Zakharia 1:2

1:2 The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. ¹ 

Zakharia 7:12

7:12 Indeed, they made their heart as hard as diamond, ²  so that they could not obey the Torah and the other words the Lord who rules over all had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore, the Lord who rules over all had poured out great wrath.

Zakharia 8:9

8:9 “The Lord who rules over all also says, ‘Gather strength, you who are listening to these words today from the mouths of the prophets who were there at the founding of the house of the Lord who rules over all, ³  so that the temple might be built.

Zakharia 8:14

8:14 “For the Lord who rules over all says, ‘As I had planned to hurt ⁴  you when your fathers made me angry,’ says the Lord who rules over all, ‘and I was not sorry,

[1:2]  ¹ tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB); NIV “forefathers” (also in vv. 4, 5).

[7:12]  ² tn The Hebrew term שָׁמִיר (shamir) means literally “hardness” and since it is said in Ezek 3:9 to be harder than flint, many scholars suggest that it refers to diamond. It is unlikely that diamond was known to ancient Israel, however, so probably a hard stone like emery or corundum is in view. The translation nevertheless uses “diamond” because in modern times it has become proverbial for its hardness. A number of English versions use “flint” here (e.g., NASB, NIV).

[8:9]  ³ sn These prophets who were there at the founding of the house of the Lord who rules over all included at least Haggai and Zechariah, and perhaps others. The founding referred to here is not the initial laying of the temple’s foundations in 536 b.c. (Ezra 3:8) but the resumption of work two years before the time of the present narrative (i.e., in 520 b.c.), as vv. 10-12 make clear.

[8:14]  ⁴ tn The verb זָמַם (zamam) usually means “to plot to do evil,” but with a divine subject (as here), and in light of v. 15 where it means to plan good, the meaning here has to be the implementation of discipline (cf. NCV, CEV “punish”). God may bring hurt but its purpose is redemptive and/or pedagogical.