The Meaning of Zechariah 7:5 Explained

Zechariah 7:5

KJV: Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

YLT: 'Speak unto all the people of the land, and unto the priests, saying:

Darby: Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye really fast unto me, even unto me?

ASV: Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month , even these seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Speak  unto all the people  of the land,  and to the priests,  saying,  When ye fasted  and mourned  in the fifth  and seventh  [month], even those seventy  years,  did ye at all  fast  unto me, [even] to me? 

What does Zechariah 7:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Zechariah 7:1-14 - The Penalty Of Injustice And Cruelty
During their captivity the Jews observed four feasts. That of the 10th month recalled the first enclosure of Jerusalem by the enemies' lines; of the 4th the capture of the city; of the 5th the destruction by fire of the Temple; of the 7th the murder of Gedaliah. The national life was depressed by this constant memory of disaster. It seemed incongruous to act thus, when the Holy City was rising from the dust. Surely the lamentations which were befitting in Babylon, were out of place now. A deputation was therefore sent to inquire the views of the leaders. Zechariah gave four separate answers to the request. In Zechariah 7:4-7 he suggests that as these fasts had been set up by themselves, they were at liberty to discontinue them, and the main question was whether they were pondering the teachings and warnings of the older prophets. In Zechariah 7:8-14 he implored them not to yield to the obtuseness and disobedience of their fathers, in order that no second catastrophe should cast them back to the disasters they had suffered. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 7

1  The captives enquire concerning the set fasts
4  Zechariah reproves the hypocrisy of their fasting
8  Sin the cause of their captivity

What do the individual words in Zechariah 7:5 mean?

Say to all the people of the land and to the priests saying when you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh [month] and this [is] seventy years did really you fast for Me for Me
אֱמֹר֙ אֶל־ כָּל־ עַ֣ם הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאֶל־ הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים לֵאמֹ֑ר כִּֽי־ צַמְתֶּ֨ם וְסָפ֜וֹד בַּחֲמִישִׁ֣י וּבַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י וְזֶה֙ שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה הֲצ֥וֹם צַמְתֻּ֖נִי ؟ אָֽנִי

אֱמֹר֙  Say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
עַ֣ם  the  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הָאָ֔רֶץ  of  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְאֶל־  and  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים  the  priests 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
לֵאמֹ֑ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
צַמְתֶּ֨ם  you  fasted 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: צוּם  
Sense: (Qal) to abstain from food, fast.
וְסָפ֜וֹד  and  mourned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: סָפַד  
Sense: to wail, lament, mourn.
בַּחֲמִישִׁ֣י  in  the  fifth 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Number, ordinal masculine singular
Root: חֲמִישִׁי  
Sense: ordinal number, 5th.
וּבַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י  and  in  the  seventh  [month] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article, Number, ordinal masculine singular
Root: שְׁבִיעִי  
Sense: seventh.
וְזֶה֙  and  this  [is] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
שִׁבְעִ֣ים  seventy 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: שִׁבְעִים  
Sense: seventy.
שָׁנָ֔ה  years 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
הֲצ֥וֹם  did  really 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: צוּם  
Sense: (Qal) to abstain from food, fast.
צַמְתֻּ֖נִי  you  fast  for  Me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural, first person common singular
Root: צוּם  
Sense: (Qal) to abstain from food, fast.
؟ אָֽנִי  for  Me 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.