← All Chapters The Book of Zechariah · Chapter 12

Zechariah 12: They Will Look on the Pierced One

God promises to defend Jerusalem and to pour out a spirit of grace, so that his people look on the one they pierced and mourn for him.

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Zechariah 12 (WEB)

1 An oracle. Yahweh’s word concerning Israel. Yahweh, who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him says:

2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the surrounding peoples, and on Judah also will it be in the siege against Jerusalem.

3 It will happen in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples. All who burden themselves with it will be severely wounded, and all the nations of the earth will be gathered together against it.

4 In that day,” says Yahweh, “I will strike every horse with terror, and his rider with madness; and I will open my eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.

5 The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of Armies their God.’

6 In that day I will make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they will devour all the surrounding peoples, on the right hand and on the left; and Jerusalem will yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem.

7 Yahweh also will save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem not be magnified above Judah.

8 In that day Yahweh will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He who is feeble among them at that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like Yahweh’s angel before them.

9 It will happen in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10 I will pour on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they will look to me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for his firstborn.

11 In that day there will be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

12 The land will 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;

13 the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of the Shimeites apart, and their wives apart;

14 all the families who remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

Summary

An oracle from the God who stretches out the heavens, lays the earth's foundation, and forms the human spirit announces what he will do for Jerusalem in the day of the Lord. He will make the city a cup that staggers the surrounding peoples and a heavy stone that wounds all who try to lift it, gathering the nations against her only to destroy them. He will strike the enemy's horses with terror and blindness while watching over Judah, making her leaders like a flaming torch among sheaves that consume the surrounding peoples. God will save the tents of Judah first, defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem so that the feeblest among them becomes like David, and seek to destroy every nation that comes against the city. Then comes the chapter's piercing heart: God will pour out on the house of David and the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, and they will look to him whom they have pierced and mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, grieving bitterly as for a firstborn. A great mourning will spread through every family, each grieving apart. The promise looks forward to the crucified Christ, the pierced one, and to the day his people would look on him in repentant grief and find grace.

Main Characters

  • Yahweh (the LORD) — The Creator who defends Jerusalem against the nations and pours out a spirit of grace and supplication on his people, leading them to mourning and repentance.
  • The house of David and Jerusalem — God's people whom he protects and strengthens, and on whom he pours grace so they look on the pierced one and mourn.
  • The pierced one — The figure God's people look upon and mourn as for an only son—pointing forward to the crucified Christ, pierced for our sins.
  • The nations — The hostile peoples gathered against Jerusalem, whom God will strike with terror and blindness and seek to destroy.

Key Verse

Zechariah 12:10 (WEB)

I will pour on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they will look to me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for his firstborn.

Lessons Learned

  • God is the mighty defender of his people against every gathered enemy.
  • God can make the feeblest of his people strong by his own power.
  • True repentance is a gift, poured out by God's Spirit of grace and supplication.
  • Looking on the pierced Christ in faith brings godly grief that leads to mercy.
  • God defends his people against the nations. “In that day Yahweh will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:8, WEB). However many gather against God's people, he is their shield.
  • God makes the weak strong. “He who is feeble among them at that day will be like David” (Zechariah 12:8, WEB). God's strength is perfected in those who have none of their own.
  • Repentance is a gift of grace. God pours out “the spirit of grace and of supplication” (Zechariah 12:10, WEB). Even our turning to God in sorrow is something he graciously enables.
  • We look on the one we have pierced. “They will look to me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him” (Zechariah 12:10, WEB). The crucified Christ becomes the object of repentant faith and grief.
  1. What images does God use to describe his defense of Jerusalem against the nations (12:2-9)?
  2. What does it mean that the feeble will become like David (12:8)?
  3. Why is it significant that the “spirit of grace and supplication” is something God pours out (12:10)?
  4. How does the promise that they will “look to me whom they have pierced” (12:10) point to Christ on the cross?
  5. When you look upon the crucified Christ, what kind of response does this passage invite?
  1. God pictures Jerusalem as a cup that makes her attackers stagger and a heavy stone that wounds those who try to lift it, while he strikes their horses with terror and blindness (12:2-4). The imagery overwhelms the imagination with God's power to defend. No coalition of nations can prevail against the city God has chosen to protect.
  2. On their own the people are weak, but God promises to make even the feeblest among them as mighty as David, and the house of David like God himself (12:8). It teaches that strength in God's purposes is supplied by God, not summoned from within. He delights to display his power through the weak.
  3. Genuine repentance does not originate in us; God pours out the very spirit of grace and supplication that enables it (12:10). This guards us from pride and despair alike—we cannot manufacture true sorrow for sin, but God graciously gives it. Repentance, like salvation, is finally his gift.
  4. John's Gospel explicitly applies this verse to the crucifixion, when Jesus' side was pierced (John 19:34-37). The one pierced is the Lord himself, and his people are brought to look on him in faith and mourn as for an only son. The cross is where God's wounding by our sin becomes the place grace pours out.
  5. This is a personal-application question. Invite members to gaze on the crucified Christ and let the Spirit work godly grief that turns to him for mercy (2 Corinthians 7:10). As leader, hold together the sorrow of seeing our sin pierce him and the comfort that this very sight is where grace is poured out.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV), all of which are in the public domain.