Zechariah 7:13 kjv
Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:
Zechariah 7:13 nkjv
Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen," says the LORD of hosts.
Zechariah 7:13 niv
"?'When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,' says the LORD Almighty.
Zechariah 7:13 esv
"As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear," says the LORD of hosts,
Zechariah 7:13 nlt
"Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
Zechariah 7 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prov 1:24-28 | "Because I have called and you refused to listen... Then they will call on me, but I will not answer..." | God's warning of unheeded calls due to refusal to listen. |
| Isa 1:15 | "When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen." | God ignores prayers from disobedient hands. |
| Jer 7:13-16 | "And now, because you have done all these works, says the LORD, and I spoke to you... but you did not hear, therefore I will do to this house... And as for you, do not pray for this people..." | Direct parallel to Zech 7:13, consequences of not hearing. |
| Jer 11:11 | "Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them which they will not be able to escape; though they cry to Me, I will not listen to them." | God will not hear the disobedient in disaster. |
| 1 Sam 8:18 | "And in that day you will cry out because of your king... but the LORD will not answer you in that day." | God's silence when people face consequences of their choices. |
| Psa 18:41 | "They cried for help, but there was none to save them; even to the LORD, but He did not answer them." | Disobedient pleas go unanswered. |
| Jer 14:12 | "When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them." | God rejects religious rituals without obedience. |
| Deut 28:15 | "But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God... all these curses shall come upon you." | Covenant curses for disobedience, implying withdrawal of favor. |
| Deut 6:3 | "Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do it, that it may go well with you..." | Emphasis on hearing (obeying) for blessing. |
| Amos 8:11-12 | "Behold, days are coming... when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread... but of hearing the words of the LORD." | A severe judgment: famine of God's word. |
| 2 Chron 33:10-11 | "The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So the LORD brought against them the commanders of the army..." | Consequences for ignoring God's word. |
| Psa 66:18 | "If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear." | Personal sin hinders answered prayer. |
| Isa 59:2 | "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." | Sin as a barrier to God's hearing. |
| Micah 3:4 | "Then they will cry to the LORD, but He will not answer them; He will even hide His face from them at that time..." | Similar theme of God hiding His face and not answering. |
| Prov 28:9 | "If anyone turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination." | Ignoring God's law makes prayer unacceptable. |
| Hos 8:1 | "Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law." | Breaking covenant leads to judgment. |
| John 9:31 | "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, God listens to him." | New Testament affirmation: God hears the obedient. |
| 2 Cor 6:2 | "Behold, now is 'the acceptable time,' behold, now is 'the day of salvation.'" | Urgency of responding to God's call in the present. |
| Luke 13:25 | "When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door... you will begin to stand outside and knock... saying, ‘Lord, open for us,’ He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’" | Parable illustrating a closed door to late petitioners. |
| Matt 7:21-23 | "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father..." | Professing belief is insufficient without obedience. |
| Rom 2:4-6 | "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience... but by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath..." | Warning against despising God's patience and continued refusal to hear. |
| Heb 3:7-8 | "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion...'" | Exhortation not to harden hearts to God's voice, citing Old Testament rebellion. |
Zechariah 7 verses
Zechariah 7 13 Meaning
Zechariah 7:13 presents a divine principle of reciprocity rooted in covenant relationship: as the people of Israel previously ignored God's calls to obedience delivered through His prophets, so too, when they later cried out to Him in distress, God declared He would not hear their pleas. This verse emphasizes the dire consequences of persistent disobedience and the reciprocal nature of divine interaction based on responsiveness to His word. It underscores that true hearing involves not just listening, but active obedience, and that neglecting God's instructions results in a forfeiture of His favorable attention and intervention when sought.
Zechariah 7 13 Context
Zechariah 7 opens with a delegation from Bethel sending people to the Jerusalem priests and prophets to inquire whether they should continue observing the fast of the fifth month, commemorating the destruction of the Temple (2 Kgs 25:8-9). This inquiry takes place about two years after the recommencement of Temple building (Zech 1:1, Hag 1:1), prompting a question about whether mourning was still appropriate amidst renewed hope. The Lord responds not by directly answering their fast-related question, but by addressing the true essence of worship and obedience. He highlights that their previous fasts were self-serving, not for Him (Zech 7:5-6). Instead, God calls them to ethical and covenantal living—practicing justice, showing mercy, and refraining from oppression (Zech 7:9-10). Zechariah 7:13 immediately follows God’s description of His prior dealings with their ancestors, where they "refused to pay attention and stubbornly shrugged their shoulders and stopped their ears that they might not hear" (Zech 7:11). The verse thus serves as the direct consequence of that prolonged rebellion and the culmination of their ancestors' refusal to heed the prophets' messages from God. Historically, this relates to the period of the Babylonian exile and its causes, setting a strong precedent for the returned exiles.
Zechariah 7 13 Word analysis
- And it came to pass that: This phrase introduces a divine, unchangeable, and just consequence, connecting it as a direct result of previous actions. It highlights the certainty of the outcome.
- as he called (כאשר קרא – ka'ăšer qara'):
- qara' means "to call, summon, proclaim, invite." Here, it refers to God's persistent summoning and proclaiming of His word through His prophets throughout the history of Israel (e.g., Jer 7:25). It implies God’s initiative in seeking communication and relationship.
- "He" refers to the LORD, the speaker mentioned later, but acting through His messengers.
- and they would not hear:
- "Hear" (שמע – shama') in biblical context means far more than just perceiving sound; it encompasses listening attentively, understanding, and most crucially, obeying (Deut 6:3-4). This phrase signifies willful, defiant disobedience and rejection of God's commands.
- "They" refers to the people of Israel, specifically their ancestors, whose example of disobedience serves as a warning.
- so they called:
- This refers to the people crying out to God when facing distress, calamity, or in times of need (e.g., during exile, Judges 3:9, Jer 14:12). It implies a plea for divine intervention or deliverance.
- and I would not hear:
- God's reciprocal action. This is a punitive consequence, a direct mirroring of their earlier refusal. He withdraws His responsiveness from those who withdrew their obedience from Him. It is not an arbitrary act but a just consequence for their hardening of hearts (Zech 7:11-12).
- saith the LORD of hosts:
- "The LORD of hosts" (יהוה צבאות – Yahweh Sebaoth) is a title emphasizing God's omnipotence, His sovereignty over all creation, heavenly armies, and nations. It adds absolute authority and weight to this divine pronouncement, making it an unchallengeable declaration of divine justice and certainty.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- as he called, and they would not hear: This forms the premise – God's earnest attempts to communicate His will, met with stubborn and willful refusal from His people. It establishes the initial act of rejection that sets the stage for the consequence.
- so they called, and I would not hear: This is the divine retribution – the consequence that mirrors the initial action. God’s non-response is a just judgment for the people's persistent disengagement and disobedience to His earlier calls. The divine principle of reciprocity is explicitly articulated here.
- saith the LORD of hosts: This powerful concluding phrase underscores the immutable authority behind the declaration. It confirms that this principle is not a human observation but a direct, authoritative decree from the sovereign God, making the consequence undeniable and final within that context of disobedience.
Zechariah 7 13 Bonus section
The legal concept reflected in Zechariah 7:13 is that of lex talionis (law of retaliation or reciprocal justice), though in a spiritual sense rather than physical. It is an "eye for an eye" not in vengeance but in consequence for the spiritual neglect. God acts in kind, withdrawing His attentive presence and favor as they had withdrawn their obedient attention. This divine reciprocity underscores the covenantal framework: blessings follow obedience, and curses (including divine silence) follow disobedience (Deut 28). The Hebrew word shama (hear/obey) is foundational to Israel's identity and covenant relationship, as seen in the Shema (Deut 6:4), emphasizing that a failure to shama in one direction fundamentally impairs the reciprocal shama in the other. This verse implicitly debunks superficial religiosity that separates ritual (like fasting) from ethical obedience.
Zechariah 7 13 Commentary
Zechariah 7:13 serves as a pivotal summary of God's dealing with Israel, particularly regarding their exile. It articulates a stark principle: the refusal to hear and obey God's word inevitably leads to God’s refusal to hear the people's pleas. This verse challenges the notion of a one-sided covenant, where people could ignore God's commands yet expect His unwavering assistance. It reveals that the Lord of hosts, being just, maintains a consistent standard of interaction. His responsiveness is linked to human responsibility. When Israel stubbornly stopped their ears and hearts to His prophets (Zech 7:11-12), they severed the interactive connection necessary for their prayers to be effective. Consequently, in their future distress—such as the very exile they experienced and from which some returned—their cries to God met with divine silence. The verse stresses the seriousness of rejecting God’s spoken word and foreshadows the need for true repentance, where "hearing" moves beyond mere auditory perception to wholehearted obedience. This principle holds for individuals and communities: neglect of God's counsel in prosperity can lead to abandonment in adversity.Practical usage example: If a community continually ignores calls for social justice and compassion (like those in Zechariah 7:9-10) but then prays for relief from societal turmoil or economic hardship, Zechariah 7:13 indicates a disconnect; genuine obedience must precede expectations of divine intervention.