Behold, a day of Yahweh comes, when your plunder will be divided within you. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city will be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go out into captivity, and the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then Yahweh will go out and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
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Zechariah 14:1-3 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Behold, a day of Yahweh comes, when your plunder will be divided within you. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city will be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go out into captivity, and the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then Yahweh will go out and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in two, from east to west, making a very great valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and half of it toward the south. You shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; yes, you shall flee, just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with you. It will happen in that day, that there will not be light, cold, or frost. It will be a unique day which is known to Yahweh; not day, and not night; but it will come to pass, that at evening time there will be light.
Parallel Translations
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Behold, a day of Yahweh comes, when your plunder will be divided within you.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city will be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go out into captivity, and the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.
Then Yahweh will go out and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
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Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
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Behold, a day of the LORD cometh, when thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, but the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fighteth in the day of battle.
Cross-references (50)
- Luke 21:20-24 (v2) “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the…
- Isaiah 13:16 (v2) Their infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be ransacked, and their wives raped.
- Romans 9:27-29 (v2) Isaiah cries concerning Israel, “If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved;…
- Matthew 24:19-22 (v2) But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days! Pray that your flight will not be in the winter, nor on a…
- Isaiah 13:9 (v1) Behold, the day of Yahweh comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its sinners out of it.
Show all 49 cross-references
- Mark 13:14 (v2) But when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand),…
- Zechariah 12:9 (v3) It will happen in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
- Matthew 24:15-16 (v2) “When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let…
- Revelation 16:14 (v1) for they are spirits of demons, performing signs; which go out to the kings of the whole inhabited earth, to gather them together for the…
- Isaiah 2:12 (v1) For there will be a day of Yahweh of Armies for all that is proud and arrogant, and for all that is lifted up; and it shall be brought low:
- Isaiah 65:6-9 (v2) “Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will repay, yes, I will repay into their bosom, your own iniquities, and the…
- Joel 3:9-17 (v3) Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Stir up the mighty men. Let all the warriors draw near. Let them come up. Beat your…
- Zephaniah 3:19 (v3) Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict you, and I will save those who are lame, and gather those who were driven away.…
- Zechariah 2:8-9 (v3) For Yahweh of Armies says: ‘For honor he has sent me to the nations which plundered you; for he who touches you touches the apple of his…
- Luke 19:43-44 (v2) For the days will come on you, when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, surround you, hem you in on every side, and will…
- Galatians 4:26-27 (v2) But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, “Rejoice, you barren who don’t bear. Break out…
- Joel 3:2 (vv2–3) I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgment on them there for my…
- Exodus 15:1-6 (v3) Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to Yahweh, and said, “I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously. He has…
- Deuteronomy 28:9-14 (v2) Yahweh will establish you for a holy people to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you shall keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and…
- 2 Chronicles 20:15 (v3) and he said, “Listen, all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, king Jehoshaphat. Yahweh says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, and…
- Isaiah 5:26 (v2) He will lift up a banner to the nations from far away, and he will whistle for them from the end of the earth. Behold, they will come…
- Isaiah 13:6 (v1) Wail, for Yahweh’s day is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
- Daniel 2:44-45 (v3) “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, nor will its sovereignty be left to…
- Amos 7:17 (v2) Therefore Yahweh says: ‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your…
- Zechariah 13:8-9 (v2) It shall happen that in all the land,” says Yahweh, “two parts in it will be cut off and die; but the third will be left in it. I will…
- Malachi 4:1 (v1) “For, behold, the day comes, it burns as a furnace; and all the proud, and all who work wickedness, will be stubble; and the day that comes…
- Matthew 22:7 (v2) When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
- Acts 2:20 (v1) The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
- Joshua 10:42 (v3) Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
- Isaiah 63:1-6 (v3) Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? Who is this who is glorious in his clothing, marching in the greatness of…
- Isaiah 65:18 (v2) But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem to be a delight, and her people a joy.
- Isaiah 66:15-16 (v3) For, behold, Yahweh will come with fire, and his chariots will be like the whirlwind; to render his anger with fierceness, and his rebuke…
- Jeremiah 34:1 (v2) The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, with all his army, all the kingdoms of the earth that…
- Lamentations 1:10 (v2) The adversary has spread out his hand on all her pleasant things; for she has seen that the nations have entered into her sanctuary,…
- Lamentations 5:11-12 (v2) They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah. Princes were hanged up by their hands. The faces of elders were not…
- Daniel 2:34-35 (v3) You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.…
- Daniel 2:40-43 (v2) The fourth kingdom will be strong as iron, because iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things; and as iron that crushes all these, it…
- Joel 2:31 (v1) The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
- Joel 3:14 (v1) Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of Yahweh is near, in the valley of decision.
- Haggai 2:21-22 (v3) “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, ‘I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I will…
- Zechariah 9:14-15 (v3) Yahweh will be seen over them; and his arrow will go flash like lightning; and the Lord Yahweh will blow the trumpet, and will go with…
- Zechariah 10:4-5 (v3) From him will come the cornerstone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together. They shall be as mighty men,…
- Zechariah 12:2-6 (v3) “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the surrounding peoples, and it will also be on Judah in the siege against…
- Malachi 4:5 (v1) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
- Matthew 23:37-38 (v2) “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children…
- Mark 13:19 (v2) For in those days there will be oppression, such as there has not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until…
- Luke 2:1 (v2) Now in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.
- Revelation 6:4-17 (v3) Another came out: a red horse. To him who sat on it was given power to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another.…
- Revelation 8:7-13 (v3) The first sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. One third of the earth was burned…
49 distinct cross-references across this passage (50 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (26 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv1–3 Zechariah pursues the same subject as in the preceding…
Zechariah pursues the same subject as in the preceding chapter: for having promised a joyful and happy state to the faithful, who despising their indulgences in Chaldea had returned to their own country, he now reminds them that their peaceful condition in Judea would not be without many trials and troubles; and therefore he exhorts them to patience, lest they should faint in their adversities, and repent of their return.
Some apply this chapter to the time of Antichrist, some refer it to the last day, others explain it of the destruction of the city which happened in the reign of Vespasian; but I doubt not but that the Prophet meant here to include the calamities which were near at hand, for the city had not yet been built, the Jews having been much harassed by their neighbors; and we also know how atrocious was the tyranny which Antiochus exercised: in short, there was a continued series of evils from the time the city and the temple began to be built till the coming of Christ. As then the Jews, who had preferred foreign countries to their own, might have boasted of their lot and despised their brethren, as though they had foolishly and thoughtlessly removed from foreign lands, and had been too precipitate in returning, God designed to declare by the mouth of Zechariah what evils were at hand, that the faithful might with a courageous mind be prepared to undergo their trials, and that they might never succumb under any evils, for the Lord had promised more to them than what they could have attained in Chaldea and other countries. Having now explained the meaning of the Prophet, I shall come to the words.
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Behold, he says, the day shall come to Jehovah, and divided shall be thy spoils in the midst of the city. By the demonstrative particle Behold, the certainty of the prophecy, as it has been elsewhere said, is intimated; for the Prophet points out as by the finger what could not yet be comprehended by human minds. And he says, that the day would come to Jehovah, that they might know that they would suffer a just punishment when the Lord treated them in this manner; for men, we know, indulge themselves and seek pleasures, and when God seems not to deal kindly with them, they raise a clamor as though he were too severe. Hence the Prophet reminds them, that so great a calamity would not come without a cause, for God would then execute his judgment. He does not expressly describe it, but he speaks as though he summoned them before God’s tribunal. Now when we understand that we have to do with God, it avails us nothing to murmur. It is then better to be silent when God is set forth as being in the midst of us, for it is certain that he will not in chastising us exceed what is just.
