Zechariah 7:11

11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears.

Zechariah 7:11 in Other Translations

11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.

11 “Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing.

11 "But did your ancestors listen? No, they set their jaws in defiance. They shut their ears.

11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they closed their ears so they could not hear.

Zechariah 7:11 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 7:11

But they refused to hearken
. That is, the Jews, before the captivity, refusal to give heed to the above exhortations, and obey the voice of God in them: and pulled away the shoulder;
from serving the Lord, and supporting his interest: or "they gave", or presented, "a rebellious shoulder" {f}; a refractory one, that slides back, like a backsliding or refractory heifer, that will not admit of the yoke, ( Hosea 4:16 ) so these could not bear the yoke of the law, nor the burden of duty; nor suffer the words of exhortation, or receive the admonitions given them: and stopped their ears, that they should not hear;
like the deaf adder, ( Psalms 58:4 Psalms 58:5 ) they would not hear, and pretended they could not; which was an instance of contempt to the speakers.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 (trro Ptk) "scapulam aversam", Pagninus; "deflectentem", Montanus; "rebellem", Munster, Tigurine version; "refractarium", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so Ben Melech.

Zechariah 7:11 In-Context

9 “This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.

10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’

11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears.

12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry.

13 “ ‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the LORD Almighty.

Cross References

• 1. S Isaiah 9:9
• 2. S Jeremiah 32:33
• 3. S Jeremiah 5:3; Jeremiah 8:5; Jeremiah 11:10; S Jeremiah 17:23; S Ezekiel 5:6