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Zechariah

About this book
Chapter 13

1 “In that day there will be a fountain opened up for the dynasty of David and the people of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity. 2 And also on that day,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will remove the names of the idols from the land and they will never again be remembered. Moreover, I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3 Then, if anyone prophesies in spite of this, his father and mother to whom he was born will say to him, ‘You cannot live, for you lie in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and mother to whom he was born will run him through with a sword when he prophesies. 4 “Therefore, on that day each prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies and will no longer wear the hairy garment of a prophet⁠ to deceive the people. 5 Instead he will say, ‘I am no prophet; indeed, I am a farmer, for a man has made me his indentured servant since my youth.’⁠ 6 Then someone will ask him, ‘What are these wounds on your chest?’ and he will answer, ‘Some that I received in the house of my friends.’ 7 “Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate, ”says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Strike the shepherd that the flock may be scattered;⁠ I will turn my hand against the insignificant ones. 8 It will happen in all the land,” says the Lord, “that two-thirds of the people in it will be cut off and die, but one-third will be left in it. 9 Then I will bring the remaining third into the fire; I will refine them like silver is refined and will test them like gold is tested.⁠ They will call on my name and I will answer; I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

Texts in conversation

Compare Zechariah 13:9 and Wisdom of Solomon 3:6

Hebrew Bible · Deuterocanon

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Summary

Zechariah describes a remnant tested in fire like silver and gold, using refining imagery to describe people shaped by difficulty. The Wisdom of Solomon uses the same metaphor, applying the furnace to the testing of the righteous.

Passages

Zechariah 13:9

Hebrew Bible
7 “Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate, ”says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Strike the shepherd that the flock may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the insignificant ones. 8 It will happen in all the land,” says the Lord, “that two-thirds of the people in it will be cut off and die, but one-third will be left in it. 9 Then I will bring the remaining third into the fire; I will refine them like silver is refined and will test them like gold is tested. They will call on my name and I will answer; I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
500–401 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Zechariah

Wisdom of Solomon 3:6

Deuterocanon
4 For even if in the sight of men they are punished, their hope is full of immortality. 5 Having borne a little chastening, they will receive great good; because God tested them, and found them worthy of himself. 6 He tested them like gold in the furnace, and he accepted them as a whole burnt offering. 7 In the time of their visitation they will shine. They will run back and forth like sparks among stubble. 8 They will judge nations and have dominion over peoples. The Lord will reign over them forever.
50 BCE – 50 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Wisdom of Solomon

References

"... Compare with Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:3; Psalm 66:10; Proverbs 17:3; Sirach 2:5; 1QH 5.15-15; Daniel 11:35; 12:10; Philo Sacr. 80: "Again, let the fresh ripeness of the soul be 'roasted,' that is tested by the might of reason, as gold is tested by the furnace"; Seneca De Providentia 5:10: "Fire tests gold, misfortune brave men"; 16.1.6: "God does not make a spoiled pet of a good man; he tests him, hardens him, and fits him for his own service"; 4.7: "God hardens, reviews, and disciplines those whom he approves, whom he loves. Those, however, whom he seems to favor ... he is really keeping soft against ills to come"; 3.3; Menander Fragments 691, ('smelting furnace') is found only in the LXX (1 Kings 8:51 and elsewhere) and Patristic literature ..."
David Winston, The Wisdom of Solomon: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1979), 128.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Zechariah 13:9 and Wisdom of Solomon 3:6

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