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Zechariah 12:9

Old Testament Minor Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Zechariah 12:9 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:9 — American Standard Version

Context — Zechariah 12

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
6In that day will I make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and [they of] Jerusalem shall yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem.
7Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem be not magnified above Judah.
8In that day shall Jehovah defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of Jehovah before them.
9And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.
11In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
12And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And it shall come to pass in that day, etc.] So often mentioned in this chapter; by which is meant the latter part of the Gospel dispensation, the spiritual reign of Christ: [that] I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem; and shall destroy them. The whole of this paragraph seems to refer to the same as in (<263801>Ezekiel 38:1-39:29).”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“I will seek to destroy--I will set Myself with determined earnestness to destroy (Hag 2:22).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“In that day, I will seek to destroy - Woe indeed to those, whom Almighty God shall “‘seek’ to destroy!” Man may seek earnestly to do, what at last he cannot do. Still it is an earnest seeking. And whether it is used of human seeking which fails, or which succeeds 1 Samuel 14:4; 1 Samuel 23:10; Ecclesiastes 12:10, inchoate or permitted 1 Kings 11:22; Zechariah 6:7, it is always used of seeking to do, what it is a person’s set purpose to do if he can. Here it is spoken of Almighty God . Ribera: “He saith not, ‘I will destroy’ but ‘I will seek to destroy,’ that is, it shall ever be My care to destroy all the enemies of the Church, that they may in no way prevail against it: this I will do alway…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“I will seek - I will purposely and effectually do it. Zechariah 12:10”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“I will: Zac 12:2; Isa 54:17; Hag 2:22 Zechariah 12:10”
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Related study paths

Read Zechariah 12 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification