Zechariah 12:2 kjv
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:2 nkjv
"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:2 niv
"I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:2 esv
"Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah.
Zechariah 12:2 nlt
I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah.
Zechariah 12 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Zechariah 12:3 | "and when Jerusalem is attacked, it will be as if the attackers are dazed and blinded." | Continuation of judgment |
| Psalm 11:6 | "Let rain coals fall on the wicked; fire and sulfur and scorching wind be their lot." | Divine judgment described |
| Isaiah 51:17, 22 | "Awake, awake, and arise, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; the goblet of staggering you have drunk, you have drained it. For this the city's oppressors will be overthrown." | Lord's judgment on His people/nations |
| Jeremiah 25:15-17 | "For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to me: 'Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. They will drink and be stunned and go mad because of the sword that I am sending among them.' ... Thus I made them drink from the cup." | Imagery of God's wrath |
| Jeremiah 49:12 | "For thus says the LORD: 'Behold, those who were to escape death shall not escape it, and those who were to escape the sword shall not escape the sword.'" | Assurance of inescapable judgment |
| Isaiah 51:23 | "But I will lay it on the neck of those who afflict you, who say to you, ‘Bow down that we may pass over.’ And you bowed your bodies to the ground and to my hand, to make them pass over; but I will likewise repay your neck." | Retribution upon oppressors |
| Revelation 14:8 | "and another angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.”" | Idolatrous nations made to drink |
| Revelation 16:19 | "Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath." | God's wrath's cup |
| Revelation 18:6 | "Pay her back as she also has paid, and for her sins, doubly; mix a double portion for her in the cup from which she mixes." | Judgment of "Babylon" |
| Psalm 75:8 | "For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foam not yet mixed; he pours from it, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down and drain it." | Imagery of God's judgment |
| Lamentations 4:21 | "Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz; but the cup shall pass to you also; you shall become drunk and be stripped bare." | Judgment upon nations |
| Nahum 3:11 | "You too will become drunk; you will seek refuge from the enemy." | Judgment upon Nineveh |
| Jeremiah 51:7 | "Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD's hand, making the whole earth drunk; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad." | Babylon as a corrupting agent |
| Romans 11:8 | "as it is written, 'God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see, and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.'" | Spiritual blindness imposed |
| 2 Corinthians 4:3 | "And if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing." | Veiled gospel |
| John 12:40 | "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I heal them.”" | God's blinding for judgment |
| 2 Thessalonians 2:11 | "Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false," | Sending a spirit of delusion |
| Genesis 49:24 | "...but his bow remained a strong and his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel..." | Blessing on Joseph, contrasted |
| Deuteronomy 32:42 | "I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, from the blood of the slain and the captives, from the leaders of the enemy." | God's judgment on enemies |
| Isaiah 13:4-5 | "The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for war. They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land." | God's armies for destruction |
| Revelation 19:15 | "From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty." | Christ's judgment with His word |
Zechariah 12 verses
Zechariah 12 2 Meaning
This verse describes the ultimate judgment upon all nations surrounding Jerusalem. It declares that the Lord will make Jerusalem like a "cup of staggering" or a "bowl of trembling." This signifies a complete discomfiture and intoxication, causing those who drink from it (the nations) to be overwhelmed and lose their balance. It portrays a state of extreme distress and chaos inflicted by God upon His enemies when they attack Jerusalem. The image emphasizes the utter devastation and incapacitation these nations will experience due to God's direct intervention.
Zechariah 12 2 Context
This verse is part of Zechariah's prophecy concerning the final conflict surrounding Jerusalem and the ultimate establishment of God's kingdom. Chapter 11 concludes with Zechariah lamenting the rejection of the good shepherd and the coming destruction of his flock. Chapter 12 opens with a pronouncement of God's sovereign power over all nations, focusing specifically on their opposition to Jerusalem. The historical context for Zechariah would have been the post-exilic period, with the rebuilding of the Temple and the Jewish people facing ongoing external pressures and internal spiritual struggles. This prophecy, however, looks forward to a future, climactic confrontation. The passage depicts a scene where the surrounding nations gather against Jerusalem with hostile intent, a recurring theme throughout Israel's history, but here portrayed in aeschatological terms, referring to the final days. The prophecy is a promise of God's direct intervention and defense of His chosen city and people.
