Zechariah Chapter 13
The Nation Purified
A. The Purification of the People
(Zechariah 13:1)
“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.”
The prophet Zechariah speaks of a future day when Israel will experience spiritual cleansing through the Messiah. The phrase “In that day” connects directly to the previous chapter where Israel, mourning for the One whom they pierced, turns back to God in repentance. Flowing from this national repentance, a fountain of divine cleansing is opened for both the royal line of David and the people of Jerusalem. This fountain signifies the perpetual and abundant cleansing that flows from the sacrifice of Christ. Unlike a cistern or a stagnant pool, a fountain continues to spring forth with fresh water, symbolizing God’s inexhaustible grace and mercy. This is not a temporary provision but an ever-flowing source of forgiveness and renewal.
The idea of God as a fountain appears repeatedly throughout Scripture. Jeremiah wrote, “For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). Here, Zechariah describes the restoration of access to that divine fountain through Christ’s atonement. It is a vivid picture of salvation where the blood of the Lamb cleanses sin and removes all defilement. This imagery has inspired countless hymns proclaiming the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood, such as William Cowper’s “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood” and Augustus Toplady’s “Rock of Ages.”
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon noted that this fountain is inexhaustible, saying that it “continues still to bubble up, and is as full after fifty years as at the first.” God’s mercy is not diminished by time nor limited by the multitude of sinners who come to it. The atonement is not hidden or inaccessible, but an open and available source of forgiveness for all who come in faith.
This cleansing is specifically “for sin and for uncleanness.” The double expression emphasizes both the guilt of sin and the defilement that it brings. No human effort or reformation can cleanse sin; only the divine provision through Christ can wash away transgression. As Henry Morgan observed, sin must not be excused or compromised, for the foundations of God’s throne are righteousness and justice. Only the blood of Christ can satisfy divine justice and make the sinner clean before God.
(Zechariah 13:2–6)
“And 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. And 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. And 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: But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. And 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.”
Following the cleansing of sin, God promises to purge the land of idolatry and false prophecy. Idolatry and deception were the primary causes that led Israel away from the LORD, but in this coming day both will be eradicated completely. God will not only cleanse His people through the fountain of grace but also remove the very sources of spiritual corruption. This transformation will mark a complete moral and spiritual renewal within Israel.
The LORD declares that He will “cut off the names of the idols out of the land.” This means that not only will idols be destroyed, but even the memory of them will vanish. This reflects a total eradication of false worship, where the very mention of idols becomes forgotten. Such cleansing finds its ultimate fulfillment in the millennial kingdom of Christ when the knowledge of the LORD will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9).
The text continues that God will cause “the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.” False prophets and demonic influences will no longer have any foothold in Israel. In that day, truth will reign supreme. The spiritual atmosphere will be purified as deceitful spirits are banished and false teachers silenced. So great will be the national zeal for truth that even the family of a false prophet will not tolerate deceit, as described in verse 3, where the father and mother condemn their own son for speaking lies in the LORD’s name. This illustrates the depth of the nation’s repentance and its commitment to holiness.
Those who once masqueraded as prophets will be ashamed of their deception. They will abandon their prophetic attire, the “rough garment” of coarse hair used to give the appearance of holiness, and instead claim to be simple laborers. Fear of exposure and disgrace will compel them to disown their false calling. As Baldwin noted, such individuals will be so fearful of discovery that they will deny ever having been prophets.
When questioned about the scars on their bodies, once associated with pagan self-mutilation (as seen among the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:28 and referenced in Jeremiah 48:37), they will claim they were merely wounded in a domestic dispute among friends. This ironic and evasive reply reveals how drastically public opinion will shift in that day—false prophecy will be despised rather than admired.
Some have attempted to apply the phrase “What are these wounds in thine hands?” to Christ, interpreting it as another Messianic prophecy. However, the context clearly concerns false prophets, not the Messiah. The Hebrew text literally reads “between your hands,” referring to wounds on the body, not specifically the palms. Calvin and Clarke both warn against misapplying this verse to Christ, affirming that it pertains to deceivers who once claimed to speak in God’s name.
