Zechariah 7:5 kjv
Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?
Zechariah 7:5 nkjv
"Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me?for Me?
Zechariah 7:5 niv
"Ask all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?
Zechariah 7:5 esv
"Say to all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?
Zechariah 7:5 nlt
"Say to all your people and your priests, 'During these seventy years of exile, when you fasted and mourned in the summer and in early autumn, was it really for me that you were fasting?
Zechariah 7 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Zec 7:5 | Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests, Say, When you fasted and mourned...was it for me that you fasted? | Motivations for fasting |
| Isa 58:3 | "Why have we fasted, and you give no attention? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no notice?" "In the day of your fast you find your pleasure, And exact all your wages." | Hypocritical fasting |
| Joel 2:12-13 | "Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning; rend your hearts and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful..." | True repentance required |
| Matt 6:16-18 | "And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites...But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may be seen by no one... | True fasting privately done |
| Luke 18:10-14 | "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector...The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you...' But the tax collector, standing far off..." | Humility vs. self-righteousness |
| Prov 21:27 | "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when brought with evil intent." | Insincerity of offerings |
| Amos 5:21-23 | "I hate, I despise your religious festivals, your assemblies I cannot bear. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them...But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" | God's disdain for hollow worship |
| 1 Cor 6:19-20 | "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own..." | True consecration to God |
| Gal 1:10 | "For am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." | Pleasing God over men |
| Deut 10:12-13 | "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD..." | The essence of obedience |
| Psa 51:17 | "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." | God's pleasure in contrition |
| Hos 6:6 | "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." | Mercy and knowledge desired |
| Jer 7:21-23 | "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. For I did not speak to your fathers or command them on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them, 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people..." | Obedience over ritual |
| Zec 8:19 | "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be days of joy and gladness and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.'" | Future transformed fasts |
| Matt 23:27-28 | "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So also you outwardly appear righteous to others, but to you, inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." | Hypocrisy of outward piety |
| John 4:23-24 | "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." | Worship in spirit and truth |
| Acts 5:1-5 | Ananias and Sapphira's lie to the Holy Spirit about their offering. | Insincerity with consequences |
| 1 Sam 15:22 | "And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams." | Obedience as true worship |
| Isa 29:13 | "And the Lord said: "Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by all of you..." | Honor with lips, not heart |
| Zec 7:9-10 | "Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and compassion to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil in your heart against another." | True righteousness |
Zechariah 7 verses
Zechariah 7 5 Meaning
The verse 7:5 of Zechariah questions the sincerity of the people's fasting, specifically asking if it was done for God or for themselves. This probes the true motivation behind their outward religious practices during the time of mourning for Jerusalem and the Temple's destruction.
Zechariah 7 5 Context
This verse is part of Zechariah's prophecy delivered to a delegation from Bethel. They had sent representatives to the priests in Jerusalem to inquire whether they should continue the annual fasts that commemorated the destruction of the Temple and the Babylonian captivity. These fasts were instituted in memory of tragic events: the fast of the fourth month (likely commemorating the breach of Jerusalem's walls in 586 BCE, Jer 52:6-7) and the fast of the fifth month (for the destruction of the Temple, 2 Kings 25:8-10). Zechariah's message challenges the people's internal disposition, pushing beyond mere ritual observance. The historical context is the post-exilic period, a time of rebuilding, but also one where spiritual apathy could easily set in, leading to outward acts of piety devoid of true heart-change.
Zechariah 7 5 Word Analysis
and speak (wa-ʾămōr - וְאָמַר): Conjunction 'and' (waw) connected to the verb 'to say'. Indicates the next action or message following a prior directive or thought.
to all (lĕḵōl - לְכֹל): Preposition 'to' (lamed) followed by the word 'all' or 'every'. Emphasizes the universal scope of the message.
the people (ʿām - עָם): A fundamental Hebrew word meaning 'people', 'nation', or 'folk'. Here it refers to the inhabitants of the land.
of the land (hāʾāreṣ - הָאָרֶץ): Definite article 'the' (ha-) with the noun 'land' or 'earth'. Refers specifically to the land of Israel.
and to the priests (wĕʾel-hakkōhănîm - וְאֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים): Conjunction 'and' (waw), preposition 'to' (ʾel), and the definite article 'the' with the plural noun 'priests'. Denotes that the message is directed to both the common people and the priestly class.
Speak, saying (dĕbĕr - דַּבֵּר): Imperative form of the verb 'dabar', meaning 'to speak'. It commands Zechariah to deliver the message. The following "saying" (leʾmōr - לֵאמֹר) introduces the direct speech.
Did you (hāʿăśîtĕm - הֲעֲשִׂיתֶם): Interrogative particle 'ha-' indicating a question, followed by the verb 'asah' in the Qal perfect, second person masculine plural, meaning 'you did' or 'you made'.
fast (ṣôm - צוֹם): The noun meaning 'fasting' or 'fast'. Refers to a period of abstaining from food as a religious practice.
and mourn (wĕbĕʿôf - וּבְעֹף): Conjunction 'and' (waw), preposition 'in' (be-), and the noun 'grief' or 'mourning' (from root
awafrelated to weeping or mourning).these (hă · ṣūmîm - הַצֻּמִּים): Demonstrative pronoun 'these' (ha-) modifying the verbal adjective/noun 'fastings' (tsumim).
these seventy years? (šĕvîʿîm šānâ - שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה): 'Seventy' (shvaim) followed by 'year' (shanah). This references the period of the Babylonian exile.
Phrase Analysis: "when ye fasted and mourned..." (Hacithem be-tzum ubefya) - This phrase links two key actions of penitence: fasting (a bodily deprivation) and mourning (an outward expression of grief, often involving lamentation and outward signs). The inquiry connects these specific acts of religious observance.
Phrase Analysis: "did ye at all fast unto me, even unto me?" (Hacitem tzum li, gam li?) - The repetition of "unto me" (li, gam li) intensifies the question. It emphasizes the intended recipient and object of their fasting. The core of the inquiry is about the motivation: was the fasting done for God's pleasure and acknowledgment, or for some other reason?
Zechariah 7 5 Bonus Section
The seventy years mentioned in the verse directly correlate to the period of Babylonian captivity prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer 25:11-12). The delegations' inquiry reflects a complex spiritual state of the post-exilic community; they sought to remember and atone for past sins but risked turning these observances into mere tradition. Zechariah's prophecy, as seen in later verses (7:9-10, 8:19), moves from critiquing insincere practice to outlining true righteousness and the eventual transformation of these fasts into feasts of joy, emphasizing that God's favor is secured through righteous living and genuine relationship, not just ritual. The questioning echoes God's dissatisfaction with empty sacrifices found throughout the Old Testament.
Zechariah 7 5 Commentary
Zechariah is directed to confront the people about their fasts. The question "did ye at all fast unto me, even unto me?" is not asking if they physically abstained from food, but if their fasting was a genuine expression of heartfelt contrition directed towards God. The seventy years of exile were a consequence of their disobedience, yet their fasting, intended to mark this period, may have become a hollow ritual. God is concerned with the inward disposition and the genuine desire for reconciliation with Him, not merely the performance of religious duties. True worship flows from a heart focused on God, not from self-serving motives or ritualistic habits that have lost their spiritual meaning. This highlights the prophetic emphasis on sincerity, justice, and mercy over empty ritualism.