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class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/zechariah/7.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/zechariah/7.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/zechariah/7.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />And even now in your holy festivals, aren’t you eating and drinking just to please yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/zechariah/7.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/zechariah/7.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />And when you were eating and drinking, were you not doing so simply for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/zechariah/7.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat <i>for yourselves</i>, and drink <i>for yourselves</i>?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/zechariah/7.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink <i>for yourselves?</i><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/zechariah/7.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />And when you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/zechariah/7.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8216When you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/zechariah/7.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />‘And when you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/zechariah/7.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />And when you eat and when you drink, are you not eating for yourselves and are you not drinking for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/zechariah/7.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves [to satisfy your own needs]?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/zechariah/7.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />When you eat and drink, don’t you eat and drink simply for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/zechariah/7.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />When you eat and drink, don&#8217t you eat and drink simply for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/zechariah/7.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />And when ye eat, and when ye drink, do not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/zechariah/7.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />And when you eat and drink, isn't it for your own enjoyment? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/zechariah/7.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />And when ye eat, and when ye drink, do not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/zechariah/7.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />When you ate and drank, didn't you do it to benefit yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/zechariah/7.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />And when they ate and drank, it was for their own satisfaction." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/zechariah/7.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />And when you eat and drink, you're eating and drinking for your own benefit, aren't you? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/zechariah/7.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />And when you were eating and drinking, were you not doing so simply for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/zechariah/7.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />And now when you eat and drink, are you not doing so for yourselves?'"<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/zechariah/7.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />When you eat, and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/zechariah/7.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />And when ye ate, and when ye drank, did ye not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/zechariah/7.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />When you eat and when you drink, don’t you eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/zechariah/7.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />When you fasted with mourning in the fifth and in the seventh [months]—even these seventy years—did you keep the fast [to] Me? And when you eat, and when you drink, is it not you who are eating, and you who are drinking?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/zechariah/7.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> When ye fasted with mourning in the fifth and in the seventh months -- even these seventy years -- did ye keep the fast to Me -- Me? And when ye eat, and when ye drink, is it not ye who are eating, and ye who are drinking?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/zechariah/7.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And when ye shall eat, and when ye shall drink, are ye not eating, and are ye not drinking?<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/zechariah/7.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And when you did eat and drink, did you not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/zechariah/7.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And when you did eat and drink, did you not eat for yourselves, and drink only for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/zechariah/7.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />When you were eating and drinking, was it not for yourselves that you ate and for yourselves that you drank?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/zechariah/7.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink only for yourselves?<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/zechariah/7.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />And when you did eat and when you did drink, did you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/zechariah/7.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And if you eat and drink, is it not you eating and drinking?”<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/zechariah/7.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />And when ye eat, and when ye did drink, are ye not they that eat, and they that drink?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/zechariah/7.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />And if ye eat or drink, do ye not eat and drink for yourselves?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/zechariah/7-6.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CFPk_KgOyMk?start=921" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/zechariah/7.htm">A Call to Justice and Mercy</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">5</span>“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted? <span class="reftext">6</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3588.htm" title="3588: wə·ḵî (Conj) -- That, for, when. ">And when</a> <a href="/hebrew/398.htm" title="398: ṯō·ḵə·lū (V-Qal-Imperf-2mp) -- To eat. A primitive root; to eat.">you were eating</a> <a href="/hebrew/3588.htm" title="3588: wə·ḵî (Conj) -- That, for, when. "></a> <a href="/hebrew/8354.htm" title="8354: ṯiš·tū (V-Qal-Imperf-2mp) -- To drink. A primitive root; to imbibe.">and drinking,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: hă·lō·w (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">were you not</a> <a href="/hebrew/859.htm" title="859: ’at·tem (Pro-2mp) -- You (masc. sing.). ">doing so</a> <a href="/hebrew/398.htm" title="398: hā·’ō·ḵə·lîm (Art:: V-Qal-Prtcpl-mp) -- To eat. A primitive root; to eat."