Zechariah 12:5

Easy-to-Read Version

The leaders of Judah will encourage the people and say, ‘The Lord All-Powerful is your God. He makes us strong.'

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then each of the leaders of Judah will think to himself: The residents of Jerusalem are my strength through the Lord of Armies, their God.

Hebrew Names Version
The chieftains of Yehudah will say in their heart, 'The inhabitants of Yerushalayim are my strength in the LORD of Hosts their God.'

King James Version (1611)
And the gouernours of Iudah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Ierusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hostes their God.

King James Version
And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God.

English Standard Version
Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.'

New American Standard Bible
"Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a strong support for us through the LORD of armies, their God.'

New Century Version
Then the leaders of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord All-Powerful is their God.'

Amplified Bible
"Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are our strength in the LORD of hosts, their God.'

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the princes of Iudah shall say in their hearts, The inhabitants of Ierusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hostes their God.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, 'A strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the LORD of hosts, their God.'

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘A strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through Yahweh of hosts, their God.'

Berean Standard Bible
Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts: 'The people of Jerusalem are my strength, for the LORD of Hosts is their God.'

Contemporary English Version
Then every clan in Judah will realize that I, the Lord All-Powerful, am their God, and that I am the source of their strength.

Complete Jewish Bible
The leaders of Y'hudah will say to themselves, ‘Those living in Yerushalayim are my strength through Adonai -Tzva'ot their God.'

Darby Translation
And the leaders of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength through Jehovah of hosts their God.

George Lamsa Translation
And the princes of Judah shall say in their hearts, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are stronger than we through the LORD of hosts their God.

Good News Translation
Then the clans of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The Lord God Almighty gives strength to his people who live in Jerusalem.'

Lexham English Bible
And the clans of Judah will say to themselves, "The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a strength to us, through Yahweh of hosts, their God."

Literal Translation
And the leaders of Judah shall say in their heart, Those living in Jerusalem shall be my strength in Jehovah of Hosts, their God.

American Standard Version
And the chieftains of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Jehovah of hosts their God.

Bible in Basic English
And the families of Judah will say in their hearts, The people of Jerusalem have their strength in the Lord of armies, their God.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the chiefs of Judah shall say in their heart: 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength through the LORD of hosts their God.'

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the princes of Iuda shall say in their heartes, The inhabiters of Hierusalem shall geue me consolation in the Lorde of hoastes their God.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the captains of thousands of Juda shall say in their hearts, We shall find for ourselves the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the Lord Almighty their God.

English Revised Version
And the chieftains of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.

World English Bible
The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of Hosts their God.'

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And duikis of Juda schulen seie in her hertis, Be the dwellers of Jerusalem coumfortid to me in the Lord of oostis, the God of hem.

Update Bible Version
And the chieftains of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of hosts their God.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem [shall be] my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.

New English Translation
Then the leaders of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a means of strength to us through their God, the Lord who rules over all.'

New King James Version
And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, "The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God.'

New Living Translation
And the clans of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The people of Jerusalem have found strength in the Lord of Heaven's Armies, their God.'

New Life Bible
Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong because of the Lord of All, their God.'

New Revised Standard
Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, "The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then will the chiefs of Judah say in their hearts, - A strength unto me, would be the inhabitants of Jerusalem, in Yahweh of hosts, their God.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the governors of Juda shall say in their heart: Let the inhabitants of Jerusalem be strengthened for me in the Lord of hosts, their God.

Revised Standard Version
Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the LORD of hosts, their God.'

Young's Literal Translation
And leaders of Judah have said in their heart, `Strength to me [are] the inhabitants of Jerusalem, In Jehovah of Hosts their God.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the prynces of Iuda shall saye in their hertes: The inhabiters off Ierusalem shall geue me consolacion in the LORDE off hoostes their God.

