Passage
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.
Zechariah 12:7 (GNV)
Nearby Context
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.
Zechariah 12:8 In that day shall the Lord defende the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and he that is feeble among them, in that day shall be as Dauid: and the house of Dauid shall be as Gods house, and as the Angel of the Lord before them.
Zechariah 12:9 And in that day will I seeke to destroy all the nations that come against Ierusalem.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "lord", "shall", "preserue", "tents", "iudah", "afore", "time", and "therefore". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" 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 the Lord defende...", so "lord" 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 "lord" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.