Limitless Word
the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves;
Zechariah 12:13 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of the Shimeites apart, and their wives apart;
  • KJV The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
  • BSB the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives,
  • NASB the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves;
  • NLT the clan of Levi, and the clan of Shimei.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The mourning continues family by family, naming the house of Levi and the Shimeites, each grieving apart. It matters because it confirms that repentance reaches every segment of the people, including the priestly line.

Overview

Alongside the royal families, the priestly house of Levi and the family of Shimei mourn separately, showing that no group—rulers or priests—is exempt from the need to repent. The repeated 'apart' stresses the individual, unfeigned character of the grief. The inclusion of the priesthood underscores that even religious leaders must mourn over sin and the pierced One.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 10

  • 1 Chr 3:19The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah; and Shelomith was their sister;
  • 2 Chr 29:14and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.
  • Num 3:1–4Now this is the history of the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that Yahweh spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.
  • 1 Chr 4:27Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers didn’t have many children, and all their family did not multiply like the children of Judah.
  • 2 Sam 16:5When king David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came.
  • Exod 6:16–26These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari; and the years of the life of Levi were one hundred thirty-seven years.
  • 1 Kgs 1:8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
  • 1 Chr 23:10The sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.
  • Mal 2:4–9You will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant may be with Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies.
  • 1 Chr 23:7Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Zechariah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Zechariah 12:13YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ZechariahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Branch who is both priest and king, the shepherd struck and the flock scattered, the king coming humble on a donkey, the one they pierced, the fountain opened for sin — Zechariah is dense with Christ.

How Zechariah 12:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.