when the people sent Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God, 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,
- KJV When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,
- BSB Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, along with their men, to plead 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 shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Yahweh, and to seek Yahweh of Armies. I will go also.’
- Jer 26:19Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Didn’t he fear Yahweh, and entreat the favor of Yahweh, and Yahweh relented of the disaster which he had pronounced against them? We would commit great evil against our own souls that way!”
- 1 Sam 13:12therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me to Gilgal, and I haven’t entreated the favor of Yahweh.’ I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt offering.”
- 1 Kgs 13:6The king answered the man of God, “Now intercede for the favor of Yahweh your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again.” The man of God interceded with Yahweh, and the king’s hand was restored to him again, and became as it was before.
- Exod 32:11Moses begged Yahweh his God, and said, “Yahweh, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
- Ezra 8:28–30I said to them, “You are holy to Yahweh, and the vessels are holy. The silver and the gold are a freewill offering to Yahweh, the God of your fathers.
- Isa 60:7All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you. The rams of Nebaioth will serve you. They will be accepted as offerings on my altar; and I will beautify my glorious house.
- Ezra 7:15–23and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,
- Ezra 6:10that they may offer sacrifices of pleasant aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.
- Zech 6:10“Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah; and come the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have come from Babylon.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.