SUMMARY
In the midst of the restoration of the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, people will “look on the one whom they have pierced, [and] they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”
ANALYSIS
This oracleAn oracle is a divine utterance of guidance, promise, or judgment delivered to humans through an intermediary (who is often also called an oracle). In the Bible oracles are given by Balaam (in the book of Numbers) and by David (in 2 Samuel). A number... More begins in verse 1 with a description of victory for Judah and Jerusalem, so that even the feeblest of peoples will be like the house of David. In the midst of the Lord’s outpouring of compassion and supplication, the people will look on the one whom they have pierced and respond with great mourning. The image is reminiscent of the suffering servant of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and is applied to Jesus in John 19:37.
