Zechariah 7:1-7 · Bible study
Zechariah 7:1-7 Commentary: Fasting and Motive
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Zechariah 7 record a precise date before the deputation's question about fasting?
Research Summary
- Meaning: God challenges religious rituals performed without heartfelt devotion toward him.
- Key words: Fast (צום, tzom), weep (בכה, bakah), separate/abstain (נזר, nazar), eat/drink (אכל/שתה, akhal/shatah).
- Main debate: Whether ‘Bethel’ (v. 2) is a place or a person, most commentators understand it as the town sending the delegation.
- Theological theme: The priority of inward obedience over outward religious observance.
- Best use: A sermon or study on motives in worship, the danger of hollow traditions, and the call to return to God’s word.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
1In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev.
2Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, along with their men, to plead before the LORD
3by asking the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts, as well as the prophets, “Should I weep and fast in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?”
4Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying,
5“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?
6And when you were eating and drinking, were you not doing so simply for yourselves?
7Are these not the words that the LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets, when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were populous and prosperous, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’”
WEB World English Bible 2000
1In the fourth year of King Darius, Yahweh’s word came to Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev.
2The people of Bethel sent Sharezer and Regem Melech and their men to entreat Yahweh’s favor,
3and to speak to the priests of the house of Yahweh of Armies and to the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?”
4Then the word of Yahweh of Armies came to me, saying,
5“Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests, saying, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month for these seventy years, did you at all fast to me, really to me?
6When you eat and when you drink, don’t you eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?
7Aren’t these the words which Yahweh proclaimed by the former prophets when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and its cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’”
KJV King James Version 1769
1And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;
2When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regem–melech, and their men, to pray before the Lord,
3And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?
4Then came the word of the Lord of hosts unto me, saying,
5Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?
6And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
7Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
1And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chislev.
2Now they of Beth-el had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, and their men, to entreat the favor of Jehovah,
3and to speak unto the priests of the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?
4Then came the word of Jehovah of hosts unto me, saying,
5Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month, even these seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?
6And when ye eat, and when ye drink, do not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
7Should ye not hear the words which Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
1And it cometh to pass, in the fourth year of Darius the king hath a word of Jehovah been unto Zechariah, in the fourth of the ninth month, in Chisleu.
2And Beth-El sendeth Sherezer and Regem-Melech, and its men, to appease the face of Jehovah,
3speaking unto the priests who are at the house of Jehovah of Hosts, and unto the prophets, saying, `Do I weep in the fifth month--being separated--as I have done these so many years?'
4And there is a word of Jehovah of Hosts unto me, saying:
5`Speak unto all the people of the land, and unto the priests, saying:
6When ye fasted with mourning in the fifth and in the seventh months --even these seventy years--did ye keep the fast to Me--Me? And when ye eat, and when ye drink, is it not ye who are eating, and ye who are drinking?
7`Are not these the words that Jehovah proclaimed by the hand of the former prophets, in Jerusalem's being inhabited, and in safety, and its cities round about it, and the south and the plain--abiding?'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
1And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah on the fourth [day] of the ninth month, [even] in Chislev,
2when Bethel had sent Sherezer and Regem-melech, and his men, to supplicate Jehovah,
3[and] to speak unto the priests that were in the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done now so many years?
4And the word of Jehovah of hosts came unto me, saying,
5Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh [month], even those seventy years, did ye really fast unto me, [even] unto me?
6And when ye ate, and when ye drank, was it not you that were eating and drinking?
7Are not these the words that Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and at peace, and her cities round about her, when the south and the lowland were inhabited?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
1And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, in the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Casleu.
2When Sarasar, and Rogommelech, and the men that were with him, sent to the house of God, to entreat the face of the Lord:
3To speak to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying: Must I weep in the fifth month, or must I sanctify myself as I have now done for many years?
4And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying:
5Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying: When you fasted, and mourned in the fifth and the seventh month for these seventy years: did you keep a fast unto me?
