Bible Strands
Zechariah 1:12
Then the angel of the LORD said, “How long, O LORD of Hosts, will You withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been angry these seventy years?”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The angel of the LORD addresses Yahweh of Hosts immediately after the riders report that the earth remains tranquil. This intercession occurs before the LORD responds with comforting words to the prophet.
The words — עַד־ (ad-) means “until,” and מָתַי (ma.Tai) means “when?” Together they form the duration question that frames the angel’s plea.
The thread — The seventy-year period of anger referenced here aligns with the timeline promised in Jeremiah 29:10. The “how long” structure also echoes the lament pattern found in Psalms 74:10.
Why it lands — It confronts the reader with the tension between divine patience and the timing of mercy, demanding recognition that God’s anger operates within a bounded period.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?
Cross-references
- Psalms 74:10 How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever?
- Psalms 102:13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show her favor—the appointed time has come.
- Jeremiah 29:10 For this is what the LORD says: “When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.
- Daniel 9:2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the sacred books, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.
- Zechariah 7:5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?
- Revelation 6:10 And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?”
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 So the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation, until seventy years were completed, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah.
- Zechariah 1:8 I looked out into the night and saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the hollow, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.
- Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
- Exodus 23:20 Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.