Zechariah 13:6 NIV

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Zechariah 13:2-9

False prophets and true shepherd (13:2-9)Having introduced the subject of forgiveness and cleansing, Zechariah goes on to deal with those evils that had to be removed from the land. One of Israel’s chief sins was idolatry, and this had been encouraged by the false prophets. Therefore, all false prophets must be killed (2-3).If a false prophet escapes, he might try to preserve his life by throwing away his prophet’s cloak and disguising himself as a farmer. But he will not be able to remove the... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Zechariah 13:6

one shall say unto Him . Messiah is here spoken of, in contrast with these prophets. Spoken in the yet future time, and referring to His past rejection, and to the time when His wounds had been received. Him. Messiah, Whom they will have already looked upon (Zechariah 12:10 ), and now inquire of fer explanation. in = within. or between: in, in the palms, My friends. Typical of His own who received Him not (Mark 3:21 ; compare verses: Zec 13:31 , Zec 13:34 , Zec 13:35 .John 1:11; John 1:11... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Zechariah 13:6

"And one shall say unto him, What are those wounds between thine arms? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends."(1) There are two ways of interpreting this verse, and we simply do not know which is correct. We shall note the interpretation first which is popular with current expositors.These understand the verse as a further extension of the thought of Zechariah 13:5, which is supported by the use of the first clause with its pronoun referring to the... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Zechariah 13:6

Zechariah 13:6. These wounds— Two ancient usages are clearly alluded to here; the one, that of the idolatrous priests and prophets, who sought to engage the attention and favour of their deity by cutting and slashing themselves, as the priests of Baal did, 1 Kings 18:28.; the other, that of those who cut themselves as a token of their grief and mourning for their deceased relations and friends. It appears also from Jer 48:37 that these cuttings were performed on the hands in particular. When... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Zechariah 13:6

6. wounds in thine hand—The interrogator still suspects him: "If so, if you have never pretended to be a prophet, whence come those wounds?" The Hebrew is literally, "between thine hands." The hands were naturally held up to ward off the blows, and so were "thrust through" (Zechariah 13:3) "between" the bones of the hand. Stoning was the usual punishment; "thrusting through" was also a fit retribution on one who tried to "thrust Israel away" from the Lord (Deuteronomy 13:10); and perfects the... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Zechariah 13:1-6

Israel’s cleansing 13:1-6 read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Zechariah 13:6

Sometimes false prophets cut themselves to arouse prophetic ecstasy, to increase ritual potency, or to identify themselves with a particular god (cf. Leviticus 19:28; Leviticus 21:5; Deuteronomy 14:1; 1 Kings 18:28; Jeremiah 16:6; Jeremiah 41:5; Jeremiah 48:37). If someone saw such marks on a false prophet’s body in that future day, the false prophet might claim that he had received his injuries by accident in a friend’s house. The modern practice of claiming, "I walked into a door," to avoid... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 13:1-9

Purification of JerusalemImportant results follow this great act of national sorrow. 1. The land is purged of sin; 2a, of idols; 2b-6, of prophets, who as a class have fallen into disrepute, and who henceforth will be ashamed of their office.1. The idea of water as a symbol of spiritual cleansing was familiar in Jewish thought: cp. Ezekiel 36:25; Ezekiel 47:1. The Messianic reference is obvious. 2. Idols] Idolatry was never rampant in Israel after the exile. Those who maintain a post-exilic... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Zechariah 13:6

(6) In.—Better, between—i.e., on the hands and up the arms. His interrogator accuses him of having cut himself in idolatrous worship (1 Kings 18:28). The meaning of the latter part of the verse depends on the interpretation put on “my friends,” or “my lovers.” Some suppose these to be his false gods, and that he confesses with shame that he had so cut himself in idolatrous worship; but the passive verb is against this explanation. Others, better, suppose him to reply that they are the stripes... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Zechariah 13:1-9

The Incentives to Worship (For Ascensiontide) Zechariah 13:6 The Prophet is anticipating the first Ascension Day, the day the Church observed last Thursday; a day which, for the importance of the event it commemorates, ranks with Christmas and with Easter. He is looking on to the first Ascension Day. Think what the picture is that floats up before him: The Passion is over; the Cross is ended; the forty days after the Resurrection are completed; and, at last, the great and final day has come,... read more