For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

ZECHARIAH 3:9KJV
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Zechariah 3:9 (KJV)

What does Zechariah 3:9 mean?

Zechariah 3:9 describes a special stone set before Joshua the high priest, marked by seven eyes, which God Himself will engrave, promising to remove the sin of the land in a single day. The verse uses the image of this stone to show God’s direct action in bringing forgiveness and a new beginning for the people.

In this scene, God is speaking through the prophet Zechariah to Joshua, who represents the restored priesthood after the exile. The “stone” is a symbol placed before Joshua, and the “seven eyes” suggest God’s perfect watchfulness or completeness. God’s engraving of the stone and the promise to remove iniquity in one day point to a decisive act of cleansing and restoration for the nation.

The Hebrew behind Zechariah 3:9

  • אֶבֶן (’even, “stone”): This word refers to a literal or symbolic stone. Here, it is a visible sign placed before Joshua, likely representing God’s foundation or chosen servant.
  • שֶׁבַע עֵינַיִם (sheva ‘eynayim, “seven eyes”): “Seven” often means completeness in Hebrew thought, and “eyes” can mean watchfulness or insight. Together, they suggest God’s perfect awareness or care over what the stone represents.
  • פָּתַח (pathach, “engrave”) and מִפְתָּחֶיהָ (miphtacheha, “the graving thereof”): The act of engraving shows God’s personal involvement and authority in setting apart this stone for a special purpose.
  • עָוֹן (’avon, “iniquity”): This word means guilt or sin. God’s promise to “remove the iniquity” in one day highlights a sudden, complete act of forgiveness.

Why Zechariah 3:9 matters

  • Zechariah 3:9 clarifies that God Himself is taking the initiative to cleanse the people, not leaving it to human effort or ritual alone.
  • The verse connects to the larger vision in Zechariah of God restoring His people after exile, using vivid symbols to show hope and renewal.
  • The mention of “one day” emphasizes the suddenness and completeness of God’s forgiveness, which would have been a powerful reassurance to a community recently returned from captivity.

Where else these words appear

“graving” Hebrew H6603 · used in 11 verses

  • Exodus 28:11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.
  • Exodus 39:6 And they wrought onyx stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel.
  • 1 Kings 6:29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.

“remove” Hebrew H4185 · used in 19 verses

  • Exodus 13:22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
  • Psalms 55:11 Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.
  • Jeremiah 17:8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

“engrave” Hebrew H6605 · used in 133 verses

  • Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
  • Nehemiah 1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.
  • Isaiah 5:27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: