Zechariah 7:3 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Zechariah 7:1-7

This occasional sermon, which the prophet preached, and which is recorded in this and the next chapter, was above two years after the former, in which he gave them an account of his visions, as appears by comparing the date of this (Zech. 7:1), in the ninth month of the fourth year of Darius, with the date of that (Zech. 1:1), in the eighth month of the second year of Darius; not that Zechariah was idle all that while (it is expressly said that he and Haggai continued prophesying till the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Zechariah 7:3

And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the Lord of hosts ,.... That ministered in the sanctuary, as the Targum explains it, who offered sacrifices, &c.; and who were to be consulted in matters of religion, Malachi 2:7 , and to the prophets ; who were then in being, as Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi: saying, Should I weep in the fifth month ; which is the month Ab, and answers to July: now on the seventh day of this month, according to 2 Kings 25:8 , the... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 7:3

Verse 3 Let us now consider the question which the captives proposed to the priests. They asked whether they were to weep in the fifth month, and whether they were to separate themselves as they had done for seventy years and more; for some years, as we have seen, had elapsed beyond that number. We hence learn that a regular fast was observed from the time in which the temple was burned and the city destroyed. He speaks here only of the fifth month, but shortly after mention is made of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 7:1-3

§ 1. A deputation comes from Bethel to ask whether a fast instituted in memory of the calamity of Jerusalem was still to be observed. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 7:1-7

Hypocrisy unmasked. "And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Darius, that the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah," etc. In the latter half of the last chapter we were told of an embassy to Jerusalem, which met with acceptance and honour. In the present passage we read of another, which meets with just the opposite treatment. The question asked by these messengers is not answered at all in this chapter. Not only so, those who ask it are indirectly rebuked for so doing. Why this... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 7:1-7

Religious beliefs that are right; religious services that are wrong. "And it came to pass in the fourth year," etc. The preceding visions and symbolic actions recorded in this book occurred, we are informed, in the eighth month of the second year of King Darius. What is here recorded appears to have taken place in the ninth month of the fourth year of that king's reign—about two years later. The ninth month is here called Chisleu, and corresponds with the latter part of November and the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 7:1-14

God and men. I. THE UNITY OF GOD 'S PURPOSE . God's thoughts do not vary, though he varies his methods. His end for nations and individuals is always the same—advancement, not merely in knowledge and culture, but in moral goodness. II. THE MERCIFULNESS OF GOD 'S WARNINGS . At no time hath God left himself without wirelesses. By word and providence and in countless ways his warnings come. We see this in the past. ( Zechariah 7:7 , "former prophets.") So in the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 7:3

The priests. They were addressed as interpreters of the Law (see Haggai 2:11 , and note there). Which were in; rather, which belonged to. The prophets. Such as Zechariah, Haggai, and perhaps Malachi, through whom God communicated his will. Should I weep in the fifth month? The use of the first person singular to express a community or a people is not uncommon; here it means the Bethelites (comp. Numbers 20:18 , Numbers 20:19 ; Joshua 9:7 ; 1 Samuel 5:10 , 1 Samuel 5:11 ).... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 7:3

Shall we fast? This question has been often asked down to our own day. I. There are NATIONAL FASTS . These are rare, and only appointed under very solemn circumstances. In 1853, when cholera prevailed, the Presbytery of Edinburgh (Church of Scotland) suggested to Lord Palmerston, then Home Secretary, the propriety of ordering a national fast. His lordship, in his reply, recommended observance of natural laws rather than fasting. If this were attended to, all would be well.... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Zechariah 7:3

Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself? - “In the fifth month,” from the seventh to the tenth day, Jerusalem was in flames, fired by Nebuchadnezzar. “He burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem and every great man’s house he burnt with fire” .Jerome: “Now since it is said that the temple is builded and we see that no cause of sorrow remaineth, answer, we pray, are we to do this or to change our sorrow into joy?”Separating myself - This... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Zechariah 7:1-7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Zechariah 7:3

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 7:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 7:1-3

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 7:1-7

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 7:1-7

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 7:1-14

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 7:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 7:3

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Zechariah 7:3

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