Zechariah's martyrdom — 'But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD' (וַיִּקְשְׁרוּ עָלָיו וַיִּשְׁגְּמוּ אוֹתוֹ בָּאָבָנִים בְּחַצְרֵ־בֵית־יְהוָה בְּצִוּוֹת יְהוֹאָשׁ). The response to Zechariah's prophecy is a conspiracy (קשׁר) to silence him. 'By command of the king' (בצוות יואשׁ) indicates that Joash actively authorizes the execution. The stoning (שׁגם) occurs 'in the court of the house of the LORD' (בחצרי בית יהוה) — the temple courtyard. The prophet is executed in the sacred space, a profound violation of sanctuary. The murder of the priest's son, in the temple, becomes the ultimate covenant violation.

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