Zechariah 12:5 (GNV)

Passage

And the princes of Iudah shall say in their hearts, The inhabitants of Ierusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hostes their God.

Nearby Context

Zechariah 12:3 And in that day will I make Ierusalem an heauie stone for all people: all that lift it vp, shall be torne, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

Zechariah 12:4 In that day, sayeth the Lord, I will smite euery horse with astonishment, and his rider with madnesse, and I will open mine eyes vpon the house of Iudah, and will smite euery horse of the people with blindnesse.

Zechariah 12:5 And the princes of Iudah shall say in their hearts, The inhabitants of Ierusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hostes their God.

Zechariah 12:6 In that day will I make the princes of Iudah like coles of fire among the wood, and like a fire brand in the sheafe, and they shall deuoure all the people round about on the right hand, and on the left: and Ierusalem shall be inhabited againe in her owne place, euen in Ierusalem.

Zechariah 12:7 The Lord also shall preserue the tents of Iudah, as afore time: therefore the glorie of the house of Dauid shall not boast, nor the glorie of the inhabitants of Ierusalem against Iudah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "princes", "iudah", "shall", "hearts", "inhabitants", "ierusalem", and "strength". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "princes" and "iudah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "In that day sayeth the Lord I..." into verse 6's "In that day will I make the...", so "princes" and "iudah" 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 "princes" and "iudah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.