The Meaning of Zechariah 7:3 Explained

Zechariah 7:3

KJV: And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

YLT: speaking unto the priests who are at the house of Jehovah of Hosts, and unto the prophets, saying, 'Do I weep in the fifth month -- being separated -- as I have done these so many years?'

Darby: and to speak unto the priests that were in the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done now so many years?

ASV: and to speak unto the priests of the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[And] to speak  unto the priests  which [were] in the house  of the LORD  of hosts,  and to the prophets,  saying,  Should I weep  in the fifth  month,  separating  myself, as I have done  these so many years? 

What does Zechariah 7:3 Mean?

Study Notes

fifth month
i.e. August.

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 7:3 mean?

[and] to ask unto the priests who [were] in the house of Yahweh of hosts and the prophets saying Should I weep in month the fifth and fast as I have done this [is] how many years -
לֵאמֹ֗ר אֶל־ הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ לְבֵית־ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת וְאֶל־ הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים לֵאמֹ֑ר הַֽאֶבְכֶּה֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַחֲמִשִׁ֔י הִנָּזֵ֕ר כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֔יתִי זֶ֖ה כַּמֶּ֥ה ؟ שָׁנִֽים פ

לֵאמֹ֗ר  [and]  to  ask 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֶל־  unto 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙  the  priests 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
אֲשֶׁר֙  who  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
לְבֵית־  in  the  house 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יְהוָ֣ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָא֔וֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים  the  prophets 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
לֵאמֹ֑ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַֽאֶבְכֶּה֙  Should  I  weep 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: בָּכָה  
Sense: to weep, bewail, cry, shed tears.
בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ  in  month 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: the new moon, month, monthly.
הַחֲמִשִׁ֔י  the  fifth 
Parse: Article, Number, ordinal masculine singular
Root: חֲמִישִׁי  
Sense: ordinal number, 5th.
הִנָּזֵ֕ר  and  fast 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Infinitive absolute
Root: נָזַר 
Sense: to dedicate, consecrate, separate.
עָשִׂ֔יתִי  I  have  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
זֶ֖ה  this  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
כַּמֶּ֥ה  how  many 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
؟ שָׁנִֽים  years 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation