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will pour on David’s house, 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.
Zechariah 12:10
Zechariah 12 [5.] The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of Armies their God.’ 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. Yahweh also will save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of David’s house and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem not be magnified above Judah. In that day Yahweh will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He who is feeble among them at that day will be like David, and David’s house will be like God, like Yahweh’s angel before them. It will happen in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12 [10.] I will pour on David’s house, 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. In that day there will be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. The land will mourn, every family apart; the family of David’s house 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 the Shimeites apart, and their wives apart; all the families who remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.
Zechariah 13 [1.] “In that day there will be a spring opened to David’s house and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. It will come to pass in that day, says Yahweh of Armies, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they will be remembered no more. I will also cause the prophets and the spirit of impurity to pass out of the land. It will happen that, when anyone still prophesies, then his father and his mother who bore him will tell him, ‘You must die, because you speak lies in Yahweh’s name;’ and his father and his mother who bore him will stab him when he prophesies. It will happen in that day, that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision, when he prophesies; neither will they wear a hairy mantle to deceive: but he will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondservant from my youth.’ One will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’
Meaning:
Zechariah prophesied to the Jews who had returned from exile in Babylon. In chapters 12-14 he looks ahead to “that day”, when nations gather against Jerusalem and Yahweh himself defends his people. Then, in this verse, God turns from outward rescue to an inward change of heart.
- “The spirit of grace and of supplication”
God promises to pour out his Spirit on the royal house of David and on the people of Jerusalem. Grace is God’s undeserved favour; supplication is earnest prayer for mercy. God gives the grace that moves people to pray. Joel likewise promised, “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh” (Joel 2:28), and Ezekiel spoke of a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26).
- “They will look to me whom they have pierced”
These words are startling. Yahweh speaks, and says that the people will look to “me” whom they pierced. Then the verse continues, “they shall mourn for him”. The one pierced is identified with God, yet spoken of as another. John saw this fulfilled when a Roman soldier pierced the side of the crucified Jesus: “They will look on him whom they pierced” (John 19:37). In Jesus, God himself was pierced by the people he came to save.
- “They shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son”
The looking leads to deep grief. In Israel, mourning for an only son or a firstborn was the bitterest sorrow, because the family’s hope and future died with him. The next verse compares it to the mourning at Megiddo, where King Josiah fell in battle (2 Chronicles 35:22-24). This mourning is repentance: grief over sin that pierced the Lord. When Peter preached that Israel had crucified the one God made “both Lord and Christ”, the hearers “were cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37).
- A fountain for sin
The prophecy does not end in grief. The next words promise, “In that day there will be a spring opened to David’s house and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness”. Those who look in repentance to the pierced one find cleansing.
The Significance of Zechariah 12:10
- Looking to Christ
Revelation says that when Christ returns, “every eye will see him, including those who pierced him” (Revelation 1:7). Everyone will one day look on him, whether in repentance now or in judgment then.
- Mourning that brings comfort
True sorrow for sin is a gift of God’s Spirit, not a burden to escape. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
Cross-References:
John 19:37: "They will look on him whom they pierced." John’s quotation at the cross.
Joel 2:28: "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;" The promised outpouring of God’s Spirit.
Acts 2:37: "they were cut to the heart," The repentance of Jerusalem at Pentecost.
Zechariah 13:7: "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;" Zechariah’s next prophecy of the suffering shepherd.
Conclusion: God promised to pour out a spirit of grace and supplication on Jerusalem, so that the people would look to the one they pierced and mourn deeply. John saw this fulfilled when the soldier pierced Jesus’ side. All who look to the pierced Christ with repentance and faith find the cleansing fountain God has opened for sin.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible