Zechariah 12:10

“And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitant of Jerusalem a spirit of favor and of supplications; and they will look to me, whom they have pierced; and they will lament over him like the lament over the only one, and grieve bitterly over him as one grieves bitterly over the firstborn.”
Zechariah 12:10 · direct translation from the Hebrew

Study it in the app

God says, “they will look to me, whom they have pierced”; John quotes this at the crossThe Cross

With the Hebrew beneath

And I will pour outוְשָׁפַכְתִּיonעַלthe houseבֵּיתof Davidדָּוִידand onוְעַלthe inhabitantיוֹשֵׁבof Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַםa spiritרוּחַof favorחֵןand of supplications;וְתַחֲנוּנִיםand they will lookוְהִבִּיטוּto me,אֵלַיwhomאֲשֶׁרthey have pierced;דָּקָרוּand they will lamentוְסָפְדוּover himעָלָיוlike the lamentכְּמִסְפֵּדoverעַלthe only one,הַיָּחִידand grieve bitterlyוְהָמֵרover himעָלָיוas one grieves bitterlyכְּהָמֵרoverעַלthe firstborn.הַבְּכוֹר

Quotation · John 19:37

Go to John 19:37

Where the Hebrew says “they will look to me, whom they have pierced,” John says “They will look on the one whom they pierced.”

Formula: καὶ πάλιν ἑτέρα γραφὴ λέγει “and again another Scripture says” (John 19:37)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: καὶ πάλιν ἑτέρα γραφὴ λέγει Ὄψονται εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וְשָׁפַכְתִּי עַל בֵּית דָּוִיד וְעַל יוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם רוּחַ חֵן וְתַחֲנוּנִים וְהִבִּיטוּ אֵלַי אֵת אֲשֶׁר דָּקָרוּ וְסָפְדוּ עָלָיו כְּמִסְפֵּד עַל הַיָּחִיד וְהָמֵר עָלָיו כְּהָמֵר עַל הַבְּכוֹר

This passage could not be located with certainty in the transcription of the Septuagint we use, so it is not compared.

Theme · Revelation 1:7

Go to Revelation 1:7

Revelation 1:7 says that those who pierced him will see him and will mourn; Zechariah 12:10 says “they will look to me, whom they have pierced; and they will lament over him.”

The same term appears in both passages.

דָּקָרוּdakaruH1856ἐξεκέντησανexekentēsanG1574“pierce”

Zechariah 12:10, word by word

And I will pour outשָׁפַכְתִּיshafachti

pour out

To pour out one's heart to God; God pours out his spirit.

Where else “shafachti” appears

the houseבֵּיתbet

dynasty

Someone's descendants: "the house of David".

Where else “bet” appears

of Davidדָּוִידdavid

David

David, youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem; the second king of Israel. The name means "beloved."

Where else “david” appears

the inhabitantיוֹשֵׁבyoshev

dwell

To make one's home in a place.

Where else “yoshev” appears

of Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַםyerushalaim

Jerusalem

See it on the map Where else “yerushalaim” appears

a spiritרוּחַruach

spirit

What moves a person inside: their life, their mood.

Where else “ruach” appears

of favorחֵןchen

favor

Someone's goodwill toward another: looking on them kindly.

Where else “chen” appears

and of supplicationsתַחֲנוּנִיםtachanunim

supplication

Supplication: a plea that asks for favor or mercy. It belongs to the same family as "show favor."

Where else “tachanunim” appears

and they will lookהִבִּיטוּhibitu

look

Look intently, gaze; regard, pay attention to.

Where else “hibitu” appears

they have piercedדָּקָרוּdakaru

pierce, thrust through

Pierce: wound by driving in a spear or a sword.

Where else “dakaru” appears

and they will lamentסָפְדוּsafdu

mourn, lament

Mourn, lament: wail over the dead with the customary signs of grief, such as beating the breast.

Where else “safdu” appears

the only oneיָּחִידyachid

only

The only child of his parents, the most beloved.

Where else “yachid” appears

and grieve bitterlyהָמֵרhamer

embitter

To make someone's life hard, or to weep bitterly.

Where else “hamer” appears

the firstbornבְּכוֹרbechor

firstborn

The son who came into the world before his brothers, with a special place in the family.

Where else “bechor” appears

Translation note

“They will look to me, whom they have pierced”: so says the Hebrew text. John 19:37 quotes these words at the crucifixion of Jesus (“They will look on the one whom they pierced”), and Revelation 1:7 recalls them when speaking of his coming. “The only one” is the only son.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · John 19:37

Where the Hebrew says “they will look to me, whom they have pierced,” John says “They will look on the one whom they pierced.”

See them side by side

Zechariah 12:10

¹⁰And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitant of Jerusalem a spirit of favor and of supplications; and they will look to me, whom they have pierced; and they will lament over him like the lament over the only one, and grieve bitterly over him as one grieves bitterly over the firstborn.

John 19:37

³⁷And again another Scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they pierced.”

Places in this verse

Approximate location. A “?” means it is not known for sure where it was.

Jerusalem
Today: Old City of Jerusalem
A city in the hills of Judea, about 22 miles (35 km) west of the Dead Sea and 35 miles (55 km) east of the Mediterranean.
David took it and made it his city (2 Sam 5:7); Solomon built the temple there (1 Kgs 8:1). Jesus was presented there, and the apostles' witness began from it (Luke 2:22; Acts 1:8).
2 Samuel 5:6 1 Kings 8:1 Luke 2:22 Acts 1:8

The context

9And it will happen on that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

10 · This verse (above)

11On that day the lament in Jerusalem will be great, like the lament of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

Read all of Zechariah 12

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