Zechariah 1:4 Meaning and Explanation
“Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God warns the people not to repeat their fathers' refusal to heed the prophets' call to repent.
What Does Zechariah 1:4 Mean?
The 'former prophets' are the voices God sent before the exile, men like Jeremiah and Hosea, who pleaded with the nation to abandon its evil ways. Their warnings went unheeded, and the unheeded warning became the ruin the hearers now inhabit. Zechariah holds up that generation as a mirror and a caution: do not walk the same road.
To hear and yet not hearken is the quiet tragedy of every age. The danger is not that God has stopped speaking but that hearts grow deaf. This verse summons each new generation to break the chain of inherited disobedience by listening today. The word that judged the fathers can become life for the children, if only they will receive it where their fathers refused.
Zechariah 1:4 in the Original Language
shama (שָׁמַע), 'hear' -- to listen with the intent to obey, not merely to perceive sound.
Frequently Asked Questions About Zechariah 1:4
What does Zechariah 1:4 mean?
God warns the people not to repeat their fathers' refusal to heed the prophets' call to repent.