The Meaning of Zechariah 12:9 Explained

Zechariah 12:9

KJV: And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

YLT: And it hath come to pass, in that day, I seek to destroy all the nations Who are coming in against Jerusalem,

Darby: And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

ASV: And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it shall come to pass in that day,  [that] I will seek  to destroy  all the nations  that come  against Jerusalem. 

What does Zechariah 12:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

In that day the Lord would set about destroying all Israel"s enemies, and He will be successful.
". . . we place the entire passage in the time of the Great Tribulation and more specifically in the Battle of Armageddon, when the nations of the earth will make their last frantic effort to blot Israel out of existence, only to be met by the most crushing defeat at the hands of the Lord of hosts Himself." [1]
An amillennial explanation of the passage follows.
". . . it covers all time from that in which the prophet spoke to the end of days. What is said concerning Judah applies to the people of God of all times. The claims made for Jerusalem"s future find their ultimate fulfillment in the true Zion of God-His church; in fact, they can be applied to Jerusalem only insofar as she for a time harbored the church of God. The whole passage speaks of God"s sovereign care and protection of the church of the Old and the New Testaments through the ages and more particularly of the church"s victory rather than the victory of Judah after the flesh." [2]

Context Summary

Zechariah 12:1-14 - Jerusalem's Day Of Mourning
This vision refers to a time yet future, when the Jews shall have returned to their own land, but still in unbelief; and will be assailed by their foes, though in vain, Zechariah 12:2-3; Zechariah 12:6. The Lord will defend them, Zechariah 12:7-8. Then the nation will mourn. Their repentance will be universal, from the highest to the lowest; lonely, and on account of the sufferings they inflicted on Jesus. The Agent of this mourning will be the Holy Spirit; and it will eventuate in the full forgiveness of sin through the blood of atonement and an entire cleansing from idols. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 12

1  Jerusalem a cup of trembling to herself,
3  and a burdensome stone to her adversaries
6  The victorious restoring of Judah
10  The repentance of Jerusalem

What do the individual words in Zechariah 12:9 mean?

And it shall be in day that [that] I will seek to destroy - all the nations that come against Jerusalem
וְהָיָ֖ה בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא אֲבַקֵּ֗שׁ לְהַשְׁמִיד֙ אֶת־ כָּל־ הַגּוֹיִ֔ם הַבָּאִ֖ים עַל־ יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם

וְהָיָ֖ה  And  it  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בַּיּ֣וֹם  in  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַה֑וּא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
אֲבַקֵּ֗שׁ  [that]  I  will  seek 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
לְהַשְׁמִיד֙  to  destroy 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁמַד  
Sense: to destroy, exterminate, be destroyed, be exterminated.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַגּוֹיִ֔ם  the  nations 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
הַבָּאִ֖ים  that  come 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
עַל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.

What are the major concepts related to Zechariah 12:9?

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