Bible Strands
Zechariah 7:9
“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Yahweh of Hosts speaks through the prophet Zechariah to the post-exilic community in Jerusalem. The command is issued immediately after a divine inquiry about fasting and directly precedes specific prohibitions against oppressing the vulnerable.
The words — The Hebrew imperative שְׁפֹ֔טוּ (she.Fo.tu) means “judge” or “administer,” and the noun אֱמֶת (’e.Met) means “faithfulness” or “truth.” Together they form the textual core demanding that judicial and social actions be grounded in covenant loyalty.
The thread — This demand for impartial justice and active compassion appears in Micah 6:8, Psalms 82:2, and Proverbs 21:3, where ethical conduct consistently supersedes ritual observance or partiality. The cross-references show the text frames justice as a recurring divine standard.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to practice equitable treatment and active compassion in daily interactions. It establishes a non-negotiable baseline for communal conduct that must be visibly practiced.
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
Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
Cross-references
- Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
- Psalms 82:2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
- Proverbs 21:3 To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.
- Jeremiah 7:5 For if you really correct your ways and deeds, if you act justly toward one another,
- Deuteronomy 10:18 He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.
- Jeremiah 21:12 O house of David, this is what the LORD says: ‘Administer justice every morning, and rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor, or My wrath will go forth like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it because of their evil deeds.
- Luke 11:42 Woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.
- James 2:13 For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Leviticus 19:35 You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume.
- Isaiah 58:6 Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke?