Chapter 13
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
2And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
3And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
4And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
5But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.
6And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
7Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
8And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
9And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
“In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.”
Overview
A fountain will be opened for the house of David and Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness. God will cut off idols and false prophets from the land — even the parents of a false prophet will thrust him through. Zechariah quotes the Lord: 'Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow' — the shepherd will be struck, the sheep scattered, and God will turn His hand upon the little ones. A remnant, refined through fire, will emerge as God's people.
Key Themes
A Fountain for Cleansing
God opens a fountain specifically for sin and uncleanness — the imagery of flowing, available cleansing for the filthiest spiritual contamination.
The Shepherd Struck
God commands the sword to awake against His own shepherd — the man who is His fellow — and when the shepherd is struck, the sheep are scattered.
Refinement of the Remnant
Two-thirds will be cut off, but one-third will pass through fire, refined like silver and gold, and will call on God's name — He will say, 'It is my people.'
Study Questions
What does the fountain 'for sin and for uncleanness' (v. 1) represent, and when is it opened?
How will false prophecy be so thoroughly eradicated that parents would condemn their own children (v. 3)?
Who is the shepherd who is God's 'fellow' (v. 7), and why does God command the sword against Him?
How did Jesus apply verse 7 to Himself and His disciples on the night of His arrest (Matthew 26:31)?
What does the refining process of the remnant (v. 9) teach about how God purifies His people?
Connection to Christ
Jesus directly quotes Zechariah 13:7 on the night of His arrest: 'I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad' (Matthew 26:31). The struck shepherd is Christ Himself — God's fellow, smitten by divine decree — and the fountain opened for sin (v. 1) is the blood He shed on the cross, the only cleansing for human iniquity.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Zechariah 13. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?