Zechariah 12:1 NIV

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Zechariah 12:1

Zechariah 12:1. The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel Or, toward Israel; that is, as some interpret it, the prophecy which containeth the words of the Lord to Israel. Saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens Who hath spread out the heavens to such a vast extent. And layeth the foundation of the earth Hath assigned to the earth a fixed place in the creation, or regulates all its motions by fixed laws, which cannot be altered by the power of any creature. And formeth... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Zechariah 12:1-14

Victory, but with mourning (12:1-13:1)On occasions God used Gentile nations to punish his people Israel, but if his desire was to fight for Israel, no enemy attack could be successful. On the occasion that Zechariah speaks of in Chapter 12, God strengthens his people to overthrow the armies that besiege Jerusalem (12:1-3). The charging horses of the enemy are thrown into confusion as God comes to the help of his people. The Jewish leaders acknowledge that, above all, God is the cause of... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Zechariah 12:1

burden = oracle. Compare Zechariah 9:1 , and the Structure on p. 1280. the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah . App-4 . for = upon: i.e. concerning Israel's affliction and final deliverance. saith the LORD = [is] Jehovah's oracle. Which stretcheth forth , &c. The omnipotence of Jehovah is the guarantee that His word will be carried out. Compare lsa. Zec 42:5 ; Zec 44:24 ; Zec 45:12 , Zec 45:18 ; Zec 48:13 . and layeth , &c. Compare Psalms 24:2 ; Psalms 102:25 ; Psalms 104:2-5 .Amos 4:8 , Amos... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Zechariah 12:1

This chapter begins the second division of the second half of Zechariah. It begins, like the beginning of the first division (Zechariah 9:1) with the authentication of the message as coming from God Himself, and indicates the subject matter as being "The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel" (Zechariah 12:1), contrasting sharply with the subject matter in the first section, "The burden of the word of Jehovah" upon the world powers. For comment on "burden," see under Zechariah 9:1.It... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Zechariah 12:1

Zechariah 12:1. The burden— משׂא massa, usually denotes a prophesy of a calamitous kind. But it does not always so; for sometimes it signifies simply a prophesy, or revelation of some matter of importance, as Proverbs 30:1. Here however it may be fairly taken in the first sense, and rendered a burden; for though the issue be favourable to Israel in the end, yet it is preceded at first by a cup of trembling; and to the enemies of Israel the whole is from beginning to end sufficiently onerous. read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Zechariah 12:1

1. burden—"weighty prophecy"; fraught with destruction to Israel's foes; the expression may also refer to the distresses of Israel implied as about to precede the deliverance. for Israel—concerning Israel [MAURER]. stretcheth forth—present; now, not merely "hath stretched forth," as if God only created and then left the universe to itself ( :-). To remove all doubts of unbelief as to the possibility of Israel's deliverance, God prefaces the prediction by reminding us of His creative and... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Zechariah 12:1

"The burden . . . concerning Israel" introduces chapters 12-14 as "The burden . . . against the land of Hadrach" (Zechariah 9:1) did chapters 9-11. By describing Yahweh as the creator of the heavens, earth, and man, Zechariah reminded his audience of God’s authority and ability to accomplish what He predicted in this three-chapter oracle. He is the master over all things celestial, terrestrial, and human."Here at the brink of a new age it is important to know that the same God who brought... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Zechariah 12:1-9

Israel’s deliverance 12:1-9 read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 12:1-14

The Deliverance of JerusalemMany scholars believe that in Zechariah 12-14 (omitting Zechariah 13:7-9) we have a third separate prophecy, the oldest in the book of Zechariah, written subsequent to the death of king Josiah, 609 b.c. (cp. the mourning in the valley of Megiddon, Zechariah 12:11), but prior to the fall of the kingdom of Judah, 586 b.c. For this view there are some strong arguments—(a) frequent references to the House of David (Zechariah 12:7-8, Zechariah 12:10, Zechariah 12:12;... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Zechariah 12:1

XII.(1-9) The opening of this chapter is similar to that of Zechariah 9:0, and marks the beginning of the second half of these latter prophecies. This prophecy, as far as Zechariah 12:9, seems to recur to the same events as were foretold in Zechariah 9:10 : viz., the successful contests of the Maccabean period.(1) Israel.—Comp. Malachi 1:5, &c., and “all the tribes of Israel” (Zechariah 9:1). Elsewhere, in Zechariah 9-11 (except in Zechariah 11:14), the terms used are Ephraim (Zechariah... read more