Zechariah 13:4 kjv
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
Zechariah 13:4 nkjv
"And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive.
Zechariah 13:4 niv
"On that day every prophet will be ashamed of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet's garment of hair in order to deceive.
Zechariah 13:4 esv
"On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive,
Zechariah 13:4 nlt
"On that day people will be ashamed to claim the prophetic gift. No one will pretend to be a prophet by wearing prophet's clothes.
Zechariah 13 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Zechariah 13:2 | "And it shall come to pass in that day," declares the LORD of hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols from her land, and they shall be remembered no more. And I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land." | Parallel prophetic declaration, Idols/falsehood removed |
| Micah 5:12 | "I will also cut off the witchcrafts out of your hand; You shall not have any more soothsayers." | Removal of divination practices |
| Isaiah 8:19 | "And when they say, “Seek to mediums and to spiritists who chirp and whisper,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?" | Condemnation of spiritism |
| Deuteronomy 18:10-12 | "There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you." | Prohibition of divination and occult practices |
| Revelation 18:23 | "and the light of a lamp will not shine again in you, nor will the voice of a bridegroom or bride be heard in you again, for your merchants were the great men of the earth, by your sorcery all nations were led astray." | Sorcery and deception in final judgment |
| 1 Kings 18:40 | "And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there." | Execution of false prophets |
| Jeremiah 23:32 | "Behold, I am against those who prophesy falsehoods," declares the LORD, "and when they tell them, they lead my people astray by their lies and by their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them; they do not profit this people at all," declares the LORD. | Condemnation of lying prophets |
| Ezekiel 13:3 | "Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!" | Denunciation of false prophets |
| Matthew 7:15 | "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." | Warning against false prophets |
| Acts 16:16-18 | A spirit of divination possessed a slave girl, and Paul cast it out. | Deliverance from spirit of divination |
| 1 John 4:1 | "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." | Discernment of true and false prophecy |
| Romans 11:26 | "and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written, 'The deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob;'" | Future salvation and removal of ungodliness |
| Acts 5:3-4 | Ananias and Sapphira's lie to the Holy Spirit. | Deception in spiritual matters |
| Isaiah 44:25 | "who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners, who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish," | God's power over false divination |
| Jeremiah 14:14 | "Then the LORD said to me: “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in my name. I have not sent them: I have not commanded them nor spoken to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless and misleading, and the deceit of their own minds." | False prophets prophesy in God's name |
| Ezekiel 22:28 | "Her prophets have smeared whitewash on them, seeing false visions and prophesying lies to them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD has not spoken." | False prophets hiding sin/deception |
| Acts 8:9-11 | Simon the sorcerer, claiming great power from God. | Deception through supposed spiritual power |
| Revelation 21:8 | "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." | Final judgment on sorcerers/liars |
| Psalm 46:9 | "He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire!" | God's ultimate peace and judgment |
| Philippians 3:18-19 | Warning against enemies of the cross, often characterized by seeking earthly things and deception. | Warning against deceitful spiritual paths |
Zechariah 13 verses
Zechariah 13 4 Meaning
This verse speaks of the elimination of false prophecy and divination in the future restoration. The prophets, whose practice was a source of deception and idolatry, will be purged from the land. This removal signifies a clean break from past apostasy and a return to true spiritual leadership.
Zechariah 13 4 Context
This verse is found in Zechariah chapter 13, a pivotal chapter concerning purification and restoration in anticipation of the Messianic age. The immediate context leading up to this verse deals with the cleansing of the land from sin and idolatry, specifically mentioning the removal of "the names of the idols" and "the prophets and the unclean spirit." Zechariah is speaking to a post-exilic community that struggled with spiritual defilement and a return to idolatry. The prophecy envisions a future time when all vestiges of false worship and spiritual deception will be eradicated, preparing the way for God's people to experience genuine fellowship with Him. This cleansing is presented as a necessary precursor to the establishment of God's kingdom on earth, where true spiritual discernment and leadership will prevail. The broader historical context involves Israel's ongoing battle against surrounding pagan practices that often involved divination and various forms of sorcery, which were strictly forbidden by God's law.
