The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.

ZECHARIAH 1:2KJV
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Zechariah 1:2 (KJV)

What does Zechariah 1:2 mean?

Zechariah 1:2 states that the LORD was very angry with the ancestors of the people being addressed. The verse highlights that God’s displeasure with their forefathers was serious and significant.

The prophet Zechariah is speaking to the returned exiles of Judah, reminding them that their ancestors’ actions led to God’s strong anger and the hardships they suffered. This sets the stage for Zechariah’s message, urging the current generation to learn from the past and pay attention to God’s warnings.

The Hebrew behind Zechariah 1:2

  • LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of God used throughout the Old Testament, emphasizing that the message comes directly from Israel’s covenant God.
  • sore (קָצַף, qatsaph): This word means “to be very angry” or “to be greatly displeased.” It stresses the intensity of God’s anger, not just mild disappointment.
  • displeased (קָצַף, qatsaph): The repetition of the same root word for “sore displeased” doubles the emphasis, showing that God’s anger was not casual but deeply felt.
  • fathers (אָב, av): This refers to the previous generations of Israelites, making it clear that the warning is rooted in real historical events and choices.

Why Zechariah 1:2 matters

  • Zechariah 1:2 clears up any idea that the hardships faced by the people were accidental; they were the result of God’s strong reaction to their ancestors’ choices.
  • The verse sets a serious tone for the rest of Zechariah’s message, showing that God’s warnings are not empty threats but have real consequences.
  • By focusing on the past generation’s mistakes, Zechariah prepares his listeners to consider their own actions and relationship with God in light of history.

Where else these words appear

“sore” Hebrew H7110 · used in 29 verses

  • Numbers 1:53 But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony.
  • 2 Chronicles 19:10 And what cause soever shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the LORD, and so wrath come upon you, and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not trespass.
  • Isaiah 34:2 For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.

“displeased” Hebrew H7107 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 40:2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
  • Deuteronomy 9:19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.
  • Isaiah 8:21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.