Zechariah 7:3
New International Version
by asking the priests of the house of the LORD Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

New Living Translation
They were to ask this question of the prophets and the priests at the Temple of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies: “Should we continue to mourn and fast each summer on the anniversary of the Temple’s destruction, as we have done for so many years?”

English Standard Version
saying to the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

Berean Standard Bible
by asking the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts, as well as the prophets, “Should I weep and fast in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?”

King James Bible
And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

New King James Version
and to ask the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?”

New American Standard Bible
speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the LORD of armies, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and fast, as I have done these many years?”

NASB 1995
speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?”

NASB 1977
speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets saying, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?”

Legacy Standard Bible
speaking to the priests, who belong to the house of Yahweh of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?”

Amplified Bible
speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the LORD of hosts and to the prophets, saying, “[Now that I am returned from exile] shall I weep in the fifth month [mourning the destruction of the temple], and fast as I have done these many years [in Babylon]?”

Christian Standard Bible
by asking the priests who were at the house of the LORD of Armies as well as the prophets, “Should we mourn and fast in the fifth month as we have done these many years? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
by asking the priests who were at the house of the LORD of Hosts as well as the prophets, “Should we mourn and fast in the fifth month as we have done these many years?”

American Standard Version
and to speak unto the priests of the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And to say to the Priests who are in the house of LORD JEHOVAH of Hosts and to the Prophets: ”Shall I weep in the fifth month or shall I separate myself as I had done, behold, so many years?”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
speaking to the priests that were in the house of the Lord Almighty, and to the prophets, saying, The holy offering has come in hither in the fifth month, as it has done already many years.

Douay-Rheims Bible
To speak to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying: Must I weep in the fifth month, or must I sanctify myself as I have now done for many years?

English Revised Version
and to speak unto the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They asked the priests from the house of the LORD of Armies as well as the prophets, "Should we mourn and fast in the fifth month as we have done for so many years?"

Good News Translation
and to ask the priests and the prophets this question: "Should we continue to mourn because of the destruction of the Temple, by fasting in the fifth month as we have done for so many years now?"

International Standard Version
and to speak to the priests assigned to the Temple of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies along with the prophets, asking, "Am I to go about mourning, denying myself throughout the fifth month, as I have these many years?"

JPS Tanakh 1917
and to speak unto the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying: 'Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?'

Literal Standard Version
speaking to the priests who [are] at the house of YHWH of Hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Do I weep in the fifth month—being separated—as I have done these so many years?”

Majority Standard Bible
by asking the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts, as well as the prophets, “Should I weep and fast in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?”

New American Bible
and to ask the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts, and the prophets, “Must I weep and abstain in the fifth month as I have been doing these many years?”

NET Bible
by asking both the priests of the temple of the LORD who rules over all and the prophets, "Should we weep in the fifth month, fasting as we have done over the years?"

New Revised Standard Version
and to ask the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts and the prophets, “Should I mourn and practice abstinence in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

New Heart English Bible
and to speak to the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, "Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And to speak to the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

World English Bible
and to speak to the priests of the house of Yahweh of Armies and to the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?”

Young's Literal Translation
speaking unto the priests who are at the house of Jehovah of Hosts, and unto the prophets, saying, 'Do I weep in the fifth month -- being separated -- as I have done these so many years?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Call to Justice and Mercy
2Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, along with their men, to plead before the LORD 3by asking the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts, as well as the prophets, “Should I weep and fast in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?” 4Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying,…

Cross References
Ezra 3:10
When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had prescribed.

Zechariah 7:4
Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying,

Zechariah 8:19
"This is what the LORD of Hosts says: The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore you are to love both truth and peace."


Treasury of Scripture

And to speak to the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

speak.

Deuteronomy 17:9-11
And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and inquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment: …

Deuteronomy 33:10
They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.

Ezekiel 44:23,24
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean…

Should.

Zechariah 7:5
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?

Nehemiah 8:9-11
And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law…

Nehemiah 9:1-3
Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them…

fifth.

Zechariah 8:19
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.

2 Kings 25:8,9
And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: …

Jeremiah 52:12-14
Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, …

separating.

Zechariah 12:12-14
And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; …

1 Corinthians 7:5
Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

Jump to Previous
Abstain Armies Belong Fast Fifth Hosts House Month Mourn Past Priests Prophets Separated Separating Speak Speaking Weep Weeping
Jump to Next
Abstain Armies Belong Fast Fifth Hosts House Month Mourn Past Priests Prophets Separated Separating Speak Speaking Weep Weeping
Zechariah 7
1. The captives enquire concerning the set fasts.
4. Zechariah reproves the hypocrisy of their fasting.
8. Sin the cause of their captivity.














Verse 3. - The priests. They were addressed as interpreters of the Law (see Haggai 2:11, and note there). Which were in; rather, which belonged to. The prophets. Such as Zechariah, Haggai, and perhaps Malachi, through whom God communicated his will. Should I weep in the fifth month? The use of the first person singular to express a community or a people is not uncommon; here it means the Bethelites (comp. Numbers 20:18, 19; Joshua 9:7; 1 Samuel 5:10, 11). Weeping is the accompaniment of fasting (Judges 20:26; Nehemiah 1:4; Joel 2:12). This fast in the fifth month, the month of Ab, had been established in memory of the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The temple was burnt on the ninth or tenth of the month (see 2 Kings 25:8, 9; Jeremiah 52:12, 13). The only fast-day enjoined by the Law of Moses was the great Day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh month, Ethanim (Leviticus 23:26, etc.). But the Jews added others in memory of certain national events (see Judges 20:26; 1 Samuel 7:6; Isaiah 58:3, etc.). In Zechariah 8:19 mention is made of four extraordinary fasts instituted and observed during the Captivity, viz. on the ninth day of the fourth month, in memory of the capture of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans; in the fifth month, in remembrance of the burning of the temple and city; in the seventh month, in consequence of the murder of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 41:1, 2); and in the tenth month, in memory of the commencement of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (see note on ch. 8:19). Separating myself. Abstaining from food and pleasure. Vulgate, vel sanctificare me debeo, such separation or abstinence being regarded as a consecration to the Lord. The LXX. has not understood the passage, rendering, Αἰσελήλυθεν ῶδε ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῷ πέπτῳ τὸ ἁγίασμα "The sanctification hath come in here in the fifth month." These so many years. All the seventy years of exile. There is, perhaps, some Pharisaical complacency in this assertion.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
by asking
לֵאמֹ֗ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

the priests
הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ (hak·kō·hă·nîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3548: Priest

of the house
לְבֵית־ (lə·ḇêṯ-)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of the LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

of Hosts
צְבָא֔וֹת (ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 6635: A mass of persons, reg, organized for, war, a campaign

as well as the prophets,
הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים (han·nə·ḇî·’îm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet

“Should I weep
הַֽאֶבְכֶּה֙ (ha·’eḇ·keh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1058: To weep, to bemoan

and fast
הִנָּזֵ֕ר (hin·nā·zêr)
Verb - Nifal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 5144: To hold aloof, abstain, to set apart, devote

in the fifth
הַחֲמִשִׁ֔י (ha·ḥă·mi·šî)
Article | Number - ordinal masculine singular
Strong's 2549: Fifth, a fifth

month,
בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ (ba·ḥō·ḏeš)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2320: The new moon, a month

as
כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

I have done
עָשִׂ֔יתִי (‘ā·śî·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

these
זֶ֖ה (zeh)
Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

many
כַּמֶּ֥ה (kam·meh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

years?”
שָׁנִֽים׃ (šā·nîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 8141: A year


Links
Zechariah 7:3 NIV
Zechariah 7:3 NLT
Zechariah 7:3 ESV
Zechariah 7:3 NASB
Zechariah 7:3 KJV

Zechariah 7:3 BibleApps.com
Zechariah 7:3 Biblia Paralela
Zechariah 7:3 Chinese Bible
Zechariah 7:3 French Bible
Zechariah 7:3 Catholic Bible

OT Prophets: Zechariah 7:3 And to speak to the priests (Zech. Zec Zc)
Zechariah 7:2
Top of Page
Top of Page