previous rejection of Him and truly and fully understanding what He did for them on the cross for the salvation of their souls will have this profoundly emotional response in the hearts of the chosen people of God.
“In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.” – Zechariah 12:11
We examined this verse in The Valley of Jehoshaphat and ‘Armageddon’ and noted the following when it comes to the idea of Armageddon taking place in Megiddo:
While Zechariah 12:9-10 are prophetic future, the reference to the Valley of Megiddo in verse 11 is a reminder of what happened in a past event and is not future. The event this passage refers to is when good king Josiah was killed in battle and “Hadadrimmon” was a town in the Valley of Megiddo:
“Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded. His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.” – 2 Chronicles 35:22-24
As we can see, Zechariah 12:11, “In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon” is using this past event as an analogy to the mourning that the people of Jerusalem will experience when she is regathered after Christ’s Second Coming and recognize Him as their Messiah, and nothing else. There is no end-time prophecy here regarding Megiddo.
This mourning that Israel will experience after Messiah Yeshua rescues them from their enemies as they are scattered throughout the nations, with a large remnant in the wilderness mountains of Petra/Mt. Seir following the Abomination of Desolation – and delivers the holy city of Jerusalem from Antichrist, the False Prophet, what’s left of the armies of the world (all who took The Mark of The Beast), and the spiritual forces of darkness that are waiting for the Lord’s return – is compared to the grieving that was experienced by Judah in the days that they lost good king Josiah. While the comparison of bereavement for good king Josiah and the King of kings and Lord of lords is understandable and relatable, I suspect that the mourning for the Lord will dwarf what Judah experienced for Josiah. So much so, that they will mourn apart.
“And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.]” – Zechariah 12:12-14
The families of David and Levi are obvious. However, the families of Nathan and Shimei are a little difficult to identify.
Our best estimate on the family of Nathan could be either Nathan, the son of David and Bathsheba (1 Chronicles 3:5), or Nathan, one of God’s prophets to David, who ironically was the prophet God used to confront David’s sin concerning Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Samuel 12:1-14).
Taking into account that David’s son, Nathan, was given in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in the gospel of Luke (Luke 3:31), it would seem that if this Nathan was the family God had in mind in Zechariah 12:12-14, there could very well be a subtle prophetic allusion to the Messiah in view.
As far as Shimei, a viable candidate is Shimei the son of Gershon, who was the son of Levi (Exodus 6:17, Numbers 3:18, 21). Though not of the priestly line of Kohath, Gershon’s family did minister as Levites for the Tabernacle and Temple. Of Shimei’s notable descendants was Asaph who wrote some of the Psalms and was in charge of music during the reign of King David (1 Chronicles 6:39-43).
Another possible candidate, interestingly enough, is Shimei or Semei who is also mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Luke 3:26. If this Shimei or Semei is in view, this would be an additional confirmative prophetic allusion to the Messiah in this passage along with Nathan, the son of David.
Captivatingly, when considering that David, Nathan, and Shimei could represent the kingly line of Judah and Levi being in the line of the priesthood of Israel, we perceive these families as pointing to Messiah as both eternal King and high Priest. Even more fascinatingly, if the families of David and Shimei represent the kingly line of Judah, the families of Levi the priestly line, and the families of the prophet Nathan representing the prophets of Israel, then we can see Messiah as all three – eternal Prophet, high Priest, and coming King!
The final verse – “All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart” – would cover the rest of the families of the tribes of Israel who will “mourn, every family apart” when they are brought back from captivity into the Promised Land following the return of their once rejected Messiah who will have delivered them from their enemies and fulfill the promises of God to His chosen people, Israel, for the duration of the glorious Messianic Millennial Kingdom.
Continuing on, contextually from Zechariah 12:10 which reads, “they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn,” it is noted in Zechariah 13:6 that…
“[And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.]” – Zechariah 13:6
Messiah Yeshua was certainly “wounded in the house of [His] friends” outside of Jerusalem as a Jewish son and the eternally divine Son of God. And He did it all for them and He did it all for us! What love!!
Therefore, the tie-in between Zechariah 12:10 and Zechariah 13:6 makes contextual sense and surrounds our parenthetical of Zechariah 13:1-5:
- Zechariah 13:1-5 is a parenthetical “()” notation of Israel being cleansed and purified of their sins as they went through the Tribulation and came to faith in Messiah Yeshua and the ensuing Messianic Kingdom.
Here begins our parenthetical.
“(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. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.” – Zechariah 13:1-2
The initial fulfillment of these verses took place after the Babylonian conquest and return to their land when Israel did forsake their idols and held to a superficial observance of God’s laws based on the traditions of men. Yet the future fulfillment will be at the end of the age as the nation and people of Israel today are largely secular with many adhering to all forms of humanism, atheism, various world religions, and orthodox religious schisms, that, again, are predominantly based upon the traditions of men.
This future “fountain” that shall be “opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness,” following their regathering back to the land of Israel, will be a direct result of their acceptance of Yeshua as their Messiah and Savior at the end of the Tribulation within that prophetic day. This fountain can be none other the indwelling Holy Spirit that all believers experience after conversion.
As a direct result of their national salvation – both physically and spiritually – there will be no more idols, including their once professed humanistic atheism that worshiped the creation rather than the Creator and even their return to animal sacrifices in the first half of the Tribulation that were fulfilled in the once for all sacrifice of the Lord at His First Advent, among a host of other idols they had in their lives, just as most people do today.
Additionally, all false prophets – that is, the Rabbis and religious leaders who taught against the Lord Messiah Yeshua – will never be found in Israel again, along with any unclean spirit that had once inhabited the land of Israel up until her last dispersion from the land of promise following the Abomination of Desolation through the end of the Tribulation.
