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"And the land shall mourn"

Text: Zechariah 12:12

MOURNING IN THE LAND

“And the land shall mourn, every family by itself:
the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves;
the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves;
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;
all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.”
Zechariah 12:12-14

1. “And the land shall mourn, every family by itself”

a) “The land” was a reference to Judah and Jerusalem.

b) The sense of loss would be felt keenly by individual families.

2. A short list of the individual families or groups

a) The royal house of David

Both husbands and wives would mourn this loss very personally.

b) The house of Nathan the prophet

i) He was a prophet who ministered to David personally.

ii) His family line would mourn this loss keenly, both husbands and wives.

c) The house of Levi

i) These were made up of three family groups:

ii) Gershon, Kohath and Merari (1 Chronicles 6:16; 23:6)

iii) The men and the wives would mourn deeply.

d) The house of Shimei

i) 1 Chronicles 6:39-43 sheds significant light.

ii) Shimei was listed as a descendant of Gershon (1 Chronicles 6:17).

iii) These were part of the Levites who looked after the Tabernacle.

iv) They were especially appointed by King David (1 Chronicles 6:31-32).

e) There were many other families. These were perhaps not as famous, but they too felt the loss very keenly.