But here is described a hard affliction; for Zechariah intimates that the city would be exposed to the will of enemies, so that they would divide at pleasure their spoils in the very midst of it. What conquerors snatch away, they afterwards in private divide among themselves; and we know that many cities have been plundered, when yet the conquerors have not dared to expose to view their spoils. But the Prophet means here that there would be no strength in the Jews to prevent their enemies from dividing the spoils at their leisure in the midst of the city.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv1, 3 He armeth the godly against the great tentations that…
He armeth the godly against the great tentations that should come, before they enjoyed this prosperous estate promised under Christ, that when these dangers should come, they might know that they were warned of them afore.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv1–3 Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh,…
Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
Ver. 1. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh] Jerusalem had her day, and knew it not, Luk 19:42 (Jerusalem was not Jerusalem, the vision of peace saw not the things that belonged to her peace); God therefore will have his day of vengeance, as she had of visitation. He hath his season, his harvest for judgment, Mat 13:30; and when wickedness is ripe in the field he will allow it to grow no longer, lest it shed and spread, but cuts it up by a just and seasonable vengeance. These Jews were by their own confession the children of them which had killed the prophets, Act 2:23; and, by killing the Lord Christ with wicked hands, they had filled up the measure of their fathers, Mat 23:31-32; what could therefore the Lord do less to a nation so incorrigibly flagitious than bring wrath upon them to the utmost, 1Th 2:16 "than send forth his armies and destroy those murderers, and burn up their cities?" Mat 22:7. When God did this execution here mentioned is hard to say: whether by Antiochus Epiphanes, or rather Epimanes, as some truly called him, for that, being exceedingly mad against the Jews, he "persecuted the Church of God, and wasted it," Act 26:11 Gal 1:13. Or by the Roman spoilers at that last devastation under the command of Titus. Or by Cosroes, the Persian, and Homer, the Arabian, who successively harassed and razed Jerusalem, rifling the houses, ravishing the women, killing whom they pleased, and making the rest pay dearly for the very heads they wore; which servitude lasted till Godfrey of Bullin set them at liberty, so the Gloss here senseth it. Or lastly, by Gog and Magog, that is, by the Great Turk (for Magog is the Scythian nation, from whom came the Turks, lords of Meshec and Tubal, that is, of Cappadocia and Iberia; where they first began to reign), as is before hinted, I take not upon me to determine. Most comentators understand it to be the last overthrow of the Romans. The Spirit might have an eye to the Anti-christian persecutions of the orthodox professors of the Romish Edomites.
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And thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee] Freely and fearlessly, none rising up to make them afraid, the vanquished shall be so disabled and dispirited. Thus the silly doves are glad to save themselves by flight, not fight; sometimes they sit in their dove cots, and see their nests destroyed, and young ones killed, not daring once to rescue or revenge.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv1–3 Behold: here are things of very great importance, and…
Behold: here are things of very great importance, and of very mysterious nature, proposed by the Lord to us, and therefore we are called upon to attend to them.
The day of the Lord, the day which the Lord hath appointed for punishing the sins of his ancient people, day of his sacrifice, Zep 1:8, of vengeance, Joe 2:1,2.
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Cometh; hasteth, or will soon overtake you, O sinful, unthankful, bloody Jews, who first despised and next murdered the Messiah!
Thy spoil, all thou hast, O Jerusalem, shall become a prey to thine enemy.
Shall be divided in the midst of thee: thy conquering enemies shall be such absolute masters of thee, that in greatest security they shall divide among themselves what they take from thee, in the very place where they take it: Jerusalem is their own, and all in it, and where they find their own they will take it; so they reckon.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v1 God's providences concerning his church are here represented as…
God's providences concerning his church are here represented as strangely changing and strangely mixed.
I. As strangely changing. Sometimes the tide runs high and strong against them, but presently it turns, and comes to be in favour of them; and God has, for wise and holy ends, set the one over against the other.
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1. God here appears against Jerusalem; judgment begins at the house of God. When the day of the Lord comes (Zac 14:1) Jerusalem must pass through the fire to be refined. God himself gathers all nations against Jerusalem to battle (Zac 14:2); he gives them a charge, as he did Sennacherib, to take the spoil and to take the prey (Isa 10:6), for the people of Jerusalem have now become the people of his wrath. And who can stand before him or before nations gathered by him? Where he gives commission he will give success. The city shall be taken by the Romans, who have nations at command; the houses shall be rifled, and all the riches of them taken away, by the enemy; and, to gratify an insatiable lust of uncleanness as well as avarice, the women shall be ravished, as if victory were a license to the worst of villanies, jusque datum sceleri - and crimes were sanctioned by law. One-half of the city shall then be carried into captivity, to be sold or enslaved, and shall not be able to help itself, such is the destruction that shall be made in the great and terrible day of the Lord.
2. He presently changes his way, and appears for Jerusalem; for, though judgment begin at the house of God, yet, as it shall not end there, so it shall not make a full end there, Jer 4:27; Jer 30:11.
(1.) A remnant shall be spared, the same with that third part spoken of, Zac 13:8. One-half shall go into captivity, whence they may hereafter be fetched back, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off, as one would have feared, from the city. Many of the Jews shall receive the gospel, and so shall prevent their being cut off from the city of God, his church upon earth. In it shall be a tenth, Isa 6:13; See Eze 5:3.
(2.) Their cause shall be pleaded against their enemies (Zac 14:3): Then, when God has made use of these nations as a scourge to his people, he shall go forth and fight against them by his judgments, as when he fought against the enemies of his church formerly in the day of battle, with the Egyptians, Canaanites, and others. Note, The instruments of God's wrath will themselves be made the objects of it; for it will come to their turn to drink of the cup of trembling; and whom God fights against he will be sure to overcome and be too hard for. And every former day of battle, which God has made to his people a day of triumph, as it is an engagement to God to appear for his people, because he is the same, so it is an encouragement to them to trust in him. It is observable that the Roman empire never flourished, after the destruction of Jerusalem as it had done before, but in many instances God fought against it.
(3.) Though Jerusalem and the temple be destroyed, yet God will have a church in the world, into which Gentiles shall be admitted, and with whom the believing Jews shall be incorporated, Zac 14:4, Zac 14:5. These verses are dark and hard to be understood; but divers good expositors take this to be the meaning of them. [1.] God will carefully inspect Jerusalem, even then when the enemies of it are laying it waste: His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, whence he may take a full view of the city and temple, Mar 13:3. When the refiner puts his gold into the furnace he stands by it, and has his eye upon it, to see that it receive no damage; so when Jerusalem, God's gold, is to be refined, he will have the oversight of it. He will stand by upon the mount of Olives; this was literally fulfilled when our Lord Jesus was often upon this mountain, especially when thence he ascended up into heaven, Act 1:12. It was the last place on which his feet stood on this earth, the place from which he took rise. [2.] The partition-wall between Jews and Gentiles shall be taken away. The mountains about Jerusalem, and particularly this, signified it to be an enclosure, and that it stood in the way of those who would approach to it. Between the Gentiles and Jerusalem this mountain of Bether, of division, stood, Sol 2:17. But by the destruction of Jerusalem this mountain shall be made to cleave in the midst, and so the Jewish pale shall be taken down, and the church laid in common with the Gentiles, who were made one with the Jews by the breaking down of this middle wall of partition, Eph 2:14. Who art thou, O great mountain? And a great mountain the ceremonial law was in the way of the Jews' conversion, which, one would think, could never have been got over; yet before Christ and his gospel it was made plain. This mountain departs, this hill removes, but the covenant of peace cannot be broken; for peace is still preached to him that is afar off and to those that are nigh. [3.] A new and living way shall be opened to the new Jerusalem, both to see it and to come into it. The mountain being divided, one-half towards the north and the other half towards the south, there shall be a very great valley, that is, a broad way of communication opened between Jerusalem and the Gentile world, by which the Gentiles shall have free admission into the gospel-Jerusalem, and the word of the Lord, that goes forth from Jerusalem, shall have a free course into the Gentile world. Thus the way of the Lord is prepared, for every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and plain and pleasant valleys shall come in the room of them, Isa 40:4. [4.] Those of the Jews that believe shall come in, and join themselves to the Gentiles, and incorporate with them in the gospel-church: You shall flee to the valley of the mountains, that valley that is opened between the divided halves of the mount of Olives; they shall hasten into the church with the Gentiles, as formerly the Gentiles with them, Zac 8:23. The valley of the mountains is the gospel-church, to which there were added of the Jews daily such as should be saved, who fled to that valley as to their refuge. This valley of the mountains is said to reach unto Azal, or to the separate place, that is, to all those whom God has set apart for himself. When God makes his mountains a way (Isa 49:11), by making them a valley, the way shall be opened to all the way-faring men (Isa 35:8), and, though fools, they shall not err therein. Or, to those that are now separated from God this valley shall reach; for the Gentiles, who are afar off, shall be made nigh, with the Jews, who are a people near unto him, and both have an access, a mutual access to each other and a joint access to God as a Father by one Spirit, Eph 2:18. [5.] They shall flee to the valley of the mountains, to the gospel-church, under dreadful apprehensions of their danger from the curse of the law. They shall flee from the wrath to come, from the avenger of blood, who is in pursuit of them, to the church as to a city of refuge, or as doves to their windows, as they fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, Amo 1:1. Therefore the gospel reveals the wrath of God from heaven (Rom 1:18) that we might be awakened to escape for our lives, to flee as from an earthquake, for we feel the earth ready to sink under us, and we can find no firm footing in it, and therefore must flee to Christ, in whom alone we can stand fast and be easy.
(4.) God shall appear in his glory for the accomplishing of all this: The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee, which may refer to his coming to destroy Jerusalem, or to destroy the enemies of Jerusalem, or his coming to set up his kingdom in the world, which is called the coming of the Son of man (Mat 24:37), or to his last coming, at the end of time; however, it teaches us, [1.] That the Lord will come; it has been the faith of all the saints, Behold, the Lord comes to fulfil every word that he has spoken in its season. [2.] When he comes all his saints come with him; they attend his motions and are ready to serve his interests. Christ will come at the end of time with ten thousands of his saints, as when he came to give the law upon Mount Sinai. [3.] Every particular believer, being related to God as his God, may triumph in the expectation of his coming and speak of it with pleasure, The Lord my God shall come, shall come to the comfort of all that are his; for, "Blessed Lord, all the saints shall be with thee, and it shall be their everlasting happiness to dwell in thy presence; and therefore come, Lord Jesus." And some think that this may be read as a prayer, Yet, O Lord my God! come, and bring all the saints with thee.
II. God's providences appear here strangely mixed (Zac 14:6, Zac 14:7): In that day of the Lord the light shall not be clear nor dark, not day nor night; but at evening time it shall be light. Some refer this to all the time from hence to the coming of the Messiah; the Jewish church had neither perfect peace nor constant trouble, but a cloudy day, neither rain nor sunshine. But it may be taken more generally, as designed to represent the method God usually takes in the administration of the kingdom both of providence and grace. Here is, 1. An idea of the usual course and tenour of God's dispensations; the day of his grace and the day of his providence are neither clear nor dark, not day nor night. It is so with the church of God in this world; where the Sun of righteousness has risen it cannot be dark night, and yet short of heaven it will not be clear day. It is so with particular saints; they are not darkness, but light in the Lord, and yet, while there is so much error and corruption remaining in them, it is not perfect day. So it is as to the providences of God that relate to his church; in general the affairs of the church are neither good nor bad in any extremity, but there is a mixture of both; we are singing both of mercy and judgment, and are uncertain which will prevail, whether it be an evening or a morning twilight. We are between hope and fear, not knowing what to make of things. 2. An intimation of comfort with reference hereunto: It shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord. This intimates, (1.) The beauty and harmony of such mixed events; there is one and the same design and tendency in all; all the wheels make but one wheel, all the revolutions but one day. (2.) The brevity of them; it is, as it were, but for one day, for a little moment; the cloud that darkens the light will soon blow over. (3.) The eye God has upon all these events, and the hand he has in them all; they are known to the Lord; he takes notice of them, and orders and disposes of all for the best, according to the counsel of his will. 3. An issue very joyful secured at last: At evening-time it shall be light: it shall be clear light, and no longer dark; we are sure of it in the other world, and we hope for it in this world - at evening-time, when our hopes are quite spent with waiting all day to no purpose, nay, when we fear it will be quite dark, when things are at the worst and the case of the church is most deplorable. As to the church's enemies the sun goes down at noon, so to the church it rises at night; unto the upright springs light out of darkness (Psa 112:4); deliverance comes when the tale of bricks is doubled, and when God's people have done looking for it, and so it comes with a pleasing surprise.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv1–3 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh,.... Or the…
Behold, the day of the Lord cometh,.... Or the day when the Lord will come, both in his spiritual and personal reign; for this is not to be understood of his first coming in the flesh, at which time none of the things after mentioned happened; nor of his coming to take vengeance on the Jews; but rather of his coming to convert them:
and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee; not the substance of the nations, divided by the Israelites in the midst of Jerusalem, as the Targum and Jarchi interpret it; but the spoil of Jerusalem, when taken by the enemy, as is after said, which should be divided by them with great joy and triumph, in the midst of it: this refers not to the spoil of Jerusalem by Antiochus or the Romans, but to the slaying of the witnesses, and the triumph of their enemies over them, Rev 11:7 or else to the spoil and prey the Turks will come to Jerusalem for, when it shall begin the possession of the Jews; and who perhaps at first will have some success; see Eze 38:12.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv1–3 The gates of hell threaten the church; but all…
The gates of hell threaten the church; but all issues well at last, ver. 1-7. The spreading of the church, ver. 8-16. The punishment of those that fought against Jerusalem, and that neglect to worship there, ver. 17-19. The increase and purity of the church, ver. 20, 21.
The day - Of vengeance, Joel ii, 1, 2, cometh, or will soon overtake you, O sinful, unthankful! bloody! Jews. Thy spoil - All thou hast, O, Jerusalem, shall become a prey to thine enemy.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv1–3 The commencement of this chapter relates to the destruction…
CHAPTER XIV
The commencement of this chapter relates to the destruction of
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Jerusalem by the Romans, and to the calamities consequent on
that event. From this great Jewish tragedy the prophet
immediately passes to the utter extermination of the enemies of
Christianity in the latter days.
God will display his power in behalf of his people in a manner
so astonishing and miraculous, that even they themselves, and
much more their enemies, shall be struck with terror, 4, 5.
The national prosperity of the Jews shall then be permanent and
unmixed, 6, 7;
and these people shall be made the instruments of converting
many to the faith of the Messiah, 8, 9.
The great increase and prosperity of the Christian Church, the
New Jerusalem, is then described in terms accommodated to
Jewish ideas; and the most signal vengeance denounced against
all her enemies, 10-19.
From that happy period God's name will be honoured in every
thing, and his worship every where most reverently observe,
20, 21.
NOTES ON CHAP. XIV
Verse 1. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh] This appears to be a prediction of that war in which Jerusalem was finally destroyed, and the Jews scattered all over the face of the earth; and of the effects produced by it.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv1, 3 Zec 14:1-2. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh…
Zec 14:1-2. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh — A day of the Lord’s great wrath and indignation will soon overtake you, O sinful, unthankful, bloody Jews! A day remarkable for the execution of divine vengeance upon you, and your city, Jerusalem. This chapter ought to have been joined to the preceding; for here the prophet continues to foretel the execution of the threatenings contained in the latter part of the former chapter; namely, how the unbelieving Jews should be destroyed by the Romans. Thy spoils shall be divided in the midst of thee — All that thou hast, O Jerusalem, shall become a prey to thine enemies, who shall be such absolute masters of thee, that, in the greatest security, they shall divide among themselves whatever spoil they take from thee, in the very place where they take it. For I will gather all nations — “The Romans, being lords of the known world, had the strength of all nations united in their forces. Thus, (Jer 24:1,) Nebuchadnezzar is said to fight against Jerusalem with all the kingdoms of the earth.” — Lowth. And the city shall be taken — For God is its enemy, and who can stand before him, or before nations gathered by him? Where he gives commission, he will give success. And the houses rifled, and the women ravished — The Roman soldiers shall exercise those acts of lust and violence which are too frequent among conquerors. That all the outrages were committed, and the miseries endured, which are here predicted, when the Romans took Jerusalem, we have abundant proof from Josephus and other historians: see notes on Deuteronomy 28. And half of the city shall go into captivity — The Hebrew word rendered half, may be translated a portion. It must be observed, that the city only is here spoken of; but chap. Zec 13:8, where mention is made of two parts being cut off and dying, refers to the whole land. And the residue of the people shall not be cut off — “The Romans spared the young and useful part of the Jews: Josephus, Bel. Jud., 6. 9:2. However, these were either condemned to the mines in Egypt, or exposed to the sword and to wild beasts in the provincial theatres, or sold for slaves. Ibid. It must be observed, that the forty thousand who were permitted to go where they pleased, were Idumeans: Bel. Jud., 6. 8:2.” — Newcome. “But it is probable that the remnant of the Jews, who survived this almost exterminating destruction, and their descendants, who have for so many centuries been preserved a distinct people, in order to their future restoration, are intended.” — Scott.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv1–3 Behold the Day of the Lord cometh - Literally,…
Behold the Day of the Lord cometh - Literally, “a day cometh, the Lord’s,” in which He Himself shall be Judge, and no longer leave man to fulfill his own will, and despise God’s; in which His glory and holiness and the righteousness of all His ways shall be revealed.
