Zechariah 13:7

“Sword, awake against my shepherd, and against the man who is my neighbor, declares YHWH Tsevaot. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; and I will turn my hand against the little ones.”
Zechariah 13:7 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

Sword,חֶרֶבawakeעוּרִיagainstעַלmy shepherd,רֹעִיand againstוְעַלthe manגֶּבֶרwho is my neighbor,עֲמִיתִיdeclaresנְאֻםYHWHיְהוָהTsevaot.צְבָאוֹתStrikeהַךְthe shepherd,הָרֹעֶהand the sheepהַצֹּאןwill be scattered;וּתְפוּצֶיןָand I will turnוַהֲשִׁבֹתִיmy handיָדִיagainstעַלthe little ones.הַצֹּעֲרִים

Quotation · Matthew 26:31

Go to Matthew 26:31

Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” In the Hebrew it is an order (“Strike”); in Matthew, “I will strike.”

Formula: γέγραπται “it is written” (Matthew 26:31)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Τότε λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς Πάντες ὑμεῖς σκανδαλισθήσεσθε ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ γέγραπται γάρ Πατάξω τὸν ποιμένα καὶ διασκορπισθήσονται τὰ πρόβατα τῆς ποίμνης

Hebrew (Masoretic text): חֶרֶב עוּרִי עַל רֹעִי וְעַל גֶּבֶר עֲמִיתִי נְאֻם יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת הַךְ אֶת הָרֹעֶה וּתְפוּצֶיןָ הַצֹּאן וַהֲשִׁבֹתִי יָדִי עַל הַצֹּעֲרִים

Septuagint (Zechariah 13:7 in the Septuagint numbering): Ῥομφαία, ἐξεγέρθητι ἐπὶ τοὺς ποιμένας μου καὶ ἐπ᾿ ἄνδρα πολίτην μου, λέγει Κύριος ΙΙαντοκράτωρ· πατάξατε τοὺς ποιμένας καὶ ἐκσπάσατε τὰ πρόβατα, καὶ ἐπάξω τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ τοὺς μικρούς.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 2 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Quotation · Mark 14:27

Go to Mark 14:27

Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” In the Hebrew it is an order (“Strike”); in Mark, “I will strike.”

Formula: ὅτι γέγραπται “for it is written” (Mark 14:27)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι Πάντες σκανδαλισθήσεσθε ὅτι γέγραπται Πατάξω τὸν ποιμένα καὶ τὰ πρόβατα διασκορπισθήσονται

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 2 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Zechariah 13:7, word by word

Swordחֶרֶבcherev

sword

A sword; or war.

Where else “cherev” appears

awakeעוּרִיuri

awake

To rouse from sleep or inactivity; in prayer, to ask God to act.

Where else “uri” appears

my shepherdרֹעִroi

shepherd

Shepherd, one who tends the flock.

Where else “roi” appears

the manגֶּבֶרgever

man

Man, a grown man in his strength.

Where else “gever” appears

who is my neighborעֲמִיתִamiti

neighbor, fellow

Neighbor, companion: a fellow member of the people with whom one deals.

Where else “amiti” appears

declaresנְאֻםneum

declaration

Solemn words God himself speaks: "oracle of YHWH".

Where else “neum” appears

YHWHיְהוָהyehva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yehva” appears

Tsevaotצְבָאוֹתtsevaot

Tsevaot

A name of God: the one who commands the armies of heaven and earth.

Where else “tsevaot” appears

Strikeהַךְhach

strike

To give a blow to someone or something, with the hand or a weapon.

Where else “hach” appears

the shepherdרֹעֶהroe

shepherd

One who looks after sheep; or one who leads a people, like YHWH.

Where else “roe” appears

and the sheepצֹּאןtson

flock

A flock of sheep and goats.

Where else “tson” appears

will be scatteredתְפוּצֶיןָtefutsena

be scattered

To end up scattered in many places, like a people without a shepherd.

Where else “tefutsena” appears

and I will turnהֲשִׁבֹתִיhashivoti

return

To go back to a place.

Where else “hashivoti” appears

my handיָדִyadi

hand

The part of the body with which one takes, gives and works; also what one does.

Where else “yadi” appears

the little onesצֹּעֲרִיםtsoarim

be small, be lowly

To be small; figuratively, to be held of little account, to be brought low.

Where else “tsoarim” appears

Translation note

Jesus quotes these words on the night he was handed over, in the first person: “I will strike the shepherd” (Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27).

Parallel passages

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

Quotation · Matthew 26:31

Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” In the Hebrew it is an order (“Strike”); in Matthew, “I will strike.”

See them side by side

Zechariah 13:7

⁷Sword, awake against my shepherd, and against the man who is my neighbor, declares YHWH Tsevaot. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; and I will turn my hand against the little ones.

Matthew 26:31

³¹Then Jesus says to them, “You will all fall away because of me on this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

Quotation · Mark 14:27

Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” In the Hebrew it is an order (“Strike”); in Mark, “I will strike.”

See them side by side

Zechariah 13:7

Mark 14:27

²⁷And Jesus says to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’

The context

6And one will say to him, ‘What are these blows between your hands?’ And he will say, ‘Those with which I was struck in the house of my lovers.’

7 · This verse (above)

8And it will happen in all the land, declares YHWH, that two parts in it will be cut off and expire, and the third will be left in it.

Read all of Zechariah 13

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