></a> <a href="/hebrew/859.htm" title="859: wə·’at·tem (Conj-w:: Pro-2mp) -- You (masc. sing.). "></a> <a href="/hebrew/8354.htm" title="8354: haš·šō·ṯîm (Art:: V-Qal-Prtcpl-mp) -- To drink. A primitive root; to imbibe.">simply for yourselves?</a> </span><span class="reftext">7</span>Are these not the words that the LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets, when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were populous and prosperous, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’ ”…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/58-3.htm">Isaiah 58:3-7</a></span><br />“Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers. / You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high. / Is this the fast I have chosen: a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the LORD? ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/amos/5-21.htm">Amos 5:21-24</a></span><br />“I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. / Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard. / Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/6-16.htm">Matthew 6:16-18</a></span><br />When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. / But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, / so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/1-11.htm">Isaiah 1:11-17</a></span><br />“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. / When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you—this trampling of My courts? / Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/10-31.htm">1 Corinthians 10:31</a></span><br />So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/6-6.htm">Hosea 6:6</a></span><br />For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/micah/6-6.htm">Micah 6:6-8</a></span><br />With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? / Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? / He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/23-23.htm">Matthew 23:23</a></span><br />Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/15-22.htm">1 Samuel 15:22</a></span><br />But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/7-6.htm">Mark 7:6-7</a></span><br />Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/18-9.htm">Luke 18:9-14</a></span><br />To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable: / “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. / The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/15-8.htm">Matthew 15:8-9</a></span><br />‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/14-6.htm">Romans 14:6-8</a></span><br />He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. / For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone. / If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/29-13.htm">Isaiah 29:13</a></span><br />Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/colossians/3-17.htm">Colossians 3:17</a></span><br />And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">And when you did eat, and when you did drink, did not you eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?</p><p class="hdg">did not ye eat for.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/12-7.htm">Deuteronomy 12:7</a></b></br> And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/14-26.htm">Deuteronomy 14:26</a></b></br> And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/1_samuel/16-7.htm">1 Samuel 16:7</a></b></br> But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for <i>the LORD seeth</i> not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/daniel/10-3.htm">Ate</a> <a href="/obadiah/1-16.htm">Drank</a> <a href="/haggai/1-6.htm">Drink</a> <a href="/zephaniah/1-13.htm">Drinking</a> <a href="/haggai/1-6.htm">Eat</a> <a href="/amos/7-4.htm">Eating</a> <a href="/zechariah/7-5.htm">Fast</a> <a href="/zechariah/7-5.htm">Fasted</a> <a href="/amos/6-7.htm">Feasting</a> <a href="/zechariah/7-5.htm">Fifth</a> <a href="/zechariah/7-5.htm">Months</a> <a href="/micah/1-16.htm">Mourning</a> <a href="/zechariah/7-5.htm">Seventh</a> <a href="/zechariah/7-5.htm">Seventy</a> <a href="/zechariah/7-5.htm">Yourselves</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/matthew/12-4.htm">Ate</a> <a href="/mark/14-23.htm">Drank</a> <a href="/zechariah/9-15.htm">Drink</a> <a href="/matthew/11-18.htm">Drinking</a> <a href="/zechariah/11-9.htm">Eat</a> <a href="/matthew/9-11.htm">Eating</a> <a href="/zechariah/8-19.htm">Fast</a> <a href="/matthew/4-2.htm">Fasted</a> <a href="/matthew/11-19.htm">Feasting</a> <a href="/zechariah/8-19.htm">Fifth</a> <a href="/zechariah/8-19.htm">Months</a> <a href="/zechariah/12-11.htm">Mourning</a> <a href="/zechariah/8-19.htm">Seventh</a> <a href="/matthew/18-22.htm">Seventy</a> <a href="/malachi/2-16.htm">Yourselves</a><div class="vheading2">Zechariah 7</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/zechariah/7-1.htm">The captives enquire concerning the set fasts.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">4. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/zechariah/7-4.htm">Zechariah reproves the hypocrisy of their fasting.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">8. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/zechariah/7-8.htm">Sin the cause of their captivity.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/zechariah/7.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/zechariah/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/zechariah/7.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>And when you were eating and drinking</b><br>This phrase refers to the practice of fasting and feasting among the Israelites. Historically, fasting was a significant religious observance, often associated with mourning or seeking God's favor. However, the context here suggests that the people were engaging in these activities without genuine spiritual intent. The reference to eating and drinking highlights the contrast between outward religious rituals and the inward spiritual reality. In biblical times, feasting was a communal activity, often associated with celebrations and religious festivals, such as Passover or the Feast of Tabernacles. The prophet Zechariah challenges the people to consider the true purpose of their actions, echoing the sentiments found in <a href="/isaiah/58-3.htm">Isaiah 58:3-7</a>, where God criticizes empty rituals.<p><b>were you not doing so simply for yourselves?</b><br>This phrase questions the motivation behind the people's actions, suggesting that their fasting and feasting were self-centered rather than God-centered. The critique is that their religious practices had become mere formalities, lacking genuine devotion or concern for God's will. This self-serving attitude is reminiscent of the rebukes found in other prophetic books, such as <a href="/amos/5-21.htm">Amos 5:21-24</a>, where God expresses disdain for insincere worship. The emphasis on self-interest contrasts with the biblical call to love God and neighbor, as seen in the Great Commandment (<a href="/matthew/22-37.htm">Matthew 22:37-39</a>). The challenge is to examine one's heart and ensure that religious observance is not merely a ritual but a true expression of faith and obedience to God.