Contextual Overview

¹ This is a message from the Lord about Israel. The Lord is the one who made the earth and the sky, and he put the human spirit in people. And this is what the Lord said: ² "Look, I will make Jerusalem like a cup of poison to the nations around her. The nations will come and attack that city, and all of Judah will be caught in the trap. ³ But I will make Jerusalem like a heavy rock—those who try to take it will hurt themselves. They will be cut and scratched. All the nations on earth will come together to fight against Jerusalem. ⁴ But at that time I will scare the horse, and the soldier riding it will panic. I will make all the enemy horses blind, but my eyes will be open—and I will be watching over Judah's family. ⁵ The leaders of Judah will encourage the people and say, ‘The Lord All-Powerful is your God. He makes us strong.' ⁶ At that time I will make the leaders of Judah like a fire burning in a forest. They will destroy their enemies like fire burning straw. They will destroy the enemy all around them, and the people in Jerusalem will again be able to sit back and relax." ⁷ The Lord will save the people of Judah first, so the people in Jerusalem will not be able to brag too much. David's family and the other people who live in Jerusalem will not be able to brag that they are better than the other people in Judah. ⁸ But the Lord will protect the people in Jerusalem. Even the man who trips and falls will become a great soldier like David. And the men from David's family will be like gods—like the Lord 's own angel leading the people.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the governors: Zechariah 12:6, Judges 5:9, Isaiah 1:10, Isaiah 1:23, Isaiah 1:26, Isaiah 29:10, Isaiah 32:1, Isaiah 60:17, Jeremiah 30:21, Jeremiah 33:26, Ezekiel 45:8, Ezekiel 45:9

The inhabitants: etc. or, There is strength to me, and to the inhabitants, etc. Zechariah 10:6, Zechariah 10:12, Psalms 18:32, Psalms 18:39, Psalms 20:6, Psalms 20:7, Psalms 46:1, Psalms 68:34, Psalms 68:35, Psalms 118:10-14, Psalms 144:1, Isaiah 28:6, Isaiah 41:10-16, Joel 3:16, 2 Corinthians 12:9, 2 Corinthians 12:10

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 29:11 - thoughts Zechariah 14:14 - Judah also shall

Cross-References

Genesis 10:19
The land where the Canaanites lived went from Sidon down along the coast to Gerar and from Gaza as far east as Sodom and Gomorrah and from Admah and Zeboiim as far north as Laish.

Genesis 11:31
Terah took his family and left Ur of Babylonia. They planned to travel to Canaan. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran's son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai (Abram's wife). They traveled to the city of Haran and decided to stay there.

Genesis 12:5
He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the slaves, and all the other things he had gotten in Haran. Then he and his group moved to the land of Canaan.

Genesis 12:8
Then he left that place and traveled to the mountains east of Bethel. He set up his tent there. Bethel was to the west, and Ai was to the east. Abram built another altar at that place to honor the Lord , and he worshiped the Lord there.

Genesis 12:9
Then he moved on toward the Negev, stopping for a time at several places on the way.

Genesis 14:14
When Abram learned that Lot was captured, he called all of his family together. There were 318 trained soldiers. He led the men and chased the enemy all the way to the town of Dan.

Genesis 14:21
Then the king of Sodom told Abram, "Give me my people who were captured. But you can keep everything else."

Acts 7:4
"So Abraham left the country of Chaldea. He went to live in Haran. After his father died, God sent him to this place, where you live now.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart,.... The governors of the rest of the cities in Judea, besides Jerusalem, when they shall observe the armies of the people, their horses and their riders, smitten by the Lord, as above, shall take heart, and be of good courage: and secretly say within themselves,

The inhabitants of Jerusalem [shall be] my strength in the Lord of hosts their God; that is, they, in the strength of the Lord, shall overcome their enemies, and so be the means of preserving and securing the other cities of Judah from destruction: the governors do not place their strength and confidence in the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but as they are strengthened in and by the Lord their God, from whom all strength, safety, and salvation come. In this and the following verse

Zechariah 12:6, by "the governors of Judah" are not meant Judas Maccabeus, and his brethren, as some think; for though there are some things in the context that seem to agree with them, and they may be an emblem of the governors in the times referred to, for their courage, bravery, and success; yet the thread of history, and series of prophecy, will not admit such a sense.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the princes of Judah - He pictures the onemindedness of the Church. No one shall assume anything to himself; each shall exalt the strength which the other was to him; but all, “in the Lord. The princes of Judah” shall say “in their heart,” not outwardly or politically, but in inward conviction, “strength to me” (all speak as one) “are the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the Lord of hosts their God.” The highest in human estimation acknowledge that their strength is in those who are of no account in this world; as, in fact the hearts of the poor are evermore the strength of the Church; but that, “in the Lord of hosts;” in Him, in whose hands are the powers of heaven and earth, over against the petty turmoil on earth. God had chosen Jerusalem Zechariah 1:17; Zechariah 2:12; Zechariah 3:2; therefore she was invincible. “That most glorious prince of Judah, Paul, said, ‘I can do all things in Christ who instrengtheneth me. ‘“

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zechariah 12:5. The governors of Judah — This supposes a union between the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah.