Zechariah14
New King James Version
1Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
2For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle.
4And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
5Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You.
6It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish.
7It shall be one day Which is known to the Lord— Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light.
8And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.
9And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— “The Lord is one,” And His name one.
10All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.
11The people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
12And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
13It shall come to pass in that day That a great panic from the Lord will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, And raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand;
14Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.
15Such also shall be the plague On the horse and the mule, On the camel and the donkey, And on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be.
16And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
17And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain.
18If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
19This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
20In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
21Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Zechariah 14.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The sufferings of Jerusalem. (1–7). Encouraging prospects, and the destruction of her enemies. (8–15). The holiness of the latter days. (16–21).
vv1-7
The Lord Jesus often stood upon the Mount of Olives when on earth. He ascended from thence to heaven, and then desolations and distresses came upon the Jewish nation. Such is the view taken of this figuratively; but many consider it as a notice of events yet unfulfilled, and that it relates to troubles of which we cannot now form a full idea. Every believer, being related to God as his God, may triumph in the expectation of Christ's coming in power, and speak of it with pleasure. During a long season, the state of the church would be deformed by sin; there would be a mixture of truth and error, of happiness and misery. Such is the experience of God's people, a mingled state of grace and corruption. But, when the season is at the worst, and most unpromising, the Lord will turn darkness into light; deliverance comes when God's people have done looking for it.
vv8-15
Some consider that the progress of the gospel, beginning from Jerusalem, is referred to by the living waters flowing from that city. Neither shall the gospel and means of grace, nor the graces of the Spirit wrought in the hearts of believers by those means, ever fail, by reason either of the heat of persecution, or storms of temptation, or the blasts of any other affliction. Tremendous judgments appear to be foretold, to be sent upon those who should oppose the settlement of the Jews in their own land. How far they are to be understood literally, events alone can determine. The furious rage and malice which stir up men against each other, are faint shadows of the enmity which reigns among those who have perished in their sins. Even the inferior creatures often suffer for the sin of man, and in his plagues. Thus God will show his displeasure against sin.
vv16-21
As it is impossible for all nations literally to come to Jerusalem once a year, to keep a feast, it is evident that a figurative meaning must here be applied. Gospel worship is represented by the keeping of the feast of tabernacles. Every day of a Christian's life is a day of the feast of tabernacles; every Lord's day especially is the great day of the feast; therefore every day let us worship the Lord of hosts, and keep every Lord's day with peculiar solemnity. It is just for God to withhold the blessings of grace from those who do not attend the means of grace. It is a sin that is its own punishment; those who forsake the duty, forfeit the privilege of communion with God. A time of complete peace and purity of the church will arrive. Men will carry on their common affairs, and their sacred services, upon the same holy principles of faith, love and obedience. Real holiness shall be more diffused, because there shall be a more plentiful pouring forth of the Spirit of holiness than ever before. There shall be holiness even in common things. Every action and every enjoyment of the believer, should be so regulated according to the will of God, that it may be directed to his glory. Our whole lives should be as one constant sacrifice, or act of devotion; no selfish motive should prevail in any of our actions. But how far is the Christian church from this state of purity! Other times, however, are at hand, and the Lord will reform and enlarge his church, as he has promised. Yet in heaven alone will perfect holiness and happiness be found.
Key Words
הִנֵּה: lo!
יוֹם: a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
בּוֹא: to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
שָׁלָל: booty
חָלַק: to be smooth (figuratively); by implication (as smooth stones were used for lots) to apportion or separate
קֶרֶב: properly, the nearest part, i.e. the center, whether literal, figurative or adverbial (especially with preposition)
אָסַף: to gather for any purpose; hence, to receive, take away, i.e. remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, restore, etc.)
כֹּל: properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
גּוֹי: a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
אֵל: near, with or among; often in general, to
Cross References
Zechariah 14The Mount of Olives as the scene of both Christ's physical ascension and promised return.
Supported by JFB
Ezekiel's vision of the glory of the Lord departing from the city over the Mount of Olives.
Supported by JFB
Explicit historical marker of the great earthquake during the reign of King Uzziah.
Supported by JFB
Parallel prophecy of God gathering all nations to battle in the valley of decision.
Supported by Poole, JFB
God fighting for Israel against Egypt at the Red Sea, a pattern of His divine intervention.
Supported by Calvin, JFB
Vision of living, healing waters flowing eastward from the temple in Jerusalem.
Supported by JFB
Prophetic parallel of a fountain flowing from the house of the Lord to water dry places.
Supported by JFB
The priestly inscription 'Holiness to the Lord' on the mitre, now extended to common horse bells.
The river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne.
Parallel topographical restoration landmarks of Jerusalem, including the tower of Hananeel.
There shall be 'no more curse' corresponding directly to 'no more utter destruction.'
God causes every man's sword to be against his brother among the invading hosts.
Historical precedent of God defeating enemies by setting every man's sword against his fellow.
The Feast of Tabernacles, commemorating God's dwelling with man, celebrated by nations.
Supported by Henry
Contrasts Egypt's reliance on irrigation by foot with Israel's reliance on rain from heaven.
No defiled person or abomination can enter, corresponding to 'no more the Canaanite.'
Parable of the king sending armies to destroy those murderers and burn up their city.
Supported by Poole
The city having no need of sun or moon because God's glory provides light.
The God of heaven setting up a kingdom that will consume all other kingdoms.
Upon Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness.