Zechariah 12:10

Zechariah 12:10

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 as one that is in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

a. NLT: “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.

b. NIV: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

c. YLT: And I have poured on the house of David, And on the inhabitant of Jerusalem, A spirit of grace and supplications, And they have looked unto Me whom they pierced, And they have mourned over it, Like a mourning over the only one, And they have been in bitterness for it, Like a bitterness over the first-born.

d. Amplified Bible Classic: And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace or unmerited favor and supplication. And they shall look [earnestly] upon Me Whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him as one who is in bitterness for his firstborn.

e. Septuagint: And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and compassion: and they shall look upon me, because they have mocked [me], and they shall make lamentation for him, as for a beloved [friend], and they shall grieve intensely, as for a firstborn [son].

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look toward Me, because of those whom they have stabbed; they will mourn over him like the embitterment over a [deceased] firstborn.

1. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications…”

a. And I will pour [Strong: 8210 shaphak shaw-fak' a primitive root; to spill forth (blood, a libation, liquid metal; or even a solid, i.e. to mound up); also (figuratively) to expend (life, soul, complaint, money, etc.); intensively, to sprawl out:--cast (up), gush out, pour (out), shed(-der, out), slip.]

b. on [Strong: 5921 `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

c. the house [Strong: 1004 bayith bah'-yith probably from 1129 abbreviated; a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.):--court, daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, X great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter)house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet, temple, web, + within(-out).]

d. of David [Strong: 1732 David daw-veed' rarely (fully); Daviyd {daw-veed'}; from the same as 1730; loving; David, the youngest son of Jesse:--David.]

e. and upon [Strong: 5921 `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

f. the inhabitants [Strong: 3427 yashab yaw-shab' a primitive root; properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry:--(make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, X marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(- tle), (down-)sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate), take, tarry.]

g. of Jerusalem [Strong: 3389 Yruwshalaim yer-oo-shaw-lah'-im rarely Yruwshalayim {yer-oo- shaw-lah'-yim}; a dual (in allusion to its two main hills (the true pointing, at least of the former reading, seems to be that of 3390)); probably from (the passive participle of) 3384 and 7999; founded peaceful; Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine:--Jerusalem.]

h. the spirit [Strong: 7307 ruwach roo'-akh from 7306; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions):--air, anger, blast, breath, X cool, courage, mind, X quarter, X side, spirit((-ual)), tempest, X vain, ((whirl-))wind(-y).]

i. of grace [Strong: 2580 chen khane from 2603; graciousness, i.e. subjective (kindness, favor) or objective (beauty):--favour, grace(-ious), pleasant, precious, (well-)favoured.]

j. and of supplications [Strong: 8469 tachanuwn takh-an-oon' or (feminine) tachanuwnah {takh-an-oo-naw'}; from 2603; earnest prayer:--intreaty, supplication.]

1). This pouring out of the spirit of grace and supplications is to enable Israel to receive the revelation of Jesus as their Messiah.  Contrast the above with Romans 11:7-10, in particular verse 8.

a). Romans 11:7-10 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

11:9And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:

11:10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

b). In Zechariah 12 God is pouring on Israel the spirit of grace and supplications and in Romans 11:8 God is reported to have poured on Israel the spirit of slumber to the extent that Israel would not see or hear their Messiah when he would come to them. But we need to look more closely at what Romans 11:8 is saying. Romans 11:8 is a combination of two verses in Isaiah. The first part is a partial quote of Isaiah 29:10, “For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep,…” The second part is a looser reference to Isaiah 6:9 “Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,…” On first inspection it appears that God is doing this to the people without them being able to do anything about it. But when Jesus quoted Isaiah 6:9 in Matthew 13:15, we see something profoundly different. Jesus said, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,…” Jesus was saying their spiritual sleep was their own fault. Just as Jesus placed the blame on the people for their spiritual condition, so it is with all of us. Peter warns us to be sober, i.e., alert spiritually, 1 Peter 5:8.

c). Here in Zechariah, in contrast to the Roman passage, where it was Israel’s own fault for the spirit of slumber, we see the God of Israel pouring out grace  and mercy to enable them to see clearly their Messiah Christ Jesus.

2. “…and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced…”

a. [and they] look [Strong: 5027 nabat naw-bat' a primitive root; to scan, i.e. look intently at; by implication, to regard with pleasure, favor or care:--(cause to) behold, consider, look (down), regard, have respect, see.]

