Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, August 28th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Zechariah 7:11

But they refused to listen and refused to do what he wanted. They closed their ears so that they could not hear what God said.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Impenitence;   Self-Will;   Thompson Chain Reference - Deafness;   Deafness-Hearing;   Ignorance;   Knowledge-Ignorance;   Spiritual;   Stubbornness;   The Topic Concordance - Desolation;   Disobedience;   Hearing;   Israel/jews;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Afflictions of the Wicked, the;   Ear, the;   Prayer, Answers to;   Rebellion against God;   Self-Will and Stubbornness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Zechariah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Will;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Zechariah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Call, Called, Calling;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Shoulder;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ear;   Shoulder;   Zechariah, Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they closed their ears so they could not hear.
Hebrew Names Version
But they refused to listen, and turned their backs, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear.
King James Version (1611)
But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their eares, that they should not heare.
King James Version
But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
English Standard Version
But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.
New American Standard Bible
"But they refused to pay attention, and turned a stubborn shoulder and plugged their ears from hearing.
New Century Version
"But they refused to pay attention; they were stubborn and did not want to listen anymore.
Amplified Bible
"But they refused to listen and pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder [stiffening themselves in resistance] and stopped up their ears.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their eares, that they should not heare.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing.
Legacy Standard Bible
But they refused to give heed and turned a stubborn shoulder and dulled their ears from hearing.
Berean Standard Bible
But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing.
Contemporary English Version
But everyone who heard those prophets, stubbornly refused to obey. Instead, they turned their backs on everything my Spirit had commanded the earlier prophets to preach. So I, the Lord , became angry
Complete Jewish Bible
But they wouldn't listen, they stubbornly turned their shoulder away and stopped up their ears, so that they wouldn't have to hear it.
Darby Translation
But they refused to hearken, and turned a rebellious shoulder, and made their ears heavy, that they should not hear.
George Lamsa Translation
But they refused to hearken, they rebelled and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
Good News Translation
"But my people stubbornly refused to listen. They closed their minds
Lexham English Bible
But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from listening.
Literal Translation
But they refused to listen, and gave a stubborn shoulder, and they made their ears heavy from hearing.
American Standard Version
But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear.
Bible in Basic English
But they would not give attention, turning their backs and stopping their ears from hearing;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But they refused to attend, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Neuerthelesse, they would not take heede, but turned their backes, & stopped their eares that they should not heare:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But they refused to attend, and madly turned their back, and made their ears heavy, so that they should not hear.
English Revised Version
But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
World English Bible
But they refused to listen, and turned their backs, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei wolden not `take heede, and thei turneden awei the schuldre, and yeden awei, and `maden heuy her eeris, lest thei herden.
Update Bible Version
But they refused to listen, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear.
Webster's Bible Translation
But they refused to hearken, and withdrew the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
New English Translation
"But they refused to pay attention, turning away stubbornly and stopping their ears so they could not hear.
New King James Version
But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear.
New Living Translation
"Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing.
New Life Bible
But they would not listen. They turned away and stopped their ears from hearing.
New Revised Standard
But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Howbeit they refused to give heed, but put forth a rebellious shoulder, - and, their ears, made they hard of hearing, that they might not hear;
Douay-Rheims Bible
But they would not hearken, and they turned away the shoulder to depart: and they stopped their ears, not to hear.
Revised Standard Version
But they refused to hearken, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears that they might not hear.
Young's Literal Translation
And they refuse to attend, And they give a refractory shoulder, And their ears have made heavy against hearing.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Neuertheles they wolde not take hede, but turned their backes, and stopped their eares, that they shulde not heare.
THE MESSAGE
"But did your ancestors listen? No, they set their jaws in defiance. They shut their ears. They steeled themselves against God 's revelation and the Spirit-filled sermons preached by the earlier prophets by order of God -of-the-Angel-Armies. And God became angry, really angry, because he told them everything plainly and they wouldn't listen to a word he said. "So [this is what God -of-the-Angel-Armies said] if they won't listen to me, I won't listen to them. I scattered them to the four winds. They ended up strangers wherever they were. Their ‘promised land' became a vacant lot—weeds and tin cans and thistles. Not a sign of life. They turned a dreamland into a wasteland."

Contextual Overview

8 This is the Lord 's message to Zechariah: 9 "This is what the Lord All-Powerful said: ‘You must do what is right and fair. You must be kind and show mercy to each other. 10 Don't hurt widows and orphans, strangers, or poor people. Don't even think of doing bad things to each other!'" 11 But they refused to listen and refused to do what he wanted. They closed their ears so that they could not hear what God said. 12 They were very stubborn and would not obey the law. The Lord All-Powerful used his Spirit and sent messages to his people through the prophets. But the people would not listen, so the Lord All-Powerful became very angry. 13 So the Lord All-Powerful said, "I called to them, and they did not answer. So now, if they call to me, I will not answer. 14 I will bring the other nations against them like a storm. They didn't know those nations, but the country will be destroyed after those nations pass through. This pleasant country will be destroyed."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they refused: Zechariah 1:4, Exodus 10:3, 2 Kings 17:13-15, 2 Chronicles 33:10, Nehemiah 9:17, Nehemiah 9:26, Nehemiah 9:29, Proverbs 1:24-32, Isaiah 1:19, Isaiah 1:20, Jeremiah 6:16, Jeremiah 6:17, Jeremiah 7:24, Jeremiah 13:10, Jeremiah 26:5, Jeremiah 26:6, Jeremiah 35:15, Jeremiah 36:31, Jeremiah 44:16, Ezekiel 3:7, Hosea 4:16, Daniel 9:5, Zephaniah 3:2, Acts 7:51, Hebrews 12:25

