Zechariah 13 9

Zechariah 13:9 kjv

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Zechariah 13:9 nkjv

I will bring the one?third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; And each one will say, 'The LORD is my God.' "

Zechariah 13:9 niv

This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'?"

Zechariah 13:9 esv

And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are my people'; and they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"

Zechariah 13:9 nlt

I will bring that group through the fire
and make them pure.
I will refine them like silver
and purify them like gold.
They will call on my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, 'These are my people,'
and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"

Zechariah 13 9 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Zechariah 13:9"...they will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are my people'; and they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'"Fulfillment of covenant relationship
Isaiah 56:7"...my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."Universal prayer
Jeremiah 31:33"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel... I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people."New Covenant prophesied
Hosea 1:10"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea..."God's enduring people
Joel 2:32"And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."Universal salvation through calling on God
Acts 2:21"And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."New Testament fulfillment
Romans 10:13"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."Universal salvation through calling on God
1 Corinthians 6:19"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?"Believers as God's temple
Ephesians 2:19"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household."Identity in God's household
1 Peter 2:9"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."Holy nation and possession of God
Revelation 21:3"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.'"God dwelling with His people
Malachi 3:3"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings in righteousness."God as refiner
Hebrews 12:29"for our God is a consuming fire."God's purifying presence
Psalm 50:15"call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."God answers calls
Psalm 12:6"The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times."God's words are pure
John 1:12"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,"Becoming God's children
Romans 9:25-26Quoting Hosea 2:23, "...and I will call them my people, who were not my people..."Calling non-Jews God's people
Galatians 3:28"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."Unity in Christ
1 Corinthians 10:17"Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread."Unity of believers
Titus 2:14"...who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."Christ purifies His people

Zechariah 13 verses

Zechariah 13 9 Meaning

This verse speaks of purification. It describes a refining process for the remnant of Israel. God will deal with sin within His people, bringing about a transformation. This cleansing leads to a genuine relationship with God, where they will call upon Him, and He will answer them.

Zechariah 13 9 Context

Zechariah chapter 13 foretells a period of great purification for Israel. It begins with the establishment of a fountain for cleansing from sin. This is followed by the removal of false prophets and idolatrous practices. Verse 9, placed at the end of this chapter, describes the positive outcome of this sifting. It looks beyond immediate judgment to a future restoration and a genuine relationship with God for a remnant. Historically, this speaks to the post-exilic community but has broader implications for God's people throughout history, particularly the spiritual Israel of the New Covenant.

Zechariah 13 9 Word analysis

  • וְהָיָה (və·hō·wāy·hî): "And it shall come to pass." Future-oriented conjunction indicating a sequence of events or a culmination.

  • כֹּל (kōl): "all" or "every." Emphasizes universality within the defined group.

  • אֹדֶם (’ŏ·dɛm): This word is actually rendered as "red" or "crimson" in some contexts. However, in this specific verse, it appears in a different form. The more accurate Hebrew here is עַמִּּים (’am·mîm) - "peoples," meaning nations or populace, referring to the people of Israel who have gone astray and need purification.

  • וְיִצְרוּ (wə·yiṣ·rō·w): "and they will be refined" or "sifted." From the root tsaraph (צוּר) meaning to refine, melt, smelt. This signifies intense testing and purification, like metals in a furnace.

  • אֶת־ (’ɛt-): A direct object marker.

  • הַנִּשָּׂרִים (han·niś·’ā·rîm): "the survivors" or "those left." Refers to the remnant who will endure the tribulation and purification. From the root nadah (נותר) to remain over.

  • בָּהֶם (bā·hɛm): "in them." Refers to the remnant of the people.

  • וְאָמַרְתִּי (wə·’ā·mar·tî): "and I will say." God's direct affirmation and declaration.

  • הוּא (hū): "he" or "it."

  • עַמִּי (’am·mî): "my people." A declaration of possession and covenant relationship.

  • וְהֵם (wə·hēm): "and they."

  • יֹאמְרוּ (yō·’ə·rū): "will say." The response of the purified people.

  • יְהוָה (YHWH): "the Lord." God's personal covenant name.

  • אֱלֹהַי (’ĕ·lō·hăy): "my God." Personal affirmation of faith and relationship.

  • Group of words analysis:

    • "will be refined, them": "וְיִצְרוּ אֶת־הַנִּשָּׂרִים בָּהֶם" - highlights God's active role in testing and purifying the surviving portion of His people.
    • "I will say, 'They are my people'; and they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'": "וְאָמַרְתִּי הוּא עַמִּי וְהֵם יֹאמְרוּ יְהוָה אֱלֹהַי" - this is the reciprocal covenant affirmation, the essence of restored relationship after purification.

Zechariah 13 9 Bonus Section

This verse anticipates the work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate refiner and purifier of His people through His atoning sacrifice and the indwelling Holy Spirit. The spiritual "fountain" opened in Zechariah 13:1 speaks directly to the cleansing blood of Christ available for all who repent and believe. The affirmation "they will call on my name, and I will answer them" echoes throughout the New Testament as the core of Christian prayer and assurance of salvation. It emphasizes intimacy and accessibility to God, granted through Christ. The transformation described moves beyond national identity to spiritual identity, where inclusion in God’s people is based on faith in Him.

Zechariah 13 9 Commentary

Zechariah 13:9 culminates the prophetic vision of Israel's cleansing. The phrase "refined, them" points to an arduous but necessary process of purification. This is not a mild inconvenience but a trial by fire, separating the true from the false, the faithful from the faithless. Those who remain—the "survivors"—are those who have endured this refining. The verse then pivots to the blessed outcome: a mutual declaration of covenant belonging. God emphatically claims them as "my people," and in turn, they wholeheartedly claim Him as "my God." This signifies a relationship not based on mere outward observance but on an inner transformation and devoted loyalty, characteristic of the New Covenant promised by God.