Bible Strands
Zechariah 12:9
So on that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God addresses Judah in a prophetic vision concerning a future day when He will act as Jerusalem's defender against hostile nations. The moment is a divinely appointed time of siege followed by decisive intervention.
The words — The Hebrew phrase אֲבַקֵּשׁ לַהַשְׁמִיד ('a.va.Kesh la.hash.Mid) literally renders "I will seek to destroy." It directly modifies כָּל־ הַגּוֹיִם (kol-ha.go.Yim), "all the nations," establishing comprehensive divine action.
The thread — This motif of God gathering and judging hostile nations appears in Zechariah 14:2 and echoes the assurance in Isaiah 54:17 that no weapon formed against His people will prosper. It parallels Haggai 2:22, where God declares He will overturn the power of foreign kingdoms.
Why it lands — The text states God's intent to annihilate attacking nations before describing the subsequent outpouring of grace and mourning in the next verse. It requires the reader to acknowledge that divine protection and judgment are prerequisites for the spiritual restoration that follows.
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
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.
- Zechariah 14:2 For I will gather all the nations for battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.
- Haggai 2:22 I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
- Zechariah 12:2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples. Judah will be besieged, as well as Jerusalem.