Zechariah 12:5

5 The chieftains of Judah will say to themselves, We are strong; the inhabitants of Jerusalem will say, The LORD their God of heavenly forces is strong.

Zechariah 12:5 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 12:5

And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart
The governors of the rest of the cities in Judea, besides Jerusalem, when they shall observe the armies of the people, their horses and their riders, smitten by the Lord, as above, shall take heart, and be of good courage: and secretly say within themselves,

The inhabitants of Jerusalem [shall be] my strength in the Lord of
hosts their God;
that is, they, in the strength of the Lord, shall overcome their enemies, and so be the means of preserving and securing the other cities of Judah from destruction: the governors do not place their strength and confidence in the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but as they are strengthened in and by the Lord their God, from whom all strength, safety, and salvation come. In this and the following verse ( Zechariah 12:6 ) , by "the governors of Judah" are not meant Judas Maccabeus, and his brethren, as some think; for though there are some things in the context that seem to agree with them, and they may be an emblem of the governors in the times referred to, for their courage, bravery, and success; yet the thread of history, and series of prophecy, will not admit such a sense.

Zechariah 12:5 In-Context

3 On that day I will make Jerusalem into a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who carry it will hurt themselves; nevertheless, the nations of the earth will conspire against it.

4 On that day, says the LORD, I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness. I will keep my eyes open for the house of Judah; I will strike blind every horse of the peoples.

5 The chieftains of Judah will say to themselves, We are strong; the inhabitants of Jerusalem will say, The LORD their God of heavenly forces is strong.

6 On that day I will place the chieftains of Judah like a pot on a wood fire and like a burning torch among the bundles of grain. They will devour all the surrounding nations to the right and the left. Jerusalem will dwell again in its place, in Jerusalem.

7 The LORD will first deliver the tents of Judah so that the splendor of David's house and the splendor of Jerusalem's inhabitants won't overshadow Judah.

Footnotes

• [a]. Heb uncertain