Zecharyah 7:11

11 But they refused to heed, and stubbornly stiffened their shoulders, stopped up their oznayim, that they not hear.

Zecharyah 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.

Zecharyah 7:11 In-Context

9 Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, saying, Administer mishpat emes. And let every man show chesed and rachamim to his brother;

10 And oppress not the almanah, nor the yetomim, the ger, nor the aniyim; and let none of you imagine ra’ah against his brother in your lev.

11 But they refused to heed, and stubbornly stiffened their shoulders, stopped up their oznayim, that they not hear.

12 Yea, they made their hearts as shamir (diamond, i.e., hard as shamir), and would not yield in mishma’at (obedience) to the Torah and the devarim which Hashem Tzva’os hath sent by His Ruach [Hakodesh] through the hand of the nevi’im harishonim; therefore came a ketzef gadol (great wrath) from Hashem Tzva’os.

13 Therefore it is come to pass, that as He [Hashem] called, and they would not hear; so they called, and I would not hear, saith Hashem Tzva’os;