Zechariah 7:6 kjv
And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
Zechariah 7:6 nkjv
When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves?
Zechariah 7:6 niv
And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?
Zechariah 7:6 esv
And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?
Zechariah 7:6 nlt
And even now in your holy festivals, aren't you eating and drinking just to please yourselves?
Zechariah 7 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Zechariah 7:6 | And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves? | Zec 7:5-7 |
| Isaiah 58:3 | Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. | Isa 58:3 |
| Amos 5:21-23 | I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell your sacred assemblies... But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. | Amos 5:21-23 |
| Jeremiah 14:12 | When they fast, I will not hear their crying, and when they offer a burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: for I will consume them by the sword, by their famine, and by their pestilence. | Jer 14:12 |
| Matthew 6:16 | Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. | Matt 6:16 |
| Psalm 51:16-17 | For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. | Psa 51:16-17 |
| Hosea 6:6 | For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. | Hos 6:6 |
| Mark 7:6-9 | He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. | Mark 7:6-9 |
| Colossians 2:22 | Which all are to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men. | Col 2:22 |
| Romans 12:1 | I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. | Rom 12:1 |
| 1 Corinthians 6:20 | For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. | 1 Cor 6:20 |
| Galatians 5:6 | For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. | Gal 5:6 |
| 1 John 2:4 | He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. | 1 John 2:4 |
| John 14:15 | If ye love me, keep my commandments. | John 14:15 |
| Isaiah 1:11-17 | To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD... Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. | Isa 1:11-17 |
| Jeremiah 7:21-23 | Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh... For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them, in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. | Jer 7:21-23 |
| Leviticus 26:41-42 | And that their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and that they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Both because, that they have rejected my statutes, and because, even because their iniquities after them, they have offended against them in walking contrary to me; I also will walk contrary unto them in fury; and I will bring them into the land of their enemies; and then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they accept of the punishment of their iniquity: | Lev 26:41-42 |
| Deuteronomy 10:16 | Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. | Deut 10:16 |
| 1 Samuel 15:22 | And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. | 1 Sam 15:22 |
| Psalm 40:6 | Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. | Psa 40:6 |
Zechariah 7 verses
Zechariah 7 6 Meaning
Zechariah 7:6 asks a rhetorical question directed at the people who claimed to be fasting and mourning for the Lord. It implies their religious practices are not genuine or acceptable to God because their hearts are not aligned with His will. The question challenges the sincerity and purpose behind their observance, suggesting it's a perfunctory ritual rather than a heartfelt expression of repentance and obedience.
Zechariah 7 6 Context
This verse occurs in the context of a delegation from Bethel asking the prophet Zechariah whether they should continue to mourn and separate themselves during the fifth and seventh months, observing fasts instituted after the destruction of Jerusalem. Zechariah, through divine instruction, is to relay God's message. The previous verses (7:4-5) establish that the fasts were indeed for the people, implying a focus on their own grief and traditions. This question in verse 6 probes the motive and practice behind these observed fasts. Historically, these fasts were likely related to the commemoration of significant tragic events during the Babylonian exile, such as the destruction of the temple. The question from Zechariah highlights that God was not necessarily seeking the outward performance of the fast, but a genuine heart change and a commitment to righteousness in their daily lives. The nation had a long history of religious hypocrisy, performing rituals without true devotion.
Zechariah 7 6 Word Analysis
"And when": Introduces the condition or circumstance under examination.
"ye did eat": Refers to the regular consumption of food and drink, the activities of daily life.
"and when": Repeats the conjunction to include the act of drinking.
"ye did drink": Encompasses the refreshment and sustenance derived from beverages.
"did not ye eat": A rhetorical question formulated negatively to emphasize the affirmative implication, common in Hebrew questioning for certainty. The implied answer is "yes, you did eat."
"for yourselves": This is the key phrase. In Hebrew, it's likely לָכֶם (lachem), meaning "for yourselves" or "to yourselves." It highlights selfishness, self-gratification, or a focus on personal needs and desires, rather than on God or others. The implication is that their eating and drinking, and by extension their fasting, were ultimately for their own benefit or comfort, not out of true spiritual concern.
Group of words - "did not ye eat for yourselves?": This entire phrase functions as a rhetorical challenge. It’s designed to provoke self-reflection. The people were observing religious fasts, ostensibly for God, but Zechariah points out that their ordinary, daily activities – eating and drinking – were done purely out of self-interest. This contrast implies that their fasting might also have been motivated by self-interest or a lack of true devotion, rendering the fast unacceptable to God.
Zechariah 7 6 Bonus Section
The context implies that God was concerned with the internal state of the people more than their external practices. Their fasting, which was supposed to be an act of repentance and seeking God, was hollow if their hearts remained unchanged. The verse, when read alongside Zechariah 7:5-7, criticizes the lack of genuine sorrow for sin that led to the nation's exile. The prophets consistently called for justice and mercy (e.g., Isaiah 58, Amos 5), pointing out that God despised rituals performed without true righteousness. This emphasis on inner devotion over mere outward performance is a recurring theme in both the Old and New Testaments, underscoring God's desire for a heart transformation. The fasting they practiced, if done for personal gain or show, would be considered hypocrisy, which Jesus also strongly condemned.
Zechariah 7 6 Commentary
God is addressing the superficiality of Israel's fasting. The people were outwardly observing religious rituals (fasts) but inwardly driven by self-interest in their daily lives. The question challenges their sincerity, implying that their fasting was not for God's honor or with a contrite heart, but perhaps to gain divine favor or to fulfill a societal expectation without genuine spiritual transformation. This highlights the biblical principle that outward religious actions are meaningless if not accompanied by an inner disposition of love for God and obedience to His commands, a concept deeply explored throughout Scripture.