“And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.” – Zechariah 13:3
The initial fulfillment of this prophecy can be found in the return of Israel from their 70-year exile following the Babylonian conquest. At that time and going forward to the destruction of Israel and Jerusalem by the Romans in 70-135 AD, there is no record of anyone prophesying in Israel as the many false prophets in Israel and Judah had before the Babylonian exile.
However, the passages of Zechariah 13:3-5, in its ultimate fulfillment, can be seen as either a metaphorical application or a literal possibility in the Millennial Kingdom.
The metaphorical application is that Israel will no longer have these situations in their land during the Messianic Millennial Kingdom, though the impulses may be present. After all, Creator Messiah Yeshua will be in Israel’s midst teaching exclusively the Word and Words of God, so there will be no need for any prophets to prophesy. In other words, this parenthetical would be more of a warning to those living in flesh and blood bodies during the Messianic Millennial Kingdom that this is the prescribed order of things if they were to ever act upon these evil thoughts of usurping the Lord’s spiritual and physical rule that may come into their minds.
The literal possibility is that these situations will unfortunately occur, though seemingly rare, in the Messianic Millennial Kingdom due to mankind’s inherent sin nature that all will still inherit in their flesh and blood bodies as mankind’s population increases. Therefore, if this situation were to ever occur in the Messianic Millennial Kingdom, unlike Israel in the past, the parents would certainly kill their own children for “speaking lies in the Name of the Lord” – lies which have as their foundation a rebellious and unregenerate heart – as they were once commanded (Deuteronomy 13:1-10).
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.)” – Zechariah 13:4-5
These verses conclude this parenthetical insertion regarding Israel and any false prophet that may or may not arise in Israel during the Messianic Millennial Kingdom. This would also certainly apply to any nation on Earth. Any so-called prophet will deny they are one, for they know the punishment thereof.
- Zechariah 13:7 is a second parenthetical “()” united with Zechariah 13:8-9 that goes through Messiah Yeshua’s initial sacrifice for sins and the details of how many Israelites will be saved at the end of the Tribulation – essentially passing over the church age, except for a subtle allusion in Zechariah 13:7 that we will note.
The scene then shifts to our second parenthetical verse beginning with Messiah Yeshua’s prophetic fulfillment of what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane.
“(Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.)” – Zechariah 13:7
This prophetic passage of course was fulfilled in the gospel of Matthew:
“Then saith Jesus unto them [His disciples], All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.” – Matthew 26:31
The last phrase, “… and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones,” seems to be a subtle allusion to the Gentiles, along with Israeli believers (especially the disciples who would scatter that night), as “the little ones,” who would come to the Lord for salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of Messiah on the cross in the church age.
The Hebrew for “the little ones” is צֹּעֲרִים “haṣṣōʿărîm” from 6819 צָעַר “ṣāʿar” and means insignificant, to be or grow insignificant, grow small, to be small, be brought low, ignoble, all of which brings to mind the following passages.
“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.” – 1 Corinthians 1:26-29
“At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
“All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:25-30
Zechariah 13:8-9 concludes by jumping over the church age to the end of the Tribulation when Messiah Yeshua comes back at His Second Coming.
“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land [Earth], saith 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 will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.” – Zechariah 13:8-9
As many have pointed out, this prophecy certainly implies that two-thirds of Israel will die in the Tribulation, yet God always has His remnant, in which one-third will be brought “through the fire, and [God] will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried,” and all Israel will be saved at that time (Romans 11:26) when remnant Israel finally comes to the end of themselves and realize that Messiah Yeshua is their once rejected Messiah. Hence the immense mourning remnant Israel will experience after the Lord’s Second Coming when they see Him and His eternal resurrected body that had been pierced for them and the sins of the world.
Conclusion
Here is the entire passage of Zechariah 12:10 through Zechariah 13:9 with the bracketed “[]” and parenthetical “()” aids, [and with a text color-coded emphasis on the entire passage, please see Zechariah 13: A Contextual Study of Yeshua and Israel FaithWriters.com], in helping to break down and contextualize this extremely unique portion of Scripture, keeping in mind what we have observed above.
“[And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
“In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
“And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.]” – Zechariah 12:10-14
“(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. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
“And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.)” – Zechariah 13:1-5
“[And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.]” – Zechariah 13:6
“(Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones).
“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land [Earth], saith 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 will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.” – Zechariah 13:7-9
Final Thoughts
So, why does God do this? Why does God in His Word often have passages that encompass many different blended and multifaced prophecies? I can think of two very important and practical reasons.
The first is to keep God’s enemies, from Satan to the fallen angels to fallen mankind, from understanding His Word. This privilege is meant only for Spirit indwelt believers.
The second reason is for the maturing of His children. If a believer was to read the Scripture front to back and have total understanding of God’s Word on the very first reading, this would invariably produce a mindset that the child of God would have no need to further study the Bible. After all, God speaks directly through His Word to His children with the guiding and leading of His Holy Spirit, and this would be impossible unless the believer would diligently seek God’s voice through His Word on a daily basis as he or she matures in the Lord.
When we consider how God put together the Holy Scriptures in this unique way, Paul’s admonition to Timothy makes much more sense!
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [cutting straight] the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15
I pray this study has helped the Bible student in their own evaluations of this profound and unique portion of Scripture.
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May we all keep Answering the Call of The Great Commission, and giving an answer to every man and woman who so desperately needs Jesus and asks us, “Why Am I Here and What Is It All About?”
Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!
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