Commentary - Zechariah 13:1

Bird's-eye view

Following the profound national repentance described at the end of chapter 12, where Israel looks upon Him whom they have pierced and mourns, chapter 13 opens with the divine provision for the sin that caused the mourning. The logic is seamless and glorious. First comes the conviction and grief, a work of the Spirit (Zech. 12:10), and immediately following is the provision for cleansing. God does not provoke a sorrow for which He has not already prepared the remedy. This chapter details the results of that great turning to the Messiah. It begins with the fountain of cleansing, and then moves to the outworking of this cleansing in the life of the nation: the removal of idols and false prophets, and a radical commitment to holiness that will even divide families for the sake of the truth. It is a picture of a thoroughgoing, top-to-bottom reformation, all flowing from this opened fountain.

The key here is that the fountain is opened "in that day." This is the dawning of the new covenant era, the age of the Messiah. The prophecy looks forward to the finished work of Christ, where a permanent and effective solution for sin is established. Unlike the temporary and repeated Levitical washings, this is a fountain, not a basin. It is a continual, inexhaustible source of cleansing for all God's people, from the highest to the lowest, "for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem."

Outline

Context In Zechariah

Zechariah 13:1 is not a standalone promise but the direct consequence of the events in Zechariah 12. In chapter 12, God makes Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all nations. He promises to pour out a spirit of grace and supplication on His people, leading them to look upon the one they pierced. This results in a deep, personal, and national mourning for sin, likened to the mourning for a firstborn son. The grief is real, the repentance is profound. And so, what must follow such a genuine turning? The answer is grace. God does not leave His people in their grief. Chapter 13 opens with the divine response: a fountain to wash away the very sin they are mourning. This fountain is God's provision, His answer to their repentance. It is the gospel solution to the problem of sin, presented here in vivid, prophetic imagery.

Key Issues

Commentary

1 In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.

In that day... This phrase, repeated throughout this section of Zechariah, points us to a specific time of God's decisive action. It is the day of the Lord, which in the prophets is not a single 24-hour period but rather the entire epoch of the Messiah's coming, His work, and the establishment of His kingdom. It is the gospel age. It is the time inaugurated by the events of chapter 12, when the people look upon the crucified and risen Lord. So, "in that day" means "as a result of the cross and resurrection." When Christ was pierced, this fountain was opened.

a fountain will be opened... The Old Testament saints were familiar with cleansing rituals. They had the bronze laver, and various washings for ceremonial uncleanness. But those were all static, limited, and had to be repeated. This is different. This is a fountain (maqor in the Hebrew), a spring of living water. It is dynamic, inexhaustible, and continuously flowing. Jeremiah had lamented that Israel had forsaken God, the "fountain of living waters" (Jer. 2:13). Here, that fountain is reopened. It is not something men dig; it is opened by God Himself. This points directly to the side of Christ, pierced on the cross, from which flowed blood and water (John 19:34). The blood atones, the water cleanses. This is the fountain. It is the gospel of grace, an ever-flowing, abundant provision for our filth.

for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem... This is not for a select few. It encompasses the entire covenant community, from the leadership ("the house of David") to the common person ("the inhabitants of Jerusalem"). In the new covenant, this extends to all of God's elect people, the true Israel. There is one fountain for all. The king and the citizen wash in the same stream. This is a great leveling. No one is so high that they do not need this cleansing, and no one is so low that they are excluded from it. Your station in life, your pedigree, your accomplishments, none of it matters. All that matters is your need for the fountain.

for sin and for impurity. The Hebrew uses two words here to cover the waterfront of our defilement. The first is sin (chaṭṭa't), which deals with our guilt, our legal standing before God. It is the transgression of His law, the debt that we owe. The second is impurity (niddâ), which often refers to ceremonial or ritual uncleanness, particularly menstrual impurity. It speaks to our pollution, our moral filthiness, the stain that makes us unfit for the presence of a holy God. The fountain deals with both. The blood of Christ satisfies the demands of the law, removing our guilt (justification). The washing of the Spirit cleanses our hearts and transforms our lives, removing our corruption (sanctification). This fountain is for both pardon and purity. It is a comprehensive solution. God does not do things by half measures. When He cleanses, He cleanses completely.

Application

The application of this verse is as direct as it is profound. First, we must recognize that this fountain is an objective reality, opened by God in history through the death of His Son. Our salvation does not depend on our ability to conjure up feelings of cleanliness, but on the historical fact of this fountain. It is open. The work is done.

Second, this fountain is for sinners. It is not for those who have managed to clean themselves up a bit. It is opened "for sin and for impurity." The only qualification for coming to this fountain is to be filthy. Therefore, do not try to wash yourself before you come to the fountain. That is like trying to dry off before you get in the shower. You come because you are dirty. Your sin is your ticket of admission.

Finally, this fountain is ever-flowing. This means there is grace for today's sins, and for tomorrow's as well. We live by this fountain. We return to it again and again, not to be re-justified, but to receive fresh cleansing and pardon. This is what confession of sin is all about (1 John 1:9). It is the daily application of the reality of this fountain that was opened for us once and for all. We should therefore live with a robust confidence, not in our own ability to stay clean, but in the absolute efficacy and inexhaustible supply of this glorious fountain.