Zechariah 13:6

6 And if one asks him, 'What are these wounds on your back?' he will say, 'The wounds I received in the house of my friends.'"

Zechariah 13:6 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 13:6

And [one] shall say unto him, What [are] these wounds in
thine hands?
&c.] That is, if thou art not a prophet, what is the meaning of these wounds in thine hands? which design either those his father and mother had given him, when they thrust him through for being a false prophet, ( Zechariah 13:3 ) or the mark of the beast he received in his right hand, which he was obliged to take when he entered into holy orders, ( Revelation 13:9 Revelation 13:16 Revelation 13:17 ) , or the wounds and stripes he gave himself, in the exercise of his superstition and will worship: then he shall answer, [Those] with which I was wounded [in] the
house of my friends;
he will pretend that these were wounds he had privately in his father's family, by way of correction, for not doing his civil and secular business as he ought to have done; or he shall be obliged to confess the mark of the beast on him; or that these were wounds he had given himself in the temples and churches, dedicated to angels and saints, his patrons, friends, and lovers; with whom he committed spiritual adultery or idolatry, and before whose images and shrines he had cut and given himself these wounds and gashes, to the great dishonour of Christ, as if his crucifixion and wounds were of no avail; wherefore his sufferings and death are next spoken of: and some understand these words of Christ, introduced after this manner; the prophet having spoken of the false prophet, thrust through by his parents, because that Christ would be reckoned a false prophet and impostor by his countrymen the Jews, and be crucified by them as such, represents the Jews as upbraiding him with his crucifixion, which they suggest he righteously suffered, for seducing their nation: to which he replies, that indeed he was crucified, and thereby wounded with the nails drove into his hands and feet; and this usage he met with from those of his own nation, and who pretended to be the friends of the Messiah, and to expect his coming, and this at or near Jerusalem, where was the temple or house of God; but all this he endured, not for any crime he had been guilty of, but according to the counsel and will, purpose and decree, of God; whereby he was appointed the Shepherd of the flock; the Mediator between God and man; the Saviour of his people; and to die such a death, in order to obtain salvation for them; which counsel and will of God are clearly and strongly expressed in the following verse ( Zechariah 13:7 ) : and to this sense Capellus interprets the words.

Zechariah 13:6 In-Context

4 On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; he will not put on a hairy mantle in order to deceive,
5 but he will say, 'I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the soil; for the land has been my possession since my youth.'
6 And if one asks him, 'What are these wounds on your back?' he will say, 'The wounds I received in the house of my friends.'"
7 "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me," says the LORD of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.
8 In the whole land, says the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.