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/z/zechariah.htm">Zechariah</a></b><br>A prophet who ministered to the Jewish people after their return from Babylonian exile. His messages often focused on repentance and the coming of the Messiah.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_people_of_bethel.htm">The People of Bethel</a></b><br>They sent a delegation to ask the priests and prophets whether they should continue fasting as they had during the exile.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_house_of_the_lord.htm">The House of the LORD</a></b><br>Refers to the temple in Jerusalem, which was central to Jewish worship and the place where the people sought guidance from God.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_exile.htm">The Exile</a></b><br>The period when the Jewish people were taken captive to Babylon, during which they instituted fasts to mourn the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_fasts.htm">The Fasts</a></b><br>These were times of mourning and reflection instituted by the Jewish people during the exile, particularly the fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/true_worship_and_intentions.htm">True Worship and Intentions</a></b><br>Worship and religious practices should be driven by a genuine desire to honor God, not merely by tradition or obligation.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/h/heart_over_ritual.htm">Heart Over Ritual</a></b><br>God values the condition of our hearts over the mere performance of religious rituals. Our actions should reflect a sincere devotion to Him.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/self-examination.htm">Self-Examination</a></b><br>Regularly examine your motives in religious practices. Are they for God's glory or self-serving purposes?<br><br><b><a href="/topical/c/community_and_compassion.htm">Community and Compassion</a></b><br>True fasting and worship should lead to acts of justice, mercy, and compassion towards others, reflecting God's character.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/r/repentance_and_renewal.htm">Repentance and Renewal</a></b><br>Use times of fasting and prayer as opportunities for repentance and spiritual renewal, aligning your life more closely with God's will.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_zechariah_7.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Zechariah 7</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_is_'kingdom_of_god'_in_luke_17_20.htm">Is life more important than food?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_question_sincerity_if_god_is_all-knowing.htm">If God is all-knowing, why would Zechariah 7:5-6 question whether the people were sincerely fasting for Him?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/interpret_'eat_flesh,_drink_blood'_command.htm">John 6:53-56: How should we interpret the command to eat Jesus's flesh and drink his blood, considering it seems at odds with both moral and dietary laws?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_aren't_1_cor_10_6-10_events_corroborated.htm">Why does 1 Corinthians 10:6-10 describe repeated miraculous punishments and judgments without corroborating records beyond the Bible?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/zechariah/7.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 6.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">When ye did eat,</span> etc.; better, <span class="accented">when ye eat and when ye drink.</span> As in your fasts, so in your rejoicings and your daily life. <span class="cmt_word">Did not ye eat for</span> yourselves, etc.? literally, <span class="accented">Is it not ye who are eating and ye who are drinking?</span> There the matter ends; it is self that is concerned, and there is no reference to God (comp. <a href="/1_corinthians/8-8.htm">1 Corinthians 8:8</a>; <a href="/1_corinthians/10-31.htm">1 Corinthians 10:31</a>). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/zechariah/7-6.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">And when</span><br /><span class="heb">וְכִ֥י</span> <span class="translit">(wə·ḵî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> </span><span class="str2">A relative conjunction</span><br /><br /><span class="word">you were eating</span><br /><span class="heb">תֹאכְל֖וּ</span> <span class="translit">(ṯō·ḵə·lū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_398.htm">Strong's 398: </a> </span><span class="str2">To eat</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and drinking,</span><br /><span class="heb">תִשְׁתּ֑וּ</span> <span class="translit">(ṯiš·tū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8354.htm">Strong's 8354: </a> </span><span class="str2">To imbibe</span><br /><br /><span class="word">were you not</span><br /><span class="heb">הֲל֤וֹא</span> <span class="translit">(hă·lō·w)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">[doing so]</span><br /><span class="heb">אַתֶּם֙</span> <span class="translit">(’at·tem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Pronoun - second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_859.htm">Strong's 859: </a> </span><span class="str2">Thou and thee, ye and you</span><br /><br /><span class="word">simply for yourselves?</span><br /><span class="heb">הַשֹּׁתִֽים׃</span> <span class="translit">(haš·šō·ṯîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8354.htm">Strong's 8354: </a> </span><span class="str2">To imbibe</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/zechariah/7-6.htm">Zechariah 7:6 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/zechariah/7-6.htm">Zechariah 7:6 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/zechariah/7-6.htm">Zechariah 7:6 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/zechariah/7-6.htm">Zechariah 7:6 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/zechariah/7-6.htm">Zechariah 7:6 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/zechariah/7-6.htm">Zechariah 7:6 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/zechariah/7-6.htm">Zechariah 7:6 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/zechariah/7-6.htm">Zechariah 7:6 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/zechariah/7-6.htm">Zechariah 7:6 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/zechariah/7-6.htm">Zechariah 7:6 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/zechariah/7-6.htm">OT Prophets: Zechariah 7:6 When you eat and when you drink (Zech. Zec Zc) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/zechariah/7-5.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Zechariah 7:5"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Zechariah 7:5" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/zechariah/7-7.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Zechariah 7:7"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Zechariah 7:7" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>