6And when you did eat and drink, did you not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
7Are not these the words which the Lord spoke by the hand of the former prophets, when Jerusalem as yet was inhabited, and was wealthy, both itself and the cities round about it, and there were inhabitants towards the south, and in the plain?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Zechariah 7:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this passage records a pivotal moment: a deputation from Bethel arrives at the nearly rebuilt temple to ask whether the national fasts commemorating Jerusalem’s destruction should continue. The date (December 518 BC, two years before the temple’s completion) underscores the irony: the very building rising before them fulfills God’s promise of restoration, yet their question reveals hearts still anchored in grief rather than gratitude. God’s answer, via Zechariah, cuts to motive. Barnes notes that the fasts had become self-serving: 'did ye at all fast to me, even to me?' The Hebrew construction (הֲצוֹם צַמְתֻּנִי, ha-tzom tzamtu-ni) places strong emphasis on the object 'me' (אָנִי, ani). Calvin observes that their fasting was 'not to God but to themselves.' Keil and Delitzsch add that the question exposes the 'unwarrantable' motives behind their concern. The passage thus challenges every outward religious act that has lost its Godward orientation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The passage clearly calls God’s people to examine whether their religious practices are directed toward God or toward themselves, and it points them back to the words of the prophets rather than to human traditions.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The origin of the fasts | Christians agree that the fasts of the fifth and seventh months were human institutions arising from the trauma of Jerusalem's destruction. | Some traditions hold that such voluntary fasts are permissible and can be retained as spiritual disciplines; others emphasize that only divinely commanded fasts carry binding authority. |
| Identity of 'Bethel' | Most interpreters read 'Bethel' as the town, meaning the inhabitants of Bethel sent the delegation. | A minority view (mentioned by Gill) takes Bethel as a personal name, interpreting the phrase 'Bethel sent Sharezer' to refer to a man named Bethel. The supplied translations vary in rendering this point. |
| The role of the date | All agree the date stresses the near-completion of the temple, making the question about continuing the fasts timely. | Some see the date primarily as a historical anchor; others see it as a theological statement: God’s promise is being fulfilled, so why hold onto the past? |
Historical & Cultural Context
Zechariah 7:1-7 is set against a precise historical backdrop. The date, 'the fourth year of King Darius, the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev', corresponds to December 518 BC. Barnes notes this is two years after Zechariah’s night visions (Zechariah 1:7) and two years before the temple’s completion (Ezra 6:15). The temple was far advanced; the altar had been rebuilt years earlier (Ezra 3:3).
A delegation arrives from Bethel, a town north of Jerusalem that had been a center of idolatry in the northern kingdom. Their names, Sharezer and Regem-melech, are Babylonian, suggesting they are Jews who remained in the diaspora after the return. They come to 'entreat Yahweh’s favor' (לְחַלּוֹת פְּנֵי יְהוָה, lechallot penei Yahweh), a phrase denoting urgent prayer for grace.
These men consult both the priests, who were the authorized teachers of the law (Malachi 2:7), and the prophets (Haggai and Zechariah). Their question concerns two fasts observed 'for seventy years': the fast of the fifth month (commemorating the burning of the temple on the tenth of Ab, 2 Kings 25:8-9) and the fast of the seventh month (commemorating the murder of Gedaliah, 2 Kings 25:25-26). The Cambridge Bible observes that these fasts were human institutions, not commanded in the Law of Moses. God’s answer, delivered through Zechariah, redirects attention from ritual to relationship. He cites 'the former prophets' (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.) who had warned that ritual without obedience is empty (cf. Isaiah 58:3-7). The prosperity described in verse 7, Jerusalem 'inhabited and at ease', refers to the time before the exile, when the nation had every worldly blessing yet neglected the weightier matters of justice and mercy.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Zechariah 7:1-7. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. Differences among English translations (e.g., 'house of God' vs 'Bethel' in verse 2, or 'the fifth month' vs 'the fifth and seventh months') reflect interpretive decisions about grammar and geography rather than manuscript disagreement.
Reception History
This passage has been read across centuries as a critique of ritual that has lost its heart. Jerome, commenting on Zechariah, observed that the temple's rebuilding made the old fasts obsolete in their original purpose. During the Reformation, Calvin used this text to argue that external acts of worship are worthless without faith. In Jewish tradition, the fasts were eventually retained but reinterpreted as commemorative rather than mournful, following the pattern of Zechariah 8:19 where they become 'joy and gladness.' The passage continues to be cited in discussions about the place of tradition and the priority of heart obedience over religious observance.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The timely question. The date is not incidental. Two years before the temple’s completion, the deputation asks about continuing the fasts. The building itself is God’s answer: the mourning period is ending. Yet they cling to old grief.
- The heart’s motive. God probes: ‘Did you fast for me, really for me?’ The Hebrew syntax emphasizes the object ‘me’, two particles (ha-… ni) sandwiching the verb. Their fasting had become about them: their loss, their piety, their routine.
