Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 is a messianic prophecy -- but it has nothing to do with being pierced, with G-d becoming a man (something He says He is not and will never be) or with Jesus. The verse does not mention anything about the messiah (by name or description). The verse does not mention anything about anyone being both G-d and man. What does it say? "I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplications. They will look toward Me because of those whom they have stabbed; they will mourn over him as one mourns over an only [child], and be embittered over him like the embitterment over a [deceased] firstborn." Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10 Artscroll Stone Edition T'nach. G-d is not stabbed -- and actually the ones stabbed is more properly translated as "any one who is stabbed" or "those whom they have stabbed." Who is being stabbed? Some sages opine that it is Moshiach ben Yosef (Sukkah 52a) -- a person some missionaries try to say was the "first" coming of Jesus. Unfortunately for missionaries the concept of this messiah (not directly found in the T'nach / bible) is of a soldier who lives at the same time as "the messiah" (not 2000 years before him). This person will be a soldier who will die in the final battles which precede the messianic age -- again, it doesn't "fit" Jesus. Other sages believe the passage is not speaking of a specific person (which the grammar supports) - - but rather people who are killed in this messianic war. They are greatly mourned (again, something that did not happen with Jesus) by all the people. The RaDak (R' Kimchi, 1160 - 1235 CE) wrote: "if it should happen that one of them is killed in battle - even just one insignificant person - there will be great wonderment among them how such a thing could have occurred, and they will regard it as a "fall" and a submission before their enemies, comparable with what Joshua did when the inhabitants of the Ai killed 36 men of Israel (Y'hoshua / Joshua 7:5) - how he lamented "Woe, O L-rd G-d" (verse 7) and then added (verse 8 "what shall I say, after Israel has turned their backs before their enemies?" Their reaction in those days will be the same as that, if they will see that even one of them is stabbed - "they will stare in amazement towards Me because of those whom they have stabbed" on account of the one who is stabbed, and they will weep for him like a man who had only one son and he died, or like a man whose firstborn son has died. Our Rabbis of blessed memory, however, explained it as referring to the Moshiach ben Yoséf who is destined to die in battle." The various Christian translations mangle the who and what in this passage as to make it appear to be Christological. Why? Because we are told someone (or many people) will be stabbed -- and the Christian bible says that Jesus was stabbed in the side by a Roman soldier. Thus simply because stabbing is mentioned the missionary says that it is Jesus who was the “one who was pierced” -- even though nothing in the chapter fits Jesus. Including who is being stabbed, when they are stabbed -- and what happens after they are stabbed (the mourning). The "when" it happens is during the siege of Jerusalem in the messianic wars (if they happen). Rome was occupied in the time of Jesus, but when he was killed there was no battle underway -- no siege of Jerusalem. What happens after this great battle (Jewish warriors will succeed, and the nations besieging Jerusalem will be destroyed. Did the Jews beat Rome during Jesus' lifetime? Nope. Were the nations who attacked Jerusalem destroyed in the time of Jesus? Nope. If a missionary claims that will happen in the "second coming" that is an admission that it hasn't happened yet -- ergo they cannot claim it as a messianic prophecy that Jesus fulfilled. Who is being stabbed in Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:10? The Hebrew translates as “they will stare towards Me because of [literally, ‘with’] whom they have stabbed”, the actual object pronoun only being implied. So what is happening in this chapter? G-d is telling the prophet Z'charyah / Zechariah what will eventually happen to the Jewish people. First, He will make Jerusalem so much "trouble" that no one will want to deal with her. "And it shall come to pass on that day that I will make Jerusalem a stone of burden for all peoples; all who bear it shall be gashed, and all the nations of the earth shall gather about it." Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:3. Did this happen with Jesus? Nope. Jesus was killed in Jerusalem while the city was under the control of Rome -- who murdered tens of thousands of Jews. It was a time of turmoil -- both internal and external. Z'charyah / Zechariah goes on to say that the land of Israel (Judah) will be saved before G-d saves Jerusalem in the messianic age. G-d saves Jerusalem last so that it can't think that its rescue is due to its own merit. On that day (presumably the war of Gog and Magog), G-d will protect Jerusalem. Z'charyah / Zechariah 12:4 - 9. Again -- did not happen with Jesus. John 10:30 says "I and the Father are one.” So what? This is in no way supported by Z'charyah / Zechariah 12. The messiah will not be G-d. Time and time and time again the T'nach (bible) tells us that G-d is not a man, G-d does not change --- so there is not one prophecy in the T'nach that the messiah would be G-d. But now see – it is I! I am the only One! There are no (other) gods with me! (D'varim / Deuteronomy 32:39). G-d is not a man (Bamidbar / Numbers 23:19), “So said the L-rd. . . the ONE who formed you from the womb, “I (singular) am the L-rd . . .Who spread out the earth ALONE (לְבַדִּ֔י).” (Y'shayahu / Isaiah 44:24 ), Over and over and over again we are told that G-d is ONE, alone, by Himself – SINGULAR. The messiah will be a normal human being -- not G-d.
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