Zechariah 7:11
Zechariah 7:11
“But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The former generation refused to listen, turning a stubborn shoulder and closing their ears against God's word.
What Does Zechariah 7:11 Mean?
God recalls how the earlier generation responded to these same commands. The imagery is vivid: like an ox that wrenches its shoulder from the yoke, they pulled away, and they deliberately stopped their ears so the message could not reach them.
Their deafness was a choice, not a misfortune. There is a refusal that is active, a willful shutting out of what one does not wish to obey. The warning to the returned exiles, and to every reader, is plain: the word only saves the heart that will receive it, and a closed ear is the first step toward a hardened life.