Zechariah 12:7 (ASV)

Passage

Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem be not magnified above Judah.

Nearby Context

Zechariah 12:5 And the chieftains of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Jehovah of hosts their God.

Zechariah 12:6 In that day will I make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and [they of] Jerusalem shall yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem.

Zechariah 12:7 Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem be not magnified above Judah.

Zechariah 12:8 In that day shall Jehovah defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of Jehovah before them.

Zechariah 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehovah", "shall", "save", "tents", "judah", "first", "glory", and "house". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "In that day will I make the..." into verse 8's "In that day shall Jehovah defend the...", so "jehovah" and "shall" 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 "jehovah" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.