Zechariah 12:2 (ASV)

Passage

behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling unto all the peoples round about, and upon Judah also shall it be in the siege against Jerusalem.

Nearby Context

Zechariah 12:1 The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. [Thus] saith Jehovah, who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him:

Zechariah 12:2 behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling unto all the peoples round about, and upon Judah also shall it be in the siege against Jerusalem.

Zechariah 12:3 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it.

Zechariah 12:4 In that day, saith Jehovah, I will smite every horse with terror, and his rider with madness; and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the peoples with blindness.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "make", "jerusalem", "reeling", "peoples", "round", "upon", and "judah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "make", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "The burden of the word of Jehovah..." into verse 3's "And it shall come to pass in...", so "behold" and "make" belong inside that flow. In Zechariah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "behold" and "make" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.