Zechariah 13 4 Word Analysis
"And": (Hebrew: וְ - wə) - A conjunctive particle, linking this verse to the preceding declaration of cleansing.
"it shall come to pass": (Hebrew: וְהָיָה - wə-hāyāh) - A common formula introducing a future event or state.
"in that day": (Hebrew: בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא - bay-yōm ha-hū') - A prophetic idiom referring to a specific, future time of divine intervention and fulfillment, often the Messianic age or eschatological events.
"I will also cause": (Hebrew: גַּם־אֲנִי אַשְׁמִיד - gam-ʼăni ʼašmîḏ) - The pronoun "I" emphasizes God's direct agency in this act of destruction or ruin. "To cause to perish" or "destroy."
"the prophets": (Hebrew: הַנְּבִיאִים - ha-nĕḇîʼîm) - Refers to those who claimed to speak for God, but in this context, specifically the false prophets.
"to prophesy": (Hebrew: לְנַבֵּא - lə-nabbēʼ) - The verb from which "prophet" derives, meaning to speak forth, to declare. Here it is in the negative construction with the verb of destruction.
"and": (Hebrew: וְ - wə) - Conjunction.
"the lying": (Hebrew: שֶׁקֶר - šeⱠqěr) - Falsehood, a lie, deception.
"spirit": (Hebrew: רוּחַ - rūḥ) - Breath, wind, spirit. In this context, referring to the spiritual influence or power behind false prophecy.
"to be cut off": (Hebrew: לְהִכָּרֵת - lə-hi kkārēⱠṯ) - A passive infinitive, meaning to be severed, removed, exterminated. This highlights the definitive and absolute removal.
"from the land": (Hebrew: מִן־הָאָרֶץ - min-hāʼāreṣ) - Indicates the thoroughness of the removal; these false spiritual influences will be absent from the renewed land.
"and": (Hebrew: וְ - wə) - Conjunction.
"I will also cause": (Hebrew: גַּם־אֲנִי אַשְׁמִיד - gam-ʼăni ʼašmîḏ) - Similar to the previous instance, emphasizing divine destruction.
"to perish": (Hebrew: לְהִשְׁמִיד - lə-hišmîḏ) - To destroy, annihilate, cause to be ruined.
"every": (Hebrew: כָּל־ - kol-) - Signifying totality or completeness.
"uncleanness": (Hebrew: טֻמְאָה - ṭumʼāh) - Ceremonial or moral impurity, defilement. This links the false prophets to a state of spiritual uncleanness.
"that": (Hebrew: אֲשֶׁר - ʼăšer) - Relative pronoun.
"is in": (Hebrew: בָּהּ - bāh) - "In her" or "in it," referring to the land.
Zechariah 13 4 Bonus Section
The "lying spirit" (רוּחַ שֶׁקֶר - rūḥaḥ šeⱠqěr*) mentioned here is personified in the prophetic literature. In 1 Kings 22:22, a "lying spirit" goes out and suggests how to deceive King Ahab through his prophets. This verse in Zechariah confirms that God is sovereign over these deceptive spirits, capable of both their deployment for judgment and their eradication during restoration. The destruction of false prophets is directly linked to the establishment of a pure remnant who will seek and hear God's true word. This thorough cleansing is a prerequisite for the arrival of the true Shepherd and the flock described later in Zechariah chapter 13. The absolute removal anticipates a spiritual atmosphere characterized by truth, unmediated by human deceit.
Zechariah 13 4 Commentary
Zechariah 13:4, continuing the theme of purification, declares the complete annihilation of false prophecy and the lying spirit from the land. This signifies a divine intervention that will purge all spiritual deception. The prophets who uttered falsehoods, empowered by a deceptive spirit, will be eradicated. This is not merely the silencing of individual false prophets but the elimination of the very phenomenon of false prophecy and its originating spirit. This act of divine destruction is comprehensive, ensuring that no trace of uncleanness associated with such practices remains. It represents a radical spiritual renewal, establishing an environment where God's truth alone prevails. This aligns with the broader biblical narrative of God establishing a covenant people cleansed from idolatry and deception, culminating in the ultimate cleansing under the Messiah, who embodies truth and confronts all forms of spiritual falsehood.