Charles Ellicott Commentary Zechariah 13

The meaning of this verse seems to be that the people would keep the law with more heartfelt earnestness, and consequently acceptably. There seems to be a reference to Numbers 8:7; Numbers 19:9 and following.

Some critics consider that Zechariah 12:0, Zechariah 13:1–6, andZechariah 14:0 were composed in the time of Jehoiakim (around 600), or thatZechariah 14:0 was written a little later, when the confidence of victory expressed in the earlier chapters was considerably lessened on account of the more threatening position of political affairs.

To this we can only reply that, if so, the prophet was a false prophet and proclaimed Peace, peace, when there was no peace; and we, at least, are not inclined to undertake the responsibility of making such a statement concerning the author of these chapters.

We suggest that these verses should be placed between Zechariah 12:9-10.

Unclean spirit. —This is the only passage in the Old Testament in which we find the expression “unclean spirit,” which is of such frequent occurrence in the New. (See on Zechariah 10:2.)

The reaction from superstition would be skepticism. The people would no longer believe in prophecy at all, and the very parents of a prophet would slay him as an impostor, even though not legally convicted of falsehood (Deuteronomy 18:19–22).

But God would have pity on their “zeal not according to knowledge,” and “pour out ... the Spirit ... so that they should look on Him whom they pierced,” etc. The word “pierced” is the same as is better rendered in Zechariah 13:3 by “thrust through.”

The Hebrew has “shall look upon me,” but by the addition of the small letter, it would mean “upon him,” which suits the succeeding clauses better. This rendering has the support of Aquila, Theodotion, and Symmachus, and is defended by Kennicott, Ewald, Geiger, Bunsen, etc. (and is so quoted in John 19:37). We, accordingly, adopt this rendering.

If our conjecture concerning the original position of Zechariah 12:10 in the text is correct, the whole passage will run as follows (Zechariah 13:1): “In that day shall be a fountain opened, for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for [removal of] sin and of uncleanness. (2) And it shall be in that day (it is the utterance of Jehovah of Hosts) I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall not be remembered any more; and the [false] prophets and the unclean spirit will I cause to pass away from the land. (3) And it shall be, when a man shall prophesy, then they shall say to him, his father and his mother, those who bore him, “You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of Jehovah;” and they shall thrust him through, his father and his mother, those who bore him, on account of his prophesying. (Zechariah 12:10) Then will I pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication, and they shall look on him, even him whom they thrust through, and they shall mourn over him, as the mourning for an only son, and they shall make bitter mourning over him, as one mourns bitterly for a firstborn. In that day ... (14) ... and their wives apart.”

When skepticism had reached such a pitch that parents would without hesitation slay their son if he pretended to prophetic powers, then God would smite the people with prickings of the heart, and they would look on such a case with the utmost remorse, and make great lamentation for the victim. As with Zechariah 11:12 (see Notes), so this prophecy must not be regarded as being fulfilled in one single event only. But, certainly, in the case of Christ it received its most significant fulfillment. There was One, professing more than prophetic powers, rejected by His people, and especially by His own relatives—slain, thrust through, and then deeply lamented (Luke 23:48; Acts 2:37–41).

Now he reverts to those who are really false prophets.