- The prophetic call. ‘Aren’t these the words which Yahweh proclaimed by the former prophets?’ God points back to his own revealed word, not to human traditions. Obedience to that word, justice, mercy, humility, is what he always required.
Five-point outline
- Setting: the temple nearly rebuilt, the promise almost fulfilled.
- Deputation: people still living in the shadow of the past.
- Question: should we continue our self-imposed fasts?
- Answer: your motives are the issue, were they ever for me?
- Challenge: listen to the words of the former prophets, not your own customs.
Illustration hooks
- A church that builds a new sanctuary but continues to sing only funeral hymns.
- A person who prayed for healing for years, and when healing comes, still prays as though nothing changed.
- A family that has been reconciled after a long conflict, yet keeps reenacting the same arguments out of habit.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Is it wrong to continue religious practices that helped me through a hard time, once the hard time is over?”
- “How do I know if my fasting or prayer is really for God or just for myself?”
- “Why does God care about the condition of my heart when I’m doing the right things?”
Leading a Discussion
This passage catches God’s people in transition. The temple is rising, but their hearts are still in exile. The deputation asks about continuing old fasts; God answers by questioning their motives. Groups should explore how religious habits can outlive their purpose and how God always looks beyond the outward act.
Discussion questions
- What do we learn from the precise date given in verse 1? Why might the timing of this question matter?
- Who were Sharezer and Regem-melech, and what does their mission tell us about the spiritual state of the community?
- The deputation asks about ‘weeping in the fifth month.’ What was the historical event behind that fast? (See 2 Kings 25:8-9.)
- God’s reply twice emphasizes ‘to me, to me’ (v. 5). What difference does it make whether a fast is done ‘to God’ or not?
- Verse 6 says that even eating and drinking can be done for ourselves. How does this broaden the issue from fasting to all of life?
- Why does God refer them back to ‘the former prophets’ rather than answer their question directly?
- In what areas of your own life might you be going through the motions of faith without your heart truly engaged with God?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Ezra 6:14 | The elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. |
| Ezra 6:15 | This house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. |
| Nehemiah 1:1 | The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the palace, |
| Haggai 2:10 | In the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, Yahweh’s word came by Haggai the prophet, saying, |
| Haggai 2:20 | Yahweh’s word came the second time to Haggai in the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, |
| Zechariah 1:1 | In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, Yahweh’s word came to the prophet Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying, |
| Exodus 32:11 | Moses begged Yahweh his God, and said, “Yahweh, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? |
| I Samuel 13:12 | therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me to Gilgal, and I haven’t entreated the favor of Yahweh.’ I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt offering.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the Jews who asked about fasts valued external rituals more than God. They focused on temple rites while ignoring the moral duties the earlier prophets had emphasized.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that the fasting described was self-focused, not offered to God. The people mourned their own losses, but their rituals lacked true devotion or righteousness. He stresses that acts of worship must be done for God's glory, not merely from personal grief or habit.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that Zechariah was told to answer the questioners about whether to continue the fast. He believes the two men visited Jerusalem along with others to ask about the fasting practice.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Christians who hold the view that the word of God came to Zechariah through Bethel point to this verse, while others understand it as coming directly from God. Both seek to be faithful to Scripture.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Geneva Bible Notes notes that the people fasted for themselves rather than for God. You may find hope in Christ and the resurrection.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the people's fasting was not truly for God. Their fasts were human traditions, not divine commands, and even their eating and drinking were done for their own pleasure, not for God's glory. They would have been better off heeding the warnings of the earlier prophets.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Christians who hold the view that Zechariah speaks for the people of God point to verses showing their concern for human rituals over moral obedience, while others emphasize verses about true faithfulness to God. Both seek to be faithful to Scripture.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that "Bethel" in this passage refers to the town and its inhabitants, not to the temple, and that the delegation from Bethel came asking whether the fast commemorating Jerusalem's fall should continue. The commentator also re-divides the verses so that the date links to the delegation's arrival, not to the prophetic word.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange's distinctive point is that the people's fasting was self-centered, not God-centered, as shown by the emphatic repetition "to me, to me." God had not commanded these fasts,
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the people fasted for themselves rather than for God. He believes they thought their prayers and fasting honored God even though it served only their own interests.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes some read these events as a literal history about Jews and Gentiles while others see them as pointing to deeper spiritual truths. Christians have understood this passage to mean both views hold true.