Mourning for the Pierced One and National Repentance
Zechariah 12:10-14
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Zec.12.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושפכתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- על: PREP
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דויד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- יושב: VERB,qal,ptcp,1,m,sg
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חן: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותחנונים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והביטו: CONJ+VERB,hiphil,imp,2,m,pl
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דקרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- וספדו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- כמספד: PREP
- על: PREP
- היחיד: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והמר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- כהמר: PREP
- על: PREP
- הבכור: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- John 19:37 (quotation): Direct New Testament citation of Zech 12:10—'They will look on him whom they pierced' is quoted as fulfilled in the crucifixion.
- Revelation 1:7 (allusion): Echoes Zech 12:10 language ('every eye will see him, even those who pierced him' and the ensuing mourning), applying the pierced‑figure to the eschatological coming of Christ.
- Joel 2:28-29 (Acts 2:17-21) (verbal): Shares the motif and language of a divine outpouring of spirit; Zech's 'I will pour out ... a spirit of grace and supplication' parallels Joel's prophecy (and its Pentecost citation in Acts) about God pouring out his Spirit.
- Isaiah 53:3-5 (thematic): The suffering‑servant tradition: themes of wounding, vicarious suffering and mourning over the afflicted servant resonate with Zech 12:10's pierced figure and the nation's grief.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look to me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and they shall grieve for him as one grieves for a firstborn.
- And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look toward me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and shall grieve for him as one grieves for a firstborn.
Zec.12.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ביום: PREP
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- יגדל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- המספד: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כמספד: PREP+NOUN,m,sg
- הדד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רמון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בבקעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,const
- מגדון: NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 35:24-25 (allusion): Describes King Josiah's death after battle at Megiddo and states that Jeremiah composed laments for him—identifies the historical lament (Hadad‑Rimmon) Zechariah evokes.
- 2 Kings 23:29-30 (allusion): Records Josiah's death at Megiddo and the ensuing national mourning, the event underlying the Hadad‑Rimmon reference.
- 2 Samuel 1:17-27 (thematic): David's public lament for Saul and Jonathan models the intense, communal mourning for fallen leaders that Zechariah anticipates for Jerusalem.
- 1 Samuel 31:11-13 (thematic): Narrates the people's retrieval and mourning of Saul and his sons after their deaths—another instance of national lamentation comparable to the Hadad‑Rimmon tradition.
Alternative generated candidates
- On that day the lamentation in Jerusalem shall be great—like the lamentation for Hadad‑Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
- On that day the lamentation in Jerusalem will be like the lamentation for Hadad‑rimmon in the valley of Megiddo.
Zec.12.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וספדה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- משפחות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- משפחות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לבד: PREP
- משפחת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דויד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבד: PREP
- ונשיהם: NOUN,f,pl,prsuf
- לבד: PREP
- משפחת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לבד: PREP
- ונשיהם: NOUN,f,pl,prsuf
- לבד: PREP
Parallels
- Zechariah 12:11 (structural): Immediate context: verse 11 frames the scene as a great mourning in Jerusalem (likened to the mourning at Hadadrimmon), which verse 12 then specifies as mourning by individual families.
- 2 Chronicles 35:25 (allusion): Describes the mourning and lamentation for King Josiah (Hadadrimmon/Megiddo); Zechariah’s comparison in v.11 likely alludes to this concrete historical lament, which models the family-by-family mourning in v.12.
- Jeremiah 31:15 (thematic): Uses the image of nationwide, family-centered mourning (Rachel weeping for her children) to express collective grief for Israel—paralleling Zechariah’s depiction of families mourning separately.
- Lamentations 1:4 (thematic): Portrays Zion’s widespread sorrow with different social groups described separately (priests, virgins, etc.), echoing Zechariah’s motif of distinct groups/families and their wives grieving apart.
Alternative generated candidates
- The land will mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves;
- And the land will mourn—families, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves;
Zec.12.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- משפחת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לוי: PROPN,m,sg
- לבד: PREP
- ונשיהם: NOUN,f,pl,prsuf
- לבד: PREP
- משפחת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- השמעי: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לבד: PREP
- ונשיהם: NOUN,f,pl,prsuf
- לבד: PREP
Parallels
- Ezra 10:18-44 (structural): A catalogue of men grouped by family lines together with notes about their foreign wives — both texts present an ordered listing that separates family names and wives, often in the context of religious/communal separation.
- Nehemiah 7:63-65 (thematic): Lists families who could not prove their genealogies and were excluded; like Zechariah's terse family-and-wives formula, it treats family identity and the status of wives as determinative for communal/priests’ standing.
- 1 Chronicles 23:6-24 (structural): Enumeration of the Levitical families and their divisions; parallels Zechariah’s mention of 'the house of Levi' and the formal, clan-based presentation of Levites and related households.
- Numbers 26:1-65 (structural): Census of Israel organized by clans and families ('by their fathers' houses'); similar structural approach to naming families/clans as units for tribal and cultic identity, as in Zechariah’s family listings.
Alternative generated candidates
- the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves;
- the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves;
Zec.12.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- המשפחות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- הנשארות: VERB,nip,ptcp,f,pl,def
- משפחת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- משפחת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- לבד: PREP
- ונשיהם: NOUN,f,pl,prsuf
- לבד: PREP
Parallels
- Zechariah 12:12 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same oracle: describes the mourning in Jerusalem 'every family by itself'—same family-by-family formulation and context of communal lament.
- Zechariah 12:13 (verbal): Continuation of the same passage: repeats the image of households/housewives separated in mourning (the verse sequence forms a unit with 12:14 in Hebrew textual tradition).
- Zechariah 13:8-9 (thematic): Later Zecharian oracle about a striking down and a surviving remnant—both passages treat catastrophe, household-level loss, and the preservation of a few families as a remnant.
- John 19:37 (quotation): New Testament citation of Zechariah 12:10 ('they will look on him whom they pierced'); though not quoting 12:14, it invokes the chapter's theme of piercing and national mourning that precipitates the family-by-family lament.
- Revelation 1:7 (quotation): Echoes Zechariah 12:10 ('every eye will see him... and all peoples'), connecting the eschatological unveiling and worldwide mourning motif that frames the household lament in Zech 12:12–14.
Alternative generated candidates
- all the remaining families—each family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
- all the remaining families—each family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and of supplication; and they will look to me, whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and they will grieve over him as one grieves for a firstborn.
On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be like the mourning for Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. And the land shall mourn—each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves.
The family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves.
All the remaining families—each family by itself, and their wives by themselves.