Zechariah 12:14

Zechariah 12:14

All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

a. NLT: Each of the surviving clans from Judah will mourn separately, and with the husbands separate from their wives.

b. NIV: And all the rest of the clans and their wives.

c. YLT: All the families that are left, Every family apart, and their women apart!

d. Amplified Bible Classic: All the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves [each with an overwhelming individual sorrow over having blindly rejected their unrecognized Messiah].

e. Septuagint: all the families that are left, each family by itself, and their wives by themselves.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: And all the families that remain, each of the families by itself and their wives by themselves.

1. “All the families that remain,…”

a. All the families [Strong: 4940 mishpachah mish-paw-khaw' from 8192 (Compare 8198); a family, i.e. circle of relatives; figuratively, a class (of persons), a species (of animals) or sort (of things); by extens. a tribe or people:--family, kind(-red).]

b. that remain [Strong: 7604 sha'ar shaw-ar' a primitive root; properly, to swell up, i.e. be (causatively, make) redundant:--leave, (be) left, let, remain, remnant, reserve, the rest.]

1). What this phrase is referring to is, as already mentioned in Zechariah 12:9, two thirds of Jewish people will be slaughtered immediately before Jesus returns. Again the Scripture that attest to this is Zechariah 13:8, 9; Also, the passages that speak of “a remnant” i.e., Romans 9:27, 28 and Isaiah 10:20-23; or “he that is left in Zion”, Isaiah 4:3; and here in Zechariah 12:14, “All the families that remain”, are all indirectly mentioning those who have survived this second and worse holocaust.

2. “…every family apart, and their wives apart.”

a. every [Strong: 4940 mishpachah mish-paw-khaw' from 8192 (Compare 8198); a family, i.e. circle of relatives; figuratively, a class (of persons), a species (of animals) or sort (of things); by extens. a tribe or people:--family, kind(-red).]

b. family [Strong: 4940 mishpachah mish-paw-khaw' from 8192 (Compare 8198); a family, i.e. circle of relatives; figuratively, a class (of persons), a species (of animals) or sort (of things); by extens. a tribe or people:--family, kind(-red).]

c. and their wives [Strong: 802 'ishshah ish-shaw' feminine of 376 or 582; irregular plural, nashiym {naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as 582):--(adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none, one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.]

d. apart  [Strong: 905 bad bad from 909; properly, separation; by implication, a part of the body, branch of a tree, bar for carrying; figuratively, chief of a city; especially (with prepositional prefix) as an adverb, apart, only, besides:--alone, apart, bar, besides, branch, by self, of each alike, except, only, part, staff, strength.]

1). As the Scriptures show, the mourning of Israel will be perhaps the deepest of any nation in human history. How long this mourning period will last is not stated, but surely it will last longer than the period of mourning for the patriarchs. Just as toward the end of the passage in Luke 4:16-21, Jesus said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”, the fulfillment of this passage from Isaiah 61:2-3 will be the healing of the mourning of Zechariah 12:10-14. The healing for this unprecedented mourning is spoken of in Isaiah 61:1-3, which is of course Messianic, i.e., referring to Christ Jesus. The first half deals with his first coming and the second half deals with his second coming. When Jesus began his ministry after he was filled with the Holy Ghost, he went to the synagogue in Nazareth. When he read out of the Scriptures that day he read Isaiah 61:1 almost all of 2, but he stopped right in the middle of the sentence in the second verse. Where Jesus ended his reading was in the middle of the sentence. The passage from Isaiah 61:1-3 goes on.

2). The phrase “…and the day of vengeance of our God;” is referring to the second coming, in particular the battle of Armageddon looked at above in Zechariah 12:9. The rest though, is the focus of our study of Israel’s mourning, at the revelation of Jesus as their Messiah.

a). Isaiah 61:2b-3a “…to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; …”

b). “…to comfort all that mourn…” Isaiah 61:2

3). Chronologically this is immediately after the second coming of Christ, and immediately before the Millennial reign of Christ. Israel will enter an eternal union with her God, never to be separated again. When Jesus quoted this passage in Luke 4 he said that the Spirit of the Lord anointed Jesus “to comfort all that mourn.” Jesus was anointed of the Father to comfort his people.

a). Isaiah 40:1, 2 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

40:2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for her sins.

4). Not only will the people be comforted, but the land as well.

a).  Isaiah 51:3 “For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”

b). Jesus is going to minister personally to his people probably while they are apart from each other. He is going to give them beauty, the oil of joy, and the garment of praise, in exchange for ashes, mourning, and the spirit of heaviness.

5). The Old Testament is filled with types and foreshadows of the New Covenant. In that sense I believe we can see a picture of this healing and reunion in Genesis with the story of Joseph and his brothers. In the book of Acts 7:13 it says, “And at the second time Joseph was made know to his brothers; and Joseph’s kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.” Just as Joseph was made know to his brothers on the second visit, Jesus will be made know to the nation of Israel after his second coming. In the account of Genesis is a very touching reunion that I believe is a picture of the reunion of Jesus and his people.

a). Genesis 45:1-4, 14, 15 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.

45:2 And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.

45:3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.

45:4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

45:14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

45:15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: after that his brethren talked with him.