Zechariah 7:6
And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
Original Language Analysis
וְכִ֥י
H3588
וְכִ֥י
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
1 of 9
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
וְכִ֣י
H3588
וְכִ֣י
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
3 of 9
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
הַשֹּׁתִֽים׃
and when ye did drink
H8354
הַשֹּׁתִֽים׃
and when ye did drink
Strong's:
H8354
Word #:
4 of 9
to imbibe (literally or figuratively)
הֲל֤וֹא
H3808
הֲל֤וֹא
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
5 of 9
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
Cross References
1 Corinthians 10:31Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.Hosea 8:13They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.
Historical Context
The delegation asked whether to continue fasting in the fifth month (commemorating Jerusalem's destruction, 586 BC) now that the temple was being rebuilt (7:3). God's response: your fasts were never about Me but about yourselves—your grief, your ritual, your tradition. After seventy years, their fasting had become empty routine. The question challenged post-exilic Judah to examine motives: Do you fast to manipulate God or to genuinely mourn sin? Do you eat to enjoy God's gifts gratefully or merely to satisfy appetites?
Questions for Reflection
- How does the question 'did not ye eat for yourselves?' expose self-centered religion?
- In what ways can fasting become as self-serving as feasting?
- What motives drive your spiritual disciplines—genuine love for God or self-focused performance?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?—God responds to the delegation's fasting question (7:1-3) by probing motives. The Hebrew vəkhī 'akhōl 'akhaltem vəkhī shātōh shəthītem hălō' 'attem hā'ōkhəlīm və'attem hashshōthīm (וְכִי אָכוֹל אֲכַלְתֶּם וְכִי שָׁתֹה שְׁתִיתֶם הֲלוֹא אַתֶּם הָאֹכְלִים וְאַתֶּם הַשֹּׁתִים, 'and when you ate and when you drank, was it not you who were eating and you who were drinking?') uses emphatic repetition. The rhetorical question exposes self-centered religion: their eating and drinking served themselves, not God.
The principle extends to fasting (v. 5): if eating serves self, doesn't fasting also serve self? God desires neither self-indulgent feasting nor self-righteous fasting but heart-level worship. Isaiah 58:3-7 similarly rebukes fasting divorced from justice and mercy. Jesus taught, 'when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast' (Matthew 6:17-18). The question 'Did not ye eat for yourselves?' diagnoses religious externalism—ritual without relationship, form without faithfulness. True worship flows from love for God and neighbor, not self-focused performance seeking divine favor or human applause.