And thy spoil shall be in the midst of thee - Jerome: “How great will the strait be, that the spoils should be divided in the midst of her. It often happens that what, by a sudden assault, is plundered in the city, is divided in the field or in solitude, lest the enemy should come upon them. But now there will be such a heavy weight of ills, such will be the security of conquest, that the spoils shall be divided in the midst of the city.”
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv1–3 Midst. The obstinate Jews shall be destroyed. They became…
Midst. The obstinate Jews shall be destroyed. They became their own enemies. (Calmet) --- The Zealots committed the greatest excesses during the siege. (Josephus, Jewish Wars v. 1.) --- Tacitus also refers to these transactions, having written thirty volumes on the Cæsars, from Augustus to Domitian’s death." (St. Jerome)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On v1 Zechariah 14
5. FINAL CONFLICT AND TRIUMPH OF GOD’S KINGDOM
Zechariah 14
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A. A great and at first successful Assault is made upon the Holy City (Zec_14:1-2). B. Then God miraculously interposes, grants Escape, and after a mingled Condition of Things gives a final and glorious Deliverance (Zec_14:3-7). C. A Stream of Salvation pours over the whole Land (vers.8–11). D. The Enemies are chastised (Zec_14:12-15). E. The Remnant of Them turn to the Lord (Zec_14:16-19). E. Jerusalem becomes thoroughly Holy (Zec_14:20-21).
1 Behold, a day cometh to Jehovah,1
And thy spoil is divided in the midst of thee.
2 And I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to battle;
And the city shall be taken and the houses2 rifled,
And the women shall be ravished;3
And half the city shall go forth into captivity,
And the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 And Jehovah shall go forth and fight against those nations,
As in4 his day of battle, in the day of conflict.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives
Which is before Jerusalem on the east; And the Mount of Olives shall be split in the centre
Eastward and westward, a very great valley,5
And half of the mountain shall recede towards the north,
And its (other) half toward the south.
5 And ye shall flee6 to the valley of my mountains,7
For the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal,
And ye shall flee as ye fled before the earthquake,
In the days of Uzziah the king of Judah;
And Jehovah my God shall come, All the saints with thee!8
6 And it shall come to pass in that day,
It will not be light, the glorious9
will withdraw themselves.
7 And the day shall be one,
It shall be known to Jehovah,
Not day and not night,
And at evening time there shall be light
8 And it shall be in that day,
Living waters shall go out from Jerusalem,
Half of them to the eastern10 sea,
And half of them to the western sea,
In summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And Jehovah shall be king over all the land;
In that day Jehovah shall be one11 and his name one.
10 All the land shall be changed like the plain
From Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem,
And she shall be high,12 and dwell in her place
From Benjamin’s gate to the place of the first gate,
To the corner gate,
And from the tower of Hananeel to the king’s wine-presses.
11 And they shall dwell in her,
And there shall be no more curse,13
And Jerusalem shall sit secure.14
12 And this shall be the plague
With which Jehovah will smite all the peoples15
Who have fought against Jerusalem;
His16 flesh shall consume away while he stands upon his feet,
And his eyes shall consume away in their sockets,
And his tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it shall be in that day that
There shall be among them a great confusion17 from Jehovah,
And they shall seize each his neighbor’s hand,
And his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor;
14 And Judah also shall fight at18 Jerusalem,
And the riches of all the nations around shall be gathered,
Gold and silver and apparel in great abundance.
15 And so19 shall be the plague of the horse,
Of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass,
And of all the cattle that shall be in these camps,
Even as this plague.
16 And it shall be that
All that is left of the nations which came against Jerusalem
Shall20 go up from21 year to year
To worship the King, Jehovah of Hosts,
And to keep the feast of tabernacles.
17 And it shall be that whoso of the22 families of the earth
Shall not go up to Jerusalem
To worship the King, Jehovah of Hosts,
Upon them there shall be no rain.
18 And if the family of Egypt go not up and come not,
Upon23 them there shall be none,
[Upon them] shall be the plague
With which Jehovah shall plague the nations
Which go not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
19 This shall be the sin24 of Egypt,
And the sin of all the nations
Which go not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
20 In that day there shall be on the bells25 of the horses,
Holiness to Jehovah,
And the pots in the house of Jehovah
Shall be as the bowls before the altar.
21 And every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah
Shall be holiness to Jehovah of Hosts.
And all who sacrifice shall come
And take of them and sacrifice therein,
And there shall no more be a Canaanite26
In the house of Jehovah of Hosts in that day.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL.
This concluding chapter of the Prophet has been very variously interpreted. Calvin, Grotius, and others supposed it to refer to the times of the Maccabees, which for a variety of reasons is scarcely possible. Marckius, following Cyril and Theodoret, applied its opening verses to the conquest of Jerusalem by Titus, and with him agree Lowth, Adam Clarke, and Henderson; but the circumstances here stated do not correspond with the facts of history, nor if they did, could the former part of the chapter be violently sundered from its plain connection with the latter part. The “later criticism” (Hitzig, Knobel, Maurer, Ewald, Bertheau, etc.), refer the passage to the period immediately preceding the Babylonish exile and the catastrophe then threatening Jerusalem; and when reminded of the contrast between the prediction and the facts, appeal to the ethical aim and conditional nature of prophecy as fully accounting for this, But even admitting their principle, it does not apply here, for this chapter has nothing to say of sin and judgment, of repentance and conversion on the part of the covenant people, but only of their dreadful trials and glorious deliverance. Such a prediction, addressed to Judah in the last decennium before the exile, could have exerted no healthful influence, and certainly the glowing statements of the latter part of it have no counterpart in any experience of the restored people. It only remains then either with Wordsworth, Blayney, Newcome, Moore, Cowles, etc., to refer it to a period yet future, or with Hengstenberg, Keil, etc., to suppose that it describes in general terms the whole development of the Church of God from the commencement of the Messianic era to its close. In either case the chapter must be taken as figurative and not literal. The cleaving of the Mount of Olives in two for the purpose of affording escape to fugitives from Jerusalem; the flowing of two perpetual streams from the holy city in opposite directions; the levelling of the whole land in order to exalt the temple-mountain; the yearly pilgrimage of all nations of the earth to Jerusalem; and the renewal of the old sacrifices of the Mosaic ritual; these are plainly symbolical statements, but not therefore by any means unmeaning or useless. The chapter does not stand alone in the Scriptures. Parallels are to be found in Isaiah (65–66), Ezekiel (38–39), and Daniel (12), as well as in the closing book of the New Testament.
The Prophet begins with the account of an attack made upon the holy city by all nations, who, instead of being destroyed (like Gog and Magog in Ezekial) before getting possession of the holy city, seize and plunder it and carry away half its population, and then are met and thwarted by Jehovah, who provides escape for his people. This feature of escape inclines one to regard the passage as an ideal picture of all the conflicts of the Church with its foes.
