“And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.”
My Notes
What Does Zechariah 13:3 Mean?
Zechariah prophesies a day when false prophecy is so thoroughly rejected that a false prophet's own parents will execute him. The father and mother who gave him birth will say: you shall not live. You spoke lies in the LORD's name. And they will thrust him through — kill him — for prophesying falsely.
The severity is the vision: in the restored future Zechariah describes, the zeal against false prophecy comes from within the family. The parents don't defend their child. They execute the judgment. The parental instinct to protect is overridden by the commitment to truth. The family that produced the false prophet becomes the family that stops the false prophet.
The phrase "speakest lies in the name of the LORD" identifies the specific crime: not just lying. Lying in God's name. The false prophet doesn't just deceive. He attributes his deception to God. Every false word comes with a divine stamp. And the parents — who know the truth — won't tolerate the misuse of God's name. Not even by their own child.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does the vision of parents refusing to protect a false prophet describe a level of truth-commitment you've never seen?
- 2.How does 'lying in the name of the LORD' (attributing your lies to God) differ from ordinary deception?
- 3.Does a community that takes false prophecy THIS seriously (family-level accountability) feel extreme or necessary?
- 4.Where is false prophecy being protected by relationships that should be confronting it?
Devotional
His own parents will kill him. For prophesying lies in God's name. The family that raised him will execute the judgment.
Zechariah envisions a future so zealous for truth that false prophecy is unthinkable — and when it occurs, it's addressed by the closest possible people. Not the courts. Not the priests. The parents. The mother and father who gave the prophet birth will say: you can't live. You lied in God's name. And they'll thrust him through.
The severity is the vision of a purified community: false prophecy is so reviled that parental love can't protect the false prophet. The instinct to shield your child is overridden by the commitment to God's name. You love your son. But you love truth more. And the son who lies in God's name doesn't get family protection. He gets family judgment.
"Speakest lies in the name of the LORD" — the crime is specific. Not lying in general (bad enough). Lying while claiming God's authority (immeasurably worse). Every false prophecy comes with "thus saith the LORD" attached. Every deception carries divine attribution. And the abuse of God's name — using His authority to authorize your lies — is the crime severe enough to override parental instinct.
This isn't a prescriptive command (kill your lying children). It's a prophetic vision of what the restored community's zeal for truth looks like. In the future Zechariah sees, false prophecy is treated as the lethal threat it actually is. The community is so committed to truth that the closest relationships can't shield the liar.
The zeal for God's name exceeds the love for the child who abuses it. That's the vision. Not cruelty. Clarity about what matters most.
How seriously does your community take false prophecy? Seriously enough for the family to act?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy,.... Or attempt to prophesy, or propagate their idolatrous…
His father and mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live - The prophet describes the zeal against…
When any shall yet prophesy - Falsely; such shall be the horror of such an evil, that there shall be no toleration of…
Behold the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world, the sin of the church; for therefore was the Son of God…
his father and his mother In holy zeal they would carry out the law, "thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture