When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,
Parallel translations
- WEB The people of Bethel sent Sharezer and Regem Melech, and their men, to entreat Yahweh’s favor,
- BSB Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, along with their men, to plead before the LORD
- NKJV when the people sent Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God, to pray before the Lord,
- NASB Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and their men to seek the favor of the Lord,
- NLT The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech, along with their attendants, to seek the Lord’s favor.
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
A delegation is sent to seek the Lord's favor at the temple. Their journey shows renewed interest in worship as the rebuilding progresses.
Overview
Messengers come to 'entreat Yahweh's favor,' indicating a desire to inquire of God through His priests and prophets. Their coming sets up the question about fasting in the next verse. The episode shows that with restored worship, the people sought guidance on how to honor God rightly.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Zech 8:21And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.
- Jer 26:19Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.
- 1 Sam 13:12Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.
- 1 Kgs 13:6And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
- Exod 32:11And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
- Ezra 8:28–30And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers.
- Isa 60:7All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.
- Ezra 7:15–23And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,
- Ezra 6:10That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.
- Zech 6:10Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;
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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 7:2 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.