Zechariah 7 6

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 verses

Zechariah 7 6 Meaning

Zechariah 7:6 interrogates the self-centered motive behind the people's religious observances, particularly their acts of eating and drinking. It poses a rhetorical question, challenging whether their activities were truly for God or solely for their own gratification, implying that they were indeed self-serving rather than God-honoring. This verse encapsulates the divine disapproval of religious rituals performed without sincere devotion or genuine heart.

Zechariah 7 6 Context

Zechariah chapter 7 begins with a delegation from Bethel sending men to Jerusalem, asking the priests and prophets whether they should continue the traditional fasts observing the destruction of the temple, which had occurred seventy years prior (7:1-3). The people had been observing these fasts during their exile. In response, the LORD, through Zechariah, exposes their deeply flawed motivation. Instead of directly answering the question about the fasts, God reveals that their past religious observances—including both their fasts (7:5) and their feasting (7:6)—were not truly for Him but for themselves. This immediate verse follows the question about fasting, expanding the critique to include even their moments of celebration, revealing a consistent self-orientation. The subsequent verses (7:8-10) outline what God truly desires: justice, mercy, and compassion, highlighting the ethical requirements over mere ritual.

Zechariah 7 6 Word analysis

• And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink,
  • And (וְ - ve): A simple conjunction, connecting this thought to the preceding discussion on fasting. It suggests that the problem of self-centeredness extends beyond just their periods of fasting to their times of feasting as well.
  • ye did eat (אֲכַלְתֶּם - akaltem): From the root אָכַל (’akhal), "to eat." This verb is straightforward. Its significance here is tied to the rhetorical question that follows. It's not the act of eating itself that is sinful, but the underlying motivation.
  • ye did drink (שָׁתִיתֶם - shatitem): From the root שָׁתָה (shatah), "to drink." Similar to 'eat', the act is neutral; its moral character is determined by its purpose and intention. This phrasing points to normal, everyday activities, implying that their entire existence, including celebrations, lacked proper divine orientation.
• did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
  • did not ye eat... and drink...?: This is a rhetorical question, characteristic of prophetic discourse. It implies a strong affirmative answer is expected. The prophet is not asking for information but making an emphatic declaration of their self-serving nature. The force of the Hebrew (הֲלֹא - hălōʾ) strongly conveys an "Of course you did!" or "Did you not...?"
  • for yourselves (לָכֶם - lakhem): This is the crucial phrase. Lakhem (לְ- le- 'to/for' + כֶם khem- 'you plural') starkly highlights the focus of their actions. It reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of worship and covenantal living. Their efforts, even religious ones, were geared towards personal comfort, gain, pleasure, or perhaps even perceived self-righteousness, rather than truly honoring God or loving their neighbor as a response to Him. It underscores a spiritual blindness where personal gratification replaced divine glory as the ultimate aim.

Zechariah 7 6 Bonus section

The broader implication of "for yourselves" extends to the covenant relationship. In ancient Near Eastern covenants, true loyalty involved prioritizing the suzerain (God) above one's own desires. This verse demonstrates a failure in that loyalty. The Israelites, as God's covenant people, were called to be a light to the nations, embodying His righteousness. When their eating and drinking, symbols of life and sustenance, were primarily for themselves, they fundamentally failed to live out their covenantal identity and neglected the ethical responsibilities tied to their relationship with Yahweh. This selfishness stands in stark contrast to the life of self-giving Christ would later exemplify.

Zechariah 7 6 Commentary

Zechariah 7:6 serves as a powerful divine indictment, extending the critique of their fasting (7:5) to all their eating and drinking, encompassing the full spectrum of their daily lives, whether solemn or joyful. The rhetorical question is devastatingly direct: their every action, ostensibly religious or otherwise, had been motivated by self-interest. They fasted "for yourselves," for a show of piety or out of fear, and they ate and drank "for yourselves," indulging in pleasure without genuine gratitude to God or care for His purposes.

This verse reveals a profound disconnect between outward religious performance and inward spiritual reality. True religion is characterized by God-centeredness, where every act, even the most mundane of eating and drinking, can be offered to the Lord (1 Cor 10:31). However, the exiles and those in Zechariah's time had turned their lives, including their religious rites, into expressions of human autonomy and self-satisfaction. This prophetic challenge forces a confrontation with motives, emphasizing that God judges the heart, not merely the outward action. It prepares the ground for Zechariah's subsequent call for justice, mercy, and compassion (7:9-10), indicating that these are the true "fasts" and "feasts" God desires. The lesson endures: religious observance or everyday life divorced from sincere love for God and others is empty and meaningless in God's sight.