The Meaning of Zechariah 7:6 Explained

Zechariah 7:6

KJV: And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

YLT: When ye fasted with mourning in the fifth and in the seventh months -- even these seventy years -- did ye keep the fast to Me -- Me? And when ye eat, and when ye drink, is it not ye who are eating, and ye who are drinking?

Darby: And when ye ate, and when ye drank, was it not you that were eating and drinking?

ASV: And when ye eat, and when ye drink, do not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And when ye did eat,  and when ye did drink,  did not ye eat  [for yourselves], and drink  [for yourselves]? 

What does Zechariah 7:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Zechariah 7:1-14 - The Penalty Of Injustice And Cruelty
During their captivity the Jews observed four feasts. That of the 10th month recalled the first enclosure of Jerusalem by the enemies' lines; of the 4th the capture of the city; of the 5th the destruction by fire of the Temple; of the 7th the murder of Gedaliah. The national life was depressed by this constant memory of disaster. It seemed incongruous to act thus, when the Holy City was rising from the dust. Surely the lamentations which were befitting in Babylon, were out of place now. A deputation was therefore sent to inquire the views of the leaders. Zechariah gave four separate answers to the request. In Zechariah 7:4-7 he suggests that as these fasts had been set up by themselves, they were at liberty to discontinue them, and the main question was whether they were pondering the teachings and warnings of the older prophets. In Zechariah 7:8-14 he implored them not to yield to the obtuseness and disobedience of their fathers, in order that no second catastrophe should cast them back to the disasters they had suffered. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 7

1  The captives enquire concerning the set fasts
4  Zechariah reproves the hypocrisy of their fasting
8  Sin the cause of their captivity

What do the individual words in Zechariah 7:6 mean?

and when you eat you drink do not you eat and you drink [for yourselves]
וְכִ֥י תֹאכְל֖וּ תִשְׁתּ֑וּ הֲל֤וֹא אַתֶּם֙ הָאֹ֣כְלִ֔ים וְאַתֶּ֖ם הַשֹּׁתִֽים

וְכִ֥י  and  when 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
תֹאכְל֖וּ  you  eat 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
תִשְׁתּ֑וּ  you  drink 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.
הֲל֤וֹא  do  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
הָאֹ֣כְלִ֔ים  eat 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וְאַתֶּ֖ם  and  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine plural
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
הַשֹּׁתִֽים  drink  [for  yourselves] 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.