(a.) Zec_14:1-2. The Attack. Zec_14:1. Behold? a day cometh, etc. A day to Jehovah=one belonging to Him, appointed for the manifestation of his power and glory (cf. Isa_2:12). The final result makes this abundantly plain. Thy spoil, etc. The Prophet addresses the city and says that her booty, not (as T. V. Moore, following the Targum, strangely imagines) that which she takes, but that which is taken from her, is leisurely divided among the conquerors in the midst of the city. The details implied in this general announcement are stated in the next verse.
Zec_14:2. And I will gather…ravished. Jehovah collected these nations just as He roused Pharaoh to pursue Israel (Exo_14:4), in the same way and with the same result. The divine purpose presides over all human wrath and wickedness, and gains its ends, not only in spite, but often by means, of them. The rifling of the houses and dishonoring of the women are expressions taken from Isa_13:16, where they are used in reference to Babylon. And half of the city, etc. Only a part of the inhabitants are to be driven into exile, the rest remain. It was different at the Chaldæan conquest of Jerusalem, for then the greater portion were carried away, and afterwards even “the remnant that was left” (2Ki_25:11). The verse cannot therefore refer to that subjugation. Nor can it be applied to the overthrow of the holy city by Titus, who neither had all nations under his banner, nor left a half of the population in possession of their homes.
(b.) Zec_14:3-7. The Deliverance. Zec_14:3. Jehovah goeth forth…battle. God Himself goes forth against these foes, and fights for his people as He is accustomed to do in a day of battle. The latter clause does not seem to refer particularly to the conflict at the Red Sea (Jerome, Hengstenberg), but rather to the Lord’s general course, as shown in many former instances (Keil, Köhler), Jos_10:14-42; Jos_23:8; Jdg_4:15; 2Ch_20:15.
Zec_14:4. His feet stand…south. The situation of the Mount of Olives—which is before Jerusalem—is not added as a geographical designation, which surely would be needless, but to indicate its suitableness for the position of one who intended to relieve the holy city. His feet touch it, and the effect is that of an earthquake (Psa_68:8; Nah_1:5). The mountain is split through the middle latitudinally, so that the two halves fill back from each other, one toward the north, the other toward the south. The consequence would be the formation of a very great valley running east and west. To one fleeing hastily from Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives presented an obstacle of no small importance, as it did to David once (2Sa_15:20); and hence the provision here made for removing the difficulty.
Zec_14:5. And ye shall flee…Judah. The people will flee into the valley of my mountains, not the Tyropœon (Jerome, etc.), but into the valley produced by the two halves of Olivet, which are properly called by Jehovah his, since He had just given them their separate existence (so nearly all critics). The reason why the fugitives should flee thither is that this level opening extends to Azal, which by almost all expositors, ancient and modern, is considered a proper name denoting a place near Jerusalem, but no trace of any such place now exists. Hengstenberg identifies it with the “Beth-Ezel” of Mic_1:11, and explains its meaning as=“standing still,” “ceasing,” so that what is promised is that the valley shall extend to a place which in accordance with its name will afford to the fugitives a cessation of danger. Köhler follows Symm. and Jerome in rendering it ad proximum, which he renders “to very near,” i. e., to the point where the fugitives actually are. It seems simpler to suppose that the term refers to a place east of Olivet, well known in the Prophet’s day, which by its position would show the valley to be long enough to furnish all needful shelter and escape for the fleeing people. The swiftness of the flight is expressed by comparison to that occasioned by the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, which is referred to in Amo_1:1, but of which we have no other information. Some think that the fleeing arises from fear of being swallowed up with their foes by the earthquake (Hengstenber, Keil); but it is more natural to refer it to fear of their enemies. The added clause, and Jehovah my God comes; etc., with the suffix of the last word in the second person, indicates the lively joy with which the Prophet hails the appearance of his God, so that as he sees in vision the shining retinue of his saints, he passes from indirect to direct address, and exclaims, all the saints with thee! The saints here, according to the analogy of other passages (Deu_33:2-3; Dan_7:9-10; Mat_25:31; Rev_19:14), are the holy angels, and not (Vitringa) both holy angels and holy men.
Zec_14:6. And it shall be, etc. The former part of this verse is very plain, but the last two words are obscure. The Keri represents an early attempt to escape the difficulty by altering the text, giving וְקפָּאוֹן instead of יְקִפָּאוֹן. This was adopted by the old versions, which, besides, either assumed that יְקָרוֹת was synonymous with קָרוֹת, cold, or maintained that the true reading was וְקָרוֹת.Then, rendering the former noun ice, they got the sense, “It will not be light, but (there will be) cold and ice” (Targum, Peshito, Symm., Itala, and so Luther). Some later critics adopting the same text coordinate the three nouns, and bring them all under the negation, thus, “There will not be light and cold and ice,” i. e., no alternation of them (Ewald, Bunsen, Umbreit). But this is a very poor sense, unsustained by any analogy in Scripture, and without force in the connection. It is far better to adhere to the Chethib, in which the only grammatical difficulty is the combination of a feminine noun with a verb having a masculine suffix, which surely is not insuperable in Hebrew. יְקָרוֹת means here as elsewhere precious things, with the additional idea of splendor or brilliancy, as in Job_31:26, where the moon is said to walk יקר=in brightness or magnificently. The mention of light just before suggests the thought of the stars or heavenly bodies in general, as what is intended by the glorious things. The verb then is taken in its primary sense, to be contracted (h. to curdle, to congeal), here=withdraw themselves. The whole verse then indicates a day of darkness. The lights of the earth will all disappear. What the former clause states in plain prose, the latter expresses more figuratively.
Zec_14:7. And the day shall be one, etc. This verse continues the description of the sorrowful time just mentioned. The day shall be one in the sense of solitary, unique, peculiar. See the Lexicons. It is known to Jehovah, and by implication to no one else, in its true nature. Not day and not night=not an admixture of both, but neither, not a νυχθήμερον at all, because the lights of heaven being put out, there are no means of determining what is day and what night. The whole order of nature is miraculously reversed. The expression at evening time, etc., is the antithesis of the declaration in Amo_8:9, “I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I wilt bring darkness upon the land in clear day.” At the time when according to the natural course of events darkness should set in, a bright light dawns. Some expositors compare with this verse Rev_21:23-25, but the two passages are radically different. It is true not only at the end of all things, but at many a previous period in the history of the Church, that at evening time it becomes light. Some critics give the sense thus stated by Professor Cowles, “There is a gradation through three distinct stages: first, utter darkness; then, a dim twilight, like that of an eclipse; then, at the close, when you might expect darkness soon to cover the earth, lo, the effulgence of full and glorious day” (M. P., 374).
(c.) “Zec_14:8-11. Blessings from Jerusalem diffuse themselves over the whole land.
Zec_14:8. Living waters shall, etc. A lively image of the abundance and preciousness of spiritual blessings, as is evident from analogous Scriptures and from the fact that here the water flows in two opposite directions at once, and that it runs not only in winter, but in summer, when usually in Palestine the streams are altogether dry. These waters come not from occasional rainfalls, but are living, i. e., proceed from perennial fountains, and so cover the whole land from the Dead Sea lo the Mediterranean with fertility and beauty. They issue from Jerusalem, the central point of the kingdom of God under the Old Testament, and here therefore appropriately standing for the Christian Church, which is that centre under the New Testament.
Zec_14:9. And Jehovah shall be king, etc. Most expositors render “over all the earth,” but the connection before and after refers certainly to Palestine, and there seems no reason for departing from the usual rendering, and the less, inasmuch as beyond doubt Canaan here stands as a type of the kingdom of God in its fullest extent in this world. Of course the meaning is that He will be king not only potentia or de jure, but actu el de facto. In this sense He shall be one, i. e., recognized as such, and the same as to his name=outward manifestation of his nature. Not only will gross polytheism come to an end, but also that more refined system which regards all forms of worship as different but equally legitimate modes of worshipping the one Divine Being.
