The Meaning of Zechariah 13:3 Explained

Zechariah 13:3

KJV: And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.

YLT: And it hath been, when one prophesieth again, That said unto him have his father and his mother, his parents, 'Thou dost not live, For falsehood thou hast spoken in the name of Jehovah,' And pierced him through have his father and his mother, his parents, in his prophesying.

Darby: And it shall come to pass, if any shall yet prophesy, that his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of Jehovah; and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.

ASV: And it shall come to pass that, when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of Jehovah; and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it shall come to pass, [that] when any  shall yet prophesy,  then his father  and his mother  that begat  him shall say  unto him, Thou shalt not live;  for thou speakest  lies  in the name  of the LORD:  and his father  and his mother  that begat  him shall thrust  him through when he prophesieth. 

What does Zechariah 13:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

If anyone would try to play the part of a false prophet, his own parents, those closest to him, would put him to death. This was what God had commanded the Israelites to do to false prophets ( Deuteronomy 13:6-9). They would pierce the false prophets fatally as they had formerly pierced the Messiah fatally ( Zechariah 12:10).

Context Summary

Zechariah 13:1-9 - A Day Of Testing
This Fountain was opened, when the soldier pierced the Savior's side. But it is not enough for God to forgive; He must deal drastically with the waywardness of his people. And so thorough would be the work, that parents would rather their son should die than assume for filthy lucre and without the divine call, the lucrative profession of a prophet. A township would arise against a man suspected of being a prophet, who, in his terror, would pretend that he was a tiller of the ground. And if they discovered marks in his body which indicated that he had been previously branded as a false prophet, he would rather assert that his friends had been the cause of his affliction, than that he had any sympathy with the prophetic office.
Note that remarkable anticipation, Zechariah 13:7-9. See Matthew 26:31. Jesus knew that He was the Father's fellow. He thought it not robbery to be equal with God. "We will come unto Him, and make our abode with Him." But He is also the Man. By the grace of the One Man, we may reign in life, Romans 5:17. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 13

1  The fountain of purgation for Jerusalem,
2  from idolatry, and false prophecy
7  The death of Christ, and the trial of a third part

What do the individual words in Zechariah 13:3 mean?

And it shall come to pass [that] if prophesies anyone still then will say to him his father and mother who begat him not You shall live because lies you have spoken in the name of Yahweh and shall thrust him through his father who begat him when he prophesies
וְהָיָ֗ה כִּֽי־ יִנָּבֵ֣א אִישׁ֮ עוֹד֒ וְאָמְר֣וּ אֵ֠לָיו אָבִ֨יו וְאִמּ֤וֹ יֹֽלְדָיו֙ לֹ֣א תִֽחְיֶ֔ה כִּ֛י שֶׁ֥קֶר דִּבַּ֖רְתָּ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה וּדְקָרֻ֜הוּ אָבִ֧יהוּ יֹלְדָ֖יו בְּהִנָּבְאֽוֹ

וְהָיָ֗ה  And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כִּֽי־  [that]  if 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
יִנָּבֵ֣א  prophesies 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָבָא  
Sense: to prophesy.
אִישׁ֮  anyone 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
עוֹד֒  still 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
וְאָמְר֣וּ  then  will  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵ֠לָיו  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אָבִ֨יו  his  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וְאִמּ֤וֹ  and  mother 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֵם  
Sense: mother.
יֹֽלְדָיו֙  who  begat  him 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
תִֽחְיֶ֔ה  You  shall  live 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
כִּ֛י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
שֶׁ֥קֶר  lies 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁקֶר  
Sense: lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood.
דִּבַּ֖רְתָּ  you  have  spoken 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
בְּשֵׁ֣ם  in  the  name 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
יְהוָ֑ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וּדְקָרֻ֜הוּ  and  shall  thrust  him  through 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּקַר  
Sense: to pierce, thrust through, pierce through.
אָבִ֧יהוּ  his  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
יֹלְדָ֖יו  who  begat  him 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
בְּהִנָּבְאֽוֹ  when  he  prophesies 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Nifal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: נָבָא  
Sense: to prophesy.