In this passage, Zechariah presents a vision of national purification that extends beyond personal salvation to include societal transformation. Not only will individuals be cleansed, but the entire culture of deceit and idolatry will be removed. This points forward to the millennial reign of Christ, when truth, holiness, and righteousness will prevail across the earth, and all falsehood will be exposed and eliminated.
B. The Shepherd Struck, the Nation Scattered
(Zechariah 13:7)
“Awake, 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.”
In this solemn prophecy, the LORD of hosts calls forth judgment upon His own Shepherd. The divine command, “Awake, O sword,” is a poetic summons to the instrument of death that would strike the Messiah. This was not the work of men alone, nor merely the outcome of political conspiracy; it was the deliberate and sovereign will of Almighty God. The sword represents divine justice, long sheathed, but now awakened against the sin-bearer who stands as substitute for His people.
The LORD calls this One “My Shepherd,” identifying Him as the true and faithful Shepherd of Israel, in contrast to the foolish and false shepherds previously described. This Shepherd is none other than Jesus Christ, as confirmed in the New Testament when He applies this very verse to Himself on the night of His betrayal: “Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered” (Matthew 26:31). Christ was not a helpless victim, but the willing Lamb of God, fulfilling the Father’s redemptive plan.
Isaiah also foresaw this same truth: “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin” (Isaiah 53:10). Both prophets make clear that the suffering of the Messiah was foreordained by God Himself. The crucifixion was not an accident, nor merely the result of men’s wickedness, but the predetermined plan of redemption. It was God’s victory, not Satan’s. The Shepherd was struck by divine justice so that the sheep might live.
The title “the Man that is My Fellow” (or “My Companion”) is profoundly significant. The Hebrew word used here conveys the idea of one who is an equal, a near neighbor, one who shares the same essence. This cannot refer to any mere man, for the LORD never uses such language to describe even His most faithful servants. It speaks unmistakably of Deity. As Keil rightly observes, the phrase indicates one who participates in the divine nature, “one essentially divine.” Thus, Zechariah presents a clear testimony of the Messiah’s equality with God, revealing both His humanity and His divinity—the Man who is also God’s equal.
When the Shepherd was struck, the sheep were scattered. This immediate fulfillment occurred when the disciples fled at Jesus’ arrest, their fear and confusion leading to dispersion. Yet it also typifies the greater scattering of Israel that has persisted through the centuries, a direct result of their rejection of their Shepherd. Nevertheless, the Lord in mercy promises, “I will turn Mine hand upon the little ones,” meaning that His providential care and restorative work would remain upon the faithful remnant. The same hand that permitted judgment would also extend protection and restoration.
(Zechariah 13:8–9)
“And 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. And 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.”
Following the striking of the Shepherd, the nation of Israel faces severe purging and refining. This prophecy extends beyond the immediate scattering of the disciples to describe the future refining of Israel during the Great Tribulation. The LORD declares that two-thirds of the land shall perish, while one-third shall remain. This remnant will not escape trial but will pass through the fire of affliction, purified like precious metal.
The imagery of refining silver and gold speaks to the process of removing impurities by intense heat. Likewise, the Great Tribulation will serve as a furnace of purification for Israel. Jeremiah referred to this as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” when he wrote, “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it” (Jeremiah 30:7). Jesus described this same period, saying, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). This will be the darkest hour in Israel’s history, yet out of it will emerge a purified remnant.
This one-third, refined and tested, will turn to the LORD in genuine repentance and faith. The LORD promises, “They shall call on My name, and I will hear them.” This points to the national conversion of Israel at the Second Coming of Christ, when the surviving remnant will look upon the One whom they pierced and cry out to Him as their Messiah. This group, which includes the 144,000 sealed from the tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:4–8; 14:1–5), will form the nucleus of the redeemed nation that enters the Millennial Kingdom.
God’s response to them will echo the covenant language of old: “I will say, It is My people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” This mutual recognition marks the restoration of the covenant relationship that Israel once broke. The nation, long estranged and scattered, will at last be reconciled to her Redeemer. This moment fulfills the promise of Hosea 2:23: “And I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.”
Thus, Zechariah’s prophecy moves from tragedy to triumph—from the striking of the Shepherd to the salvation of the flock. The same divine hand that allowed judgment will bring about redemption, proving once again that God’s purposes of grace always prevail.