Zec_14:10. All the land…wine-presses. The whole land is to be leveled to a plain in order that Jerusalem may be elevated, and then the holy city is to be restored to its former grandeur. The article is emphatic in the plain, which in Hebrew always denotes the Arabah or Ghor, the largest and most celebrated of all the plains of Judæa, the great valley extending from Lebanon to the farther side of the Dead Sea. Geba was on the northern frontier of Judah (cf. 2Ki_23:8). Rimmon, distinguished from two other Rimmons on the north (Jos_19:13; Jdg_20:45), by the added clause south of Jerusalem, was a city on the border of Edom, given up by Judah to the Simeonites (Jos_15:32; Jos_19:7). In consequence of this depression of all the surrounding country, Jerusalem becomes high. The capital seated on her hills shines conspicuous as the only elevation in a very wide region. Of course the physical elevation thus miraculously caused is only figurative of Jerusalem’s spiritual exaltation. An exact parallel is found in the repeated and remarkable prediction of Isaiah (2: 2) and Micah (4:1), in which, however, no leveling takes place, but the temple-mountain is so elevated that it overtops all the mountains of the earth. Professor Cowles connects the plain closely with the two following words so as to get the sense “like the plain from Geba to Rimmon;” but there was no such plain,—the whole territory between these points being hilly in the extreme. The exaltation of Jerusalem is followed by a complete recovery from the ruin brought upon it by the capture and plunder mentioned in Zec_14:1-2. The city shall dwell תַחְתֶּיהָ=on its ancient site(cf. 12:6), and have its old boundaries. These, as they are given here, cannot be determined with certainty. The last clause, From the tower…wine-presses (מִן being supplied before מִגְדַּל), is generally understood to give the extent north and south, the tower of Hanameel being at the northeast corner of the city (Neh_3:1; Neh_12:39), and the wine-presses in the royal gardens at the south side (Neh_3:15). As to the former clauses, the starting-point is Benjamin’s gate, whence some suppose that the line ran eastward to the first gate, i. q., old gate, (Neh_3:6), and westward to the corner gate (2Ki_14:13),—the gate of Benjamin being on this supposition in the middle of the northern wall (Hengstenberg, Keil). Others with less probability make the corner gate simply a more precise definition of the place of the first gate (Hitzig, Kliefoth). It is to be hoped that the topographical explorations at present in progress on the site of Jerusalem will shed such light upon the whole subject as will make plain what now can he only conjecturally determined. Still, whatever may be the precise force of terms here used, the general sense is clear. The city shall have its former limits.
Zec_14:11. And they shall dwell…secure. Instead of going out either as captives or fugitives, the inhabitants shall dwell securely and have no reason to dread further hostile attacks (Isa_65:19). The ground of this security is the exemption from the curse, the dreadful ban which always follows sin (Jos_6:18); and the cessation of this implies that the people are a holy nation. This clause is used (Rev_22:3) in the description of the holy city, the new Jerusalem.
(d.) Zec_14:12-15. The destruction of the hostile nations. The Prophet here pauses in his account of the blessings destined for the purified Church, to set forth more fully the punishment of the ungodly.
Zec_14:12. This will be the plague…month. מַגֵּפָה according to usage always denotes an infliction from the hand of God. The stroke here is the most terrible that can be conceived,—the whole frame rotting away even while the man stands upon his feet, i. e., is alive. To emphasize still more the condition of these living corpses, the Prophet adds the rotting of the eyes which had spied out the nakedness of the city of God, and of the tongue which had blasphemed God and his people. The singular suffixes are of course to be taken distributively.
Zec_14:13. A great confusion from Jehovah. Another means of destruction is civil discord. The allusion appears to be to a panic terror causing such confusion that each turns his hand upon the other. Instances occur in Israelitish history, Jdg_7:22; 1Sa_14:20 (and behold, every man’s sword against his neighbor, and there was a very great מְחוּמָה=confusion), 2Ch_20:23. Seize the hand denotes a hostile grasp, and the next clause graphically depicts the effort of the assailant to give a home thrust.
Zec_14:14. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem, etc. An old and widely accepted view translates the final words of the first clause, “against Jerusalem” (Targum, Jerome, Kimchi, Luther, Calvin, Cocceius, and most of the moderns). But this is so flatly against the context, that it must be rejected, even though it be admitted that בְ after נִלְחַם usually points out the object of attack. In one case at least (Exo_17:8), the preposition has a local sense, and this is true also of Isa_30:32, according to Ewald’s explanation of the Kethib in that passage. We therefore understand the clause as teaching that Judah=the whole covenant people, will take part in the conflict and carry it on at Jerusalem (LXX., Markius, Hengstenberg, Kleifoth, Keil, Köhler). The consequence of this will be the overthrow of the foes and the capture of all their costly possessions. Apparel. As fashions in the East did not and do not change as they do with us, garments of all kinds were kept in great number, and constituted a large part of oriental wealth (Job_27:16, Mat_6:19, Jam_5:2).
Zec_14:15. And so…the plague of the horse, etc. This verse amplifies the crime and punishment, since it shows the guilt of these foes to be such that even their possessions are overtaken by the divine curse. The case is illustrated by the example of Achan, whose oxen and sheep and asses were burned, along with himself and his children (Jos_7:24).
(e.) Zec_14:16-19. The remnant of the heathen shall be converted.
Zec_14:16. All that is left…tabernacles. The prophet states, with an evident allusion to Isa_66:23, that those of the heathen who are not destroyed will all go up yearly to the sanctuary of Jehovah to observe one of the great feasts. This, of course, is figurative, as the most intrepid literalist will scarcely maintain that all nations could by any possibility accomplish such a feat. Henderson seeks to avoid the difficulty by supposing that they will go up in the person of their representatives. But even this ingenious device fails to meet the terms used by Isa_50:10, where all flesh is said to come every Sabbath and every new moon. The verse is simply a striking method of depicting the entrance of the heathen into the kingdom of God. Why is the feast of tabernacles specified? Not because it occurred in autumn, which is the best season of the year for travelling (Theodoret, Grotius, Rosenmüller); nor because this feast was the holiest and most joyful (Koster, V. Ortenburg, Pressel); nor because of its relation to the ingathering of the harvest (Köhler); nor because such a festival could be observed without any compromise of the principles of the New Dispensation (Henderson); but rather in view of its interesting historical relations (Dachs, C. B. Michaelis, Hengstenberg). It was a feast of thanksgiving for the gracious protection afforded by the Lord during the pilgrimage of his people through the desert, and for their introduction into tire blessings of the land of Canaan. In like manner the nations will celebrate the goodness which has brought them through their tedious and perilous wanderings in this life to the true and everlasting kingdom of peace and rest. Carrying out this figurative representation, the prophet adds a penalty to be inflicted upon all absentees.
Zec_14:17. Whoso of the families…no rain. Rain seems to be mentioned as one of the principal blessings of God, that by which the fruitfulness is produced which occasions the joy of the harvest. It therefore appropriately stands here to represent the whole class of providential favors. Compare the notes on 10:1. It shall be withheld from those who fail to fulfill their duties to Him. See a similar threat, upon Israel, in Deu_11:16-17. Pressel calls attention to the fine use of the word family in this verse in connection with Jehovah as king, indicating that then the various nations of the earth shall be considered as so many families of the one people of God.
Zec_14:18. And if the family of Egypt go not up, etc. The menace of the preceding verse is repeated with especial application to Egypt. Many have sought the reason of this particular specification in the natural peculiarities of Egypt, which, being indebted for its fertility not to rain but to the Nile, might seem to be exempt from the threatened drought. But surely, apart from other considerations, this has no force nor application, when it is remembered that even the Nile is dependent upon rains at its source. It is far more natural to attribute the mention of Egypt to its historical relations to Israel as their hereditary foe. The old enemy of the Church shall either join the procession Zion-ward, or else feel the retributive curse.