Zechariah 12 2 Word Analysis
- HINNEH (הִנֵּה):
- Meaning: Behold, Look, Lo.
- Significance: An interjection used to draw attention emphatically to what follows. It signals an important declaration or revelation.
- EMOR (אמר):
- Meaning: To say, To speak.
- Significance: Indicates that God is the one speaking, conveying His decree.
- Adonai (אֲדֹנָי):
- Meaning: Lord, my Lord.
- Significance: A name of God indicating sovereignty and mastership. It is a title of reverence and authority.
- BA' (בָּא):
- Meaning: To come, To arrive.
- Significance: Denotes the coming of the nations to Jerusalem for attack.
- LAYOTS’erîm (לְיֹוצְרִים):
- Meaning: For the ones making, the artisans, the potters. (Derived from YATSAR - יָצַר).
- Word Analysis: This root YATSAR (יָצַר) signifies to form, to fashion, to mold.
- Significance: Used metaphorically, referring to the nations as being molded or shaped by God, but in this context, as created beings under His dominion and subject to His judgment. It can also subtly refer to God as the Potter who shapes both clay and destiny.
- QOFISAT-MA'ADDAH (קָפִיצַת־מַעַדָּה):
- Meaning: A cup of staggering, a cup of trembling, a bowl of stumbling.
- Word Analysis: QOFISAT (קָפִיצַת) comes from QAPHA (קָפַץ), meaning to leap, to be startled, to clench. MA'ADDAH (מַעַדָּה) comes from 'UAD (עוּד), meaning to stagger, to tremble, to slip.
- Significance: This is a powerful metaphor for severe intoxication, disorientation, and utter helplessness. It signifies God pouring out divine wrath that incapacitates. The nations will be utterly destabilized by God's judgment, unable to stand.
- UMLAQATIVEM (וּמִלַּקְתִּים):
- Meaning: And I will make them drink it, and drain it.
- Word Analysis: Comes from L'Qat (לָקַט) meaning to gather, to reap, to gather up, to take in.
- Significance: Implies a thorough and complete imbibing of the destructive cup, leaving nothing remaining. God's judgment will be fully administered.
- Eth-ha'ARETS (אֶת־הָאָרֶץ):
- Meaning: The earth, the land.
- Significance: Can refer to the physical land of Judea or the broader inhabited world, emphasizing the comprehensive scope of God's judgment upon all nations involved.
- Le'ishitsoot (לְהָשׁוּס):
- Meaning: To cause to stumble, to lay waste, to ruin.
- Word Analysis: From the root SHUS (שׁוּס) in Niphal: to be overthrown, to be utterly ruined.
- Significance: Expresses the outcome of drinking the cup of staggering – utter ruin and destruction of their power and capacity.
Zechariah 12 2 Bonus Section
The phrase "cup of staggering" is not just about drunkenness but also implies a loss of capacity to understand or reason, reflecting a spiritual blinding and hardening as prophesied elsewhere in Scripture. This is consistent with theological concepts of God allowing nations that reject Him to be consumed by their own pride and aggression, facilitated by a divine decree. The mention of "those who are craftsmen" or "artisans" can be interpreted metaphorically, suggesting that even the most skilled and resourceful nations or their leaders will be rendered useless against God's power. This divine judgment serves as a demonstration of God’s power over all earthly powers and assures His people that their ultimate security is found in Him, not in human alliances or might.
Zechariah 12 2 Commentary
Zechariah 12:2 unequivocally declares God's sovereign hand in the future downfall of hostile nations arrayed against Jerusalem. The imagery of a "cup of staggering" vividly portrays the complete disorientation and incapacitation that God will inflict upon these enemies. This isn't merely a prediction of defeat but a statement of divine intervention that renders them utterly powerless. The nations themselves are presented as being "made" or "formed" by the divine Potter (12:2b), implying their existence and actions are ultimately under His sovereign control, subject to His judgment. The "cup" is a recurring symbol of God's wrath throughout Scripture, dispensed to nations and individuals who oppose Him. This verse promises that when these hostile powers gather against Jerusalem, God Himself will administer this cup of divine fury, ensuring their utter destruction and the preservation of His people and His holy city. This speaks to God's ultimate victory and the protection He provides for those who trust in Him, even in the face of overwhelming opposition. It emphasizes that human plans against God's purposes are futile, as He ultimately determines the fate of nations.