Zechariah 12:10—The Pierced One

“And they will look to Me concerning the one who was pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they shall be in bitterness over him as one is in bitterness over a firstborn.”

Claim: The “one who was pierced” is a vivid description of Jesus, and the mourning described is the Jewish embarrassment upon realizing that their rejection of him was unmerited.

Response: Their interpretation fails for several reasons. Firstly, the mourning is described as the mourning for a lost child, and not as a cry of shame. [For a scriptural description of an admission of shame, see Micah 7:7-17.]

Secondly, the missionary interpretation ignores the context of the verse. The chapter in Zechariah in which this verse is found, speaks of the siege of Jerusalem. The prophet describes how the nations will besiege Jerusalem, but they will not succeed. The prophet describes how a Jewish contingent in the besieging army will do battle against the nations that have come to besiege Jerusalem. The Jewish warriors will succeed, and the nations besieging Jerusalem will be destroyed. It is in the context of this battle that there will be a great mourning for the “one who was pierced.”

A more accurate definition of dakaru (the word they wrongly translate as pierced) would be “stabbed”—not “pierced.” Pierced would be a somewhat reference to Jesus on the cross; stabbed, however, was a typical death of people those days who would die by the stabbing of a knife, spear, or sword in war. I thus see no reference to Jesus in this verse. Additionally, if it was referring to Jesus, then nukvu or ratza (def. pierce) would have been a more fitting term to use.

The Talmud^[i] understands this verse as a reference to the death of a Messiah from the tribe of Joseph. This leader, who successfully led the Jewish people in battle against their enemies, will fall at the hands of the nations. At the time of the ultimate victory (under the leadership of Messiah from the lineage of David) the people will mourn for the loss of their former leader. The fact that their leader had died in battle will generate a spirit of repentance and turning back to God. Accordingly the Prophet declares in the name of God that the people will look to Me (God) on account of the one that was pierced. Whether or not this account in the Talmud finds favor in your eyes—makes no difference, for, either way the passage cannot be, or is highly unlikely to be, referring to Jesus.

Of course, this is all under the assumption and premises that Jesus actually existed and actually died at the cross etc., something which there’s valid speculation about, as we have discussed in “The Resurrection Myth.”

[i] Sukkah 52a.