Zec_14:19. This shall be the sin of Egypt, i “This,” namely, that no rain falls on them. Hence many adopt the version of חָטַּאת in the English Bible, punishment (Targum, Calvin, Henderson), and appeal to Lam_3:38; Lam_4:6, Isa_40:2. But it is at least doubtful if the word ever has this sense (see on Lam_4:6), and accordingly the difficulty is avoided by taking it=sin, including its consequences (Hengstenberg, Keil, Köhler). The inseparable connection between sin and punishment is well expressed in Num_32:23. The foregoing passage does not require us to believe that at the period spoken of there will still be godless heathen who refuse to acknowledge and worship Jehovah. It may be simply a rhetorical enforcement of the thought that all ungodliness will then entirely cease.
(f.) Zec_14:20-21. Jerusalem becomes thoroughly holy.
Zec_14:20. There shall he on the bells…altar, מְצִלוֹת, variously rendered by ancient authorities, is now acknowledged to mean bells, which were suspended from horses and mules for the sake of ornament. The phrase inscribed upon these, Holiness to Jehovah, is that which was engraved upon the diadem of the high, priest (Exo_28:36). This does not mean that these bells should be employed for religious worship, or used to make sacred vessels (Jewish Critics, Cyril, Grotius); nor that the horses and other means of warfare should be consecrated to the Lord (C. B. Michaelis, Hitzig, Ewald, Maurer); but that the distinction between sacred and profane should cease (Calvin, Hengstenberg, Keil, etc.). Even the smallest outward things, such as have no connection with worship, will be as holy as those which formerly were dedicated by a special consecration to Jehovah. Of course this involves the cessation of the Levitical Economy. An advance upon this thought is contained in the second clause. Not only shall everything profane become holy, but the different degrees of holiness shall cease. The pots used for boiling the sacrificial flesh shall be just as holy as the sacred bowls which received the blood of the piacular victim’s. The two kinds of utensils stood at opposite points of the scale of sanctity; to put them on the same level was to say that all would not only be holy, but alike holy. Calvin on this passage cites with ridicule the opinion of Theodore!, that the former part of the verse was fulfilled when Helena, the mother of Constantine, adorned the trappings of a horse with a nail of the cross! Such trifling was too much even for Jerome.
Zec_14:21. And every pot…in that day. Here the thought is carried yet farther. Not only shall the temple-pots be equal to sacrificial bowls, but every common pot in the city and throughout the land, will become as sacred as the utensils of the temple, and be freely used by all for sacrificial purposes. The substance of the thought is the same, only more emphatic. This now is repeated in the closing words,—no more a Canaanite in the house of Jehovah. כֲּעֲנִי does not mean a merchant, as in Job_40:6, Pro_31:24 (Targum, Aquila, Jerome, Grotius, Bunsen, Hitzig), for there are no indications that traders in Old Testament times frequented the holy courts for traffic; nor literal Canaanites by birth, such as Gibeonites and Nethinim, who were employed in the lower functions of the temple service (Drusius, V. Hoffman, Kliefoth), for these classes lost none of their former esteem after the restoration; but the term is used as an emblematic designation of godless members of the covenant nation. Canaan was cursed among Noah’s children, and his descendants were under the ban (Deu_7:2; Deu_20:16-17). To say that these should no more be found in the Lord’s house, is simply to say that all its frequenters should be righteous and holy. Professor Cowles says, “Canaanite was the common Hebrew word for trafficker, merchant,—a business in bad repute among the Hebrews because so much associated with fraud and deceit. See Hos_12:7-8.” I am quite unwilling to believe that the voice of inspiration put such a stigma upon a necessary and honorable occupation as this explanation implies. Besides, to say that the love of filthy lucre shall no more pollute the sanctuary, is far less than to say that no form of sin of whatever kind shall be found there. Further, such a view is excluded by the obvious analogy between these two closing verses of Zechariah and the statements in the concluding passages of the Apocalypse, where it is plain that universal holiness is promised as the characteristic feature of the kingdom of God in its final consummation.
THEOLOGICAL AND MORAL.
1. As this chapter is by most sound interpreters admitted to be either as yet wholly unfulfilled, or else an ideal sketch of the experiences of centuries extending from the beginning to the end of the Christian dispensation, there is, of course, considerable vagueness in the view taken of its details. This, however, is no valid objection to its place in the canon. Prophecy was never intended to be simply history written in advance. Had it been such, its own ends would have been defeated. Its obscurity prior to fulfillment is a sure evidence of its genuineness. But the broad outlines which defy literal explanation, yet serve to indicate great principles, to disclose the springs of God’s moral government, and to furnish useful hints for the guidance of his people, warning them against undue expectations and yet furnishing a sure basis for a reasonable and holy hope. Pictures of siege, assault, capture, plunder, and exile, as sure to occur in the future, forbid the least intelligent reader from forgetting that he belongs to the Church Militant, or from expecting a calm, steady, peaceful, equable advance of Zion to its destined prevalence over the earth. On the contrary, they show that trials of faith and patience must be encountered; that at times the whole outlook will be dark and discouraging; that Satan, like his angels of old in the case of the demoniacs, will fearfully convulse and rend the body from which he is doomed to be driven out. Such suggestions, therefore, however vaguely they may be expressed, furnish to believers real support in the season when the enemies of the truth seem to triumph, by reminding them that just this entered into God’s providential purpose. On the other hand, the same prophecy shows the silver lining of the cloud, shows that the check of the true cause is only temporary. The brilliant representations of future and final triumph console and uphold in the greatest “fight of afflictions.” And believers fall back upon the assurance of the Psalmist, “When the wicked spring as the grass and all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed forever” (92:7).
2. At evening time there shall be light. This has come to be a watchword of the Church. The corresponding proverb of the world, “the darkest hour is just before day,” has been questioned, both in its literal and its figurative aspects, and perhaps justly. But there is no question of the truth of Zechariah’s assertion. It is God’s way to test the J faith and patience of his people, to surround them with difficulties, to hedge up their way on every hand until they see and feel their own helplessness and dependence, and then He interposes in a signal manner. In the great trial of Abraham, when called to offer Isaac for a burnt-offering, the preparations had reached the last point, and the patriarch’s arm was uplifted to strike the fatal blow, when the voice from heaven stayed his hand, and the believer gratefully exclaimed, “Jehovah Jireh=The Lord will provide.” The experience of Abraham’s descendants in Egypt led to the proverbial saying which the Rabbins have preserved for us “When the straw fails, then comes Moses,” or as the modern phrase is, “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” When Lazarus was sick our Lord was informed of the fact in ample time to proceed to his bedside and arrest the disease, as He had often done in other cases, but He deliberately remained away on the other side of Jordan, and came to Bethany only when the grave had held its victim for days. This was not through coldness or carelessness, but, as He said, for the glory of God (Joh_11:4; Joh_11:40), in order that a miracle so transcendent might confirm the faith of his disciples and intensify yet more the love and joy of the sisters in their brother whom they received back from the tomb. And so in all cases, whether of individuals or communities, faith is sustained by the assurance that a day of clouds and gloom cannot last forever, that a change will occur just so soon as the purposes of the visitation are accomplished, and that it will come just when, according to the natural course of things, a starless night is about to set in. Earnest prayer was made by the Church for the imprisoned Peter (Act_12:5), but it was not until the very night before the day appointed for his execution that the angel of the Lord delivered him from his guards and fetters.
