Zechariah 12:4

"It will happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples. All who burden themselves with it will be severely wounded, and all the nations of the earth will be gathered together against it."

Key Reflection

Zechariah 12:4 prophesies a time when Jerusalem will become a "burdensome stone" for the peoples of the world, a metaphor indicating that Jerusalem and its people will be a significant challenge or burden. This prophecy highlights the centrality and complexity of Jerusalem in God's plan, suggesting that it will elicit both intense conflict and profound emotional responses from surrounding nations. The imagery evokes the historical reality of Jerusalem as a place fraught with tension due to its religious significance, making it a focal point for both divine protection and human suffering.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, stupefying -Zechariah revives the words concentrated by Moses, to express the stupefaction at their ills, which God would accumulate upon His people, if they perseveringly rebelled against Him. Each expresses the intensity of the visitation. “The horse and his rider” Deut. 27:28 had, through Moses’ song at the Red Sea, become the emblem of worldly power, overthrown. That song opens; “I will sing unto the Lord; for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He cast into the sea”Exodus 15:1. The scared cavalry throws into confusion the ranks, of which it was the boast and strength.

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