Zechariah 13

False Prophets Ashamed

1 "In that day a 1fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for 2sin and for 3impurity.
2 "It will come about in that day," declares the LORD of hosts, "that I will 4cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the 5prophets and the 6unclean spirit from the land.
3 "And if anyone still 7prophesies, then his father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, 'You shall 8not live, for you have spoken 9falsely in the name of the LORD '; and his 10father and mother who gave birth to him will pierce him through when he prophesies.
4 "Also it will come about in that day that the prophets will each be 11ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a 12hairy robe in order to deceive;
5 but he will say, 'I am 13not a prophet; I am a tiller * of the ground, for a man sold me as a slave in my youth.'
6 "And one will say to him, 'What are these wounds 14between your arms?' Then he will say, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'
7 "Awake, O 15sword, against My 16Shepherd, And against the man, My 17Associate," Declares the LORD of hosts. "18Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will 19turn My hand against the little ones.
8 "It will come about in all the land," Declares the LORD, "That 20two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it.
9 "And I will bring the third part through the 21fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will 22call on My name, And I will 23answer them; I will say, 'They are 24My people,' And they will say, 'The LORD is my God.' "

Zechariah 13 Commentary

Chapter 13

The Fountain for the remission of sins, The conviction of the false prophets. (1-6) The death of Christ, and the saving of a remnant of the people. (7-9)

Verses 1-6 In the time mentioned at the close of the foregoing chapter, a fountain would be opened to the rulers and people of the Jews, in which to wash away their sins. Even the atoning blood of Christ, united with his sanctifying grace. It has hitherto been closed to the unbelieving nation of Israel; but when the Spirit of grace shall humble and soften their hearts, he will open it to them also. This fountain opened is the pierced side of Christ. We are all as an unclean thing. Behold a fountain opened for us to wash in, and streams flowing to us from that fountain. The blood of Christ, and God's pardoning mercy in that blood, made known in the new covenant, are a fountain always flowing, that never can be emptied. It is opened for all believers, who as the spiritual seed of Christ, are of the house of David, and, as living members of the church, are inhabitants of Jerusalem. Christ, by the power of his grace, takes away the dominion of sin, even of beloved sins. Those who are washed in the fountain opened, as they are justified, so they are sanctified. Souls are brought off from the world and the flesh, those two great idols, that they may cleave to God only. The thorough reformation which will take place on the conversion of Israel to Christ, is here foretold. False prophets shall be convinced of their sin and folly, and return to their proper employments. When convinced that we are gone out of the way of duty, we must show the truth of our repentance by returning to it again. It is well to acknowledge those to be friends, who by severe discipline are instrumental in bringing us to a sight of error; for faithful are the wounds of a friend, ( Proverbs 27:6 ) . And it is always well for us to recollect the wounds of our Saviour. Often has he been wounded by professed friends, nay, even by his real disciples, when they act contrary to his word.

Verses 7-9 Here is a prophecy of the sufferings of Christ. God the Father gave order to the sword of his justice to awake against his Son, when he freely made his soul an offering for sin. As God, he is called "my Fellow." Christ and the Father are one. He is the Shepherd who was to lay down his life for the sheep. If a Sacrifice, he must be slain, for without shedding of the life-blood there was no remission. This sword must awake against him, yet he had no sin of his own to answer for. It may refer to the whole of Christ's sufferings, especially his agonies in the garden and on the cross, when he endured unspeakable anguish till Divine justice was fully satisfied. Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. This passage our Lord Jesus declares was fulfilled, when all his disciples, in the night wherein he was betrayed, forsook him and fled. It has, and shall have its accomplishment, in the destruction of the corrupt and hypocritical part of the professed church. Because of the sin of the Jews in rejecting and crucifying Christ, and in opposing his gospel, the Romans would destroy the greater part. But a remnant would be saved. And if we are his people, we shall be refined as gold; he will be God, and the end of all our trials and sufferings will be praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Cross References 24

  • 1. Jeremiah 2:13; Jeremiah 17:13
  • 2. Psalms 51:2, 7; Isaiah 1:16-18; John 1:29
  • 3. Numbers 19:17; Isaiah 4:4; Ezekiel 36:25
  • 4. Exodus 23:13; Hosea 2:17
  • 5. Jeremiah 23:14, 15
  • 6. 1 Kings 22:22; Ezekiel 36:25, 29
  • 7. Jeremiah 23:34
  • 8. Deuteronomy 18:20; Ezekiel 14:9
  • 9. Jeremiah 23:25
  • 10. Deuteronomy 13:6-11; Matthew 10:37
  • 11. Jeremiah 6:15; Jeremiah 8:9; Micah 3:7
  • 12. 2 Kings 1:8; Isaiah 20:2; Matthew 3:4
  • 13. Amos 7:14
  • 14. 2 Kings 9:24
  • 15. Jeremiah 47:6; Ezekiel 21:3-5
  • 16. Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:23, 24; Ezekiel 37:24; Micah 5:2, 4
  • 17. Psalms 2:2; Jeremiah 23:5, 6
  • 18. Is 53:4, 5, 10; Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27
  • 19. Isaiah 1:25
  • 20. Isaiah 6:13; Ezek 5:2-4, 12
  • 21. Isaiah 48:10; Malachi 3:3
  • 22. Psalms 34:15-17; Psalms 50:15; Zechariah 12:10
  • 23. Isaiah 58:9; Isaiah 65:24; Jeremiah 29:11-13; Zechariah 10:6
  • 24. Hosea 2:23

Footnotes 4

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO ZECHARIAH 13

In this chapter are prophecies concerning the purification of the penitent Jews before spoken of; the removal of idols, and false prophets, out of the earth; the death of Christ; the destruction of the greater part of men, and the salvation of a few of them. The cleansing of such that mourn for sin, in a fountain opened for that purpose, is spoken of, Zec 13:1 the utter abolition of idols, and false prophets, and unclean spirits, is affirmed, Zec 13:2 the parents of false prophets will forbid them to prophesy; they themselves will be ashamed of their visions; they will throw off the rough garment, which was a token of their being prophets, and by which they deceived: they will confess they are no prophets, and what they are, and own the wounds they have received from their friends on that account, Zec 13:3-6 and whereas the Messiah, as pierced and crucified, is spoken of in the preceding chapter Zec 12:10, whose blood is the cleansing fountain mentioned in this, an account is given of his death; who is described by his office, the Shepherd of the Lord; and by his natures, human and divine, the Man his fellow; his death is signified by smiting with the sword, which was done by the order of the Lord; the consequences of which were the scattering of the sheep, and the turning of the hand of the Lord upon them in a way of mercy, Zec 13:7 and then it is declared that two parts in three of the land should be cut off, and a third part saved, but yet so as by fire, whom the Lord would own as his people, and they should acknowledge him to be their God, Zec 13:8,9.

Zechariah 13 Commentaries

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.