pulled away the shoulder: Heb. gave a backsliding shoulder, Nehemiah 9:29, Jeremiah 8:5, Hosea 4:16, Hebrews 10:38, Hebrews 10:39

stopped: Heb. made heavy, Psalms 58:4, Psalms 58:5, Isaiah 6:10, Acts 7:57

Reciprocal: Exodus 7:13 - General Exodus 8:15 - he hardened Exodus 32:9 - a stiffnecked Leviticus 26:15 - despise Deuteronomy 9:6 - a stiffnecked 2 Chronicles 24:20 - transgress Psalms 81:11 - people Proverbs 5:12 - How Proverbs 21:13 - stoppeth Proverbs 28:9 - turneth Proverbs 29:1 - shall Isaiah 28:12 - yet Isaiah 30:9 - will not Isaiah 46:12 - ye stouthearted Isaiah 48:4 - I knew Isaiah 65:12 - because Jeremiah 2:19 - and thy Jeremiah 3:3 - thou refusedst Jeremiah 5:3 - they have made Jeremiah 11:8 - obeyed Jeremiah 15:6 - thou art Jeremiah 17:23 - they obeyed Jeremiah 17:27 - ye will Jeremiah 19:15 - because Jeremiah 25:4 - ye Jeremiah 29:19 - General Jeremiah 31:22 - backsliding Jeremiah 32:33 - turned Jeremiah 34:14 - but Jeremiah 42:21 - but Jeremiah 44:5 - they Ezekiel 5:6 - for they Ezekiel 14:5 - I may Hosea 9:17 - because Hosea 11:2 - they called Amos 4:1 - which oppress Amos 6:12 - horses Malachi 2:2 - ye will not hear Matthew 13:15 - ears Matthew 21:32 - repented Romans 2:5 - But after 2 Timothy 4:4 - turn Hebrews 3:8 - Harden

Cross-References

Genesis 1:7
So God made the space and separated the water. Some of the water was above it, and some of the water was below it.
Genesis 6:17
"Understand what I am telling you. I will bring a great flood of water on the earth. I will destroy all living things that live under heaven. Everything on the earth will die.
Genesis 7:5
Noah did everything the Lord told him to do.
Genesis 7:6
Noah was 600 years old at the time the rains came.
Genesis 7:8
All the clean animals, all the other animals on the earth, the birds, and everything that crawls on the earth
Genesis 7:11
On the 17th day of the second month, when Noah was 600 years old, the springs under the earth broke through the ground, and water flowed out everywhere. The sky also opened like windows and rain poured down. The rain fell on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. That same day Noah went into the boat with his wife, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives.
Genesis 7:23
In this way God wiped the earth clean—he destroyed every living thing on the earth—every human, every animal, everything that crawls, and every bird. All that was left was Noah and his family and the animals that were with him in the boat.
Genesis 7:24
The water continued to cover the earth for 150 days.
2 Kings 7:2
Then the officer who was close to the king answered the man of God. The officer said, "Even if the Lord made windows in heaven, this could not happen." Elisha said, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of that food."
2 Kings 7:19
But that officer had answered the man of God, "Even if the Lord made windows in heaven, this could not happen!" And Elisha had told the officer, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of that food."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But they refused to hearken,..... That is, the Jews, before the captivity, refusal to give heed to the above exhortations, and obey the voice of God in them:

and pulled away the shoulder; from serving the Lord, and supporting his interest: or "they gave", or presented, "a rebellious shoulder" f; a refractory one, that slides back, like a backsliding or refractory heifer, that will not admit of the yoke, Hosea 4:16 so these could not bear the yoke of the law, nor the burden of duty; nor suffer the words of exhortation, or receive the admonitions given them:

and stopped their ears, that they should not hear; like the deaf adder, Psalms 58:4 they would not hear, and pretended they could not; which was an instance of contempt to the speakers.

f כתף סררת "scapulam aversam", Pagninus; "deflectentem", Montanus; "rebellem", Munster, Tigurine version; "refractarium", Junius Tremellius, Piscator so Ben Melech.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But they gave a backsliding shoulder - Like a restive animal, which would not endure the yoke, dull and stupid as the beasts: as Hosea says, “Israel slideth back like a backsliding heifer” Hosea 4:16. Nehemiah confesses the same; “they gave a backsliding shoulder and hardened their neck and would not hear” Nehemiah 9:29.

And made heavy their ears - Fulfilling in themselves what God foretold to Isaiah would be the result of his preaching, “make their ears heavy.” The heart, which will not hearken, becomes duller by the outward hearing, as Paul says, “The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God; but that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected” Hebrews 6:7-8.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zechariah 7:11. Pulled away the shoulder — From under the yoke of the law, like an unbroken or restive bullock in the plough.


 
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