Charles Ellicott Commentary Zechariah 12:7

"Jehovah 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." — Zechariah 12:7 (ASV)

1. There is another reading, supported by the Septuagint and a few manuscripts, as in former times. This variant does not materially alter the sense, for in any case the deliverance of Judah is made to take precedence (in importance, if not in time) of that of Jerusalem. “Judah” seems here to denote the rest of the people, in contrast to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the princes of the house of David. The Maccabees were deliverers raised up from the people—namely, Levi (see 1 Maccabees 2:1)—not from the royal house.