1). They begin to look intently at this person who has powerfully rescued them. His rescue causes them to consider…they will look at the wounds in his hands and feet and side. And the revelation will flood their hearts and minds. They will realize that Jesus is their Messiah and their God. The revelation will spark the most bitter, the heaviest, and probably the longest period of mourning in Israel’s history.

b. upon [me] [Strong: 413 'el ale (but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el}); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).]

c. whom [Strong: 834 'aher ash-er' a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number); who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.:--X after, X alike, as (soon as), because, X every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), X if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), X though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(- soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.]

d. they have pierced [Strong: 1856 daqar daw-kar' a primitive root; to stab; by analogy, to starve; figuratively, to revile:--pierce, strike (thrust) through, wound.

1). They will notice the wounds in his body and begin to ask questions concerning them.

a). Zechariah 13:6 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.

2). Perhaps some of the same dialogue will be exchanged that transpired between Jesus and Thomas after Jesus resurrection.

a). John 20:26-28 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

3). Institute Of Creation Research Daily Devotional 2/25/11  For centuries now, Jewish scholars have pondered the meaning and interpretation of this verse, and as one might imagine, there have been many varied interpretations. Since they cannot allow admission that they themselves pierced Jehovah, some have applied it to the nation of Israel with its persecutions in mind. But to resolve the issue, the question must be answered: Who is this "whom" who has been pierced? Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word translated "whom" is simply the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, aleph and tau, elsewhere denoting completeness and transcendency. Next, consider the fact that the primary name for God in Scripture, Jehovah, conveys a similar thought, although difficult to translate. Evidently the name Jehovah communicates, among other things, the all-encompassing and ever self-existing nature of God. These two thoughts come together when our text for the day is quoted in Revelation 1:7, 8: "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." It is as if Jehovah Himself is asking the question: "Do you doubt whom it is you pierced? I am the Aleph Tau, the Alpha Omega, Jehovah the Almighty, the beginning and the ending of all things." JDM

3. “…and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son,

a. and they shall mourn [Strong: 4553 micepd mis-pade' from 5594; a lamentation:--lamentation, one mourneth, mourning, wailing.]

b. for [Strong: 5921`al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

c. as one mourneth [Strong: 5594 caphad saw-fad' a primitive root; properly, to tear the hair and beat the breasts (as Orientals do in grief); generally to lament; by implication, to wail:--lament, mourn(-er), wail.]

d. for [Strong: 5921 `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

e. his only [son] [Strong: 3173 yachiyd yaw-kheed' from 3161; properly, united, i.e. sole; by implication, beloved; also lonely; (feminine) the life (as not to be replaced):--darling, desolate, only (child, son), solitary.]

4. “…and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

a. [and shall be] in bitterness [Strong: 4843 marar maw-rar' a primitive root; properly, to trickle (see 4752); but used only as a denominative from 4751; to be (causatively, make) bitter (literally or figuratively):--(be, be in, deal, have, make) bitter(-ly, - ness), be moved with choler, (be, have sorely, it) grieved(-eth), provoke, vex.]

b. for [him] [Strong: 5921`al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

c. [as one that is] in bitterness [Strong: 4843 marar maw-rar' a primitive root; properly, to trickle (see 4752); but used only as a denominative from 4751; to be (causatively, make) bitter (literally or figuratively):--(be, be in, deal, have, make) bitter(-ly, - ness), be moved with choler, (be, have sorely, it) grieved(-eth), provoke, vex.]

d. for his firstborn [Strong: 1060 bkowr bek-ore' from 1069; firstborn; hence, chief:--eldest (son), firstborn(-ling).]

1). Jeremiah 6:26 O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.

a).  Ashes were a common part of mourning Job 2:8; and for repenting for sin, Jonah 3:5, 6.

2). While Job was mourning the loss of his sons and daughters, his three friends did not speak to him for 7 days, Job 2:13. “So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.”

3). This mourning will not only be the most important of Israel’s history, it will be their most sincere and their deepest.

a). The period of mourning for Aaron was 30 days: Numbers 20:29.

b). The period of mourning for Moses was 30 days: Deuteronomy 34:8.

c). The period for mourning for Jacob was a total of 77 days: Genesis 50:3, 10.

4). Why they mourn in Zion? The first reason is of course they realize they have rejected and crucified their Messiah. As a nation his innocent blood is upon them, interestingly at their own request. Matthew 27:25, “Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.” Cp. Deuteronomy 19:10; Matthew 23:35.

5). Another reason is they have lost 2/3 of their people, slaughtered by the anti-Christ. (Zechariah 13:8, 9). These reasons for mourning will be shown in the notes of the passage Zechariah 12:11-14.