3. Water is a natural image of spiritual blessings, and especially of the chiefest of them all,—the influences of the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist speaks of a river whose streams make glad the city of God (46:4); Joel declares a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord and shall water the valley of Shittim (3:18); Isaiah promises, “I will pour floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring” (44:3); but Ezekiel (47:1–12) furnishes a most striking parallel to Zechariah’s prediction. He saw water issuing from under the sanctuary, an ever widening, deepening stream, which swept through the desert bearing fertility in its course, until it reached the Sea of Sodom, the standing symbol of desolation and death, and healed its stagnant waters, filling them with animal life and covering its banks with trees whose fruit was food and their leaves medicine. Our prophet sees living streams which issue in different directions from Jerusalem, and reach to either sea, east and west; and as they flow without intermission, winter and summer, they make the land a terrestrial Paradise with undying verdure and perpetual abundance. No one of these figurative descriptions, however large and varied, is overwrought or extravagant. They rather fall short of the reality. The blessed Spirit is the author of all the holiness in the world. He indeed uses means. The prophecies put Him in close connection with Jerusalem and the Temple. But the means depend upon Him, just as the best appointed ship makes no progress without a breeze. The Apostles were not allowed to engage in their work until the Spirit was poured out from on high, but when the effusion was felt, the feeblest of them spake as with a tongue of fire. The grand feature of the latter day is copious and continuous effusions of such grace,—no longer intermittent, or scanty, or of small extent, but radiating in all directions at once, permanently filling every channel, and limited only by the wants of the race. Wherever these living streams reach, the barren soil of nature is fertilized and the dead live again. Quickly but surely, with the same noiseless energy with which the great providential forces work, these spiritual agencies perform their office of reconstructing human society and changing the face of the world.
4. The consequence of such streams of blessing is a degree of consecration never seen before. The form in which the universal prevalence of holiness is expressed, is noteworthy. Men are not to become monks or anchorites, the ordinary conditions of human life are not to be reversed; but on the contrary the infusion of grace will be so large and general that every rank and class will feel it, and its effects will be seen in all the relations of life, purifying and elevating without upturning or destroying. In business, in recreation, in politics, in art, in literature, in social life, in the domestic circle, there will be a distinct and cordial recognition of the claims of God and of the supremacy of his law. There will be no divorce anywhere between religion and morality, no demand that any department of human activity shall be deemed beyond the domain of conscience. When even the bells on the horses bear the same sacred inscription which once flashed from the diadem of the High Priest, nothing can be found too small or too familiar to be consecrated to the Lord. The religious spirit will prevail everywhere, securing justice, truth, kindness, and courtesy among men; doing away with wars, contentions, jealousies, and competitions; hallowing trades and handicrafts; softening the inevitable contrasts of ranks, gifts, and conditions; binding men to one another by their devotion to a common master in heaven; and thus introducing the true city of God on earth for which all saints long with an ever increasing desire. The idea of such a commonwealth originated in the Scriptures, and it can be realized only in the way they point out. All schemes of political, social, or even moral reform, apart from the principles of the Word, are the merest chimeras. They are impossible of accomplishment, and if accomplished, would disappoint their projectors. True religion, restoring the Lord to his rightful place in human thought and action, alone furnishes the sanction, the authority, and the power by which men become what they ought to be to themselves, to each other, and to the community. The last Canaanite will perish from the earth, and the people shall be all righteous, when the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL.
Bradley: Zec_14:6-7. I. Mixed condition of the righteous in this world; in respect to their knowledge, their outward circumstances, their inward comforts, their wavering holiness. II. God’s wisdom in allowing it; to subdue their corruptions, to exercise their graces, to bring them to dependence on Himself. III. Our consolation under it; God notices it, the mixed events work together for good, the scene is short. IV. The happy termination of all; in a state of unmingled good, in an unexpected hour. Finally, Are we the people concerned in it?
Hengstenberg: Zec_14:11. Curse. All the dreadful things that can possibly be thought of are included in this one Word.
Calvin: Zec_14:12. The habitation of the godly is secure, not because they dread no attacks of foes, but because they firmly believe that they will be preserved by a power from above, even though the devil excites the peoples on all sides to contrive their ruin.
Payson: Zec_14:20-21. I. All common duties will be performed as seriously as solemn worship. II. Every building will be a house of God. III. Every day will be like a Sabbath. IV. Every meal will be what the Lord’s Supper is now. V. Yet the distinctions which now prevail will be ob served. VI. There will be no insincere worshippers. Infer (1.) How wretchedly we now live. (2.) See whether we have any religion or not. (3.) Learn what pursuits and pleasures are pleasing to God.
Footnotes:
[1]Zec_14:1.—לַןהוָֹה is to be connected with ווֹם=Jehovah’s day. See Exeg. and Crit.
[2]Zec_14:2.—הַבָּתִּים. The Munach stands here in place of Metheg, to show that the rowel is long.
[3]Zec_14:2.—תִּשָּׁגַלנָה. The Keri substitutes for this word, here as elsewhere (Deu_28:30, etc), the word שָׁכַב—a very needless euphemism.
[4]Ver 3.—כְּיוֹם. The preposition is to be supplied from the next clause.
[5]Zec_14:4.—גֵיא is not a cas. construc, of גַיְא (Ewald, Green), but an absolute form of the same noun (Fürst).
[6]Zec_14:5.—In place of נַסְתֶּם several MSS. read נִכְתַּם which is the reading followed by LXX, Aq., Sym., Targ., Arab., the first of which renders ἐμφραχθήσεται, shall be stopped up. This is adopted by Flügge, Dathe, Blayney, and Boothroyd; but the sense is so inept that some modern critics refuse even to notice it,
[7]Zec_14:5.—הָרַי is not a simple plural, but has the suffix of the first person.
[8]Zec_14:5.—Instead of עִמָּךְ many MSS. and all the old versions read עִמּוֹ, but the former is to be preferred, both as the more difficult reading and as more vivid and expressive.
[9]Zec_14:6.—Henderson claims a preponderance of MSS. authority for the Keri וְקִמָּ׳ over the Kethib יִכְפָ׳, and the ancient versions all favor it, yet exegetical necessity compels one to adopt the latter. So Hengstenberg, Hoffmann, Kliefoth, Köhler, Keil, Pressel, Dr. Van Dyck in new Arab. Bible, Fürst in his new German Version, etc.
[10]Zec_14:8.—הַקַּדְמוֹנִי. The E. V. “former” is misleading. The Genevan gives “east” which is correct. The Hebrews determined the points of the compass by looking to the east, and so what was before them was the east, and what was אתר = behind, was west.
[11]Zec_14:9.—Henderson objects to the rendering “Jehovah shall be one,” that it makes “the passage teach either that Jehovah was not one before, or that he will no longer be three or triune;” and he renders “Jehovah alone shall be.” But his scruples are idle. What is meant is the universal recognition of the divine unity and self-existence, and this is obtained just as well by the ordinary rendering as by the one he suggests (cf. Deu_6:4).
[12]Zec_14:10—This is the only place where the form רָאַם occurs; in all other cases רוּם is used. True, here Furst takes רָאַמָה for a proper noun, and renders, “like the plain of Jordan shall Jerusalem and Ramah be fruitful and inhabited” (Lex. sub. voc), but this wholly disregards the accents, and furnishes no equivalent, since the mention of such an obscure place would be unmeaning. He himself in his new German Version returns to the old interpretation.
[13]Zec_14:11.—הֶרֶם. The E. V. “utter destruction,” hardly expresses the force of this word, which means such destruction caused by a divine decree=curse (Mal_4:6).
[14]Zec_14:11.—יָשׁ׳ בֶטַת. Here, the strict rendering sit secure, is more vivid than the E. V., safely inhabited.
[15]Zec_14:12.—עַמִּים=peoples, cf. on 8:22.
[16]Zec_14:12.—His flesh, etc. The suffixes are all singular except in the case of the last noun, their mouth. Of course the meaning is “each one’s” flesh, etc.
[17]Zec_14:13.—“Tumult” does not express the full sense of מהוּמה=a panic terror or confusion (1Sa_14:20).
[18]Zec_14:14.—בִיר׳. The text of the E. V. is right, and the marginal reading against to be rejected. See Exeg. and Crit.
[19]Zec_14:15.—כֵן here precedes its correlative כְ; elsewhere the order is just the reverse.
[20]Zec_14:16.—The construction is anacolouthic; “the subject standing absolutely at the beginning, while the predicate is appended with vav conver. וְֹעָלוּ.
[21]Zec_14:16.—מִדּי is literally “from the sufficiency of year to year,” but expresses nothing more than the simple preposition (cf. Isa_60:22).
[22]Zec_14:17.— The “all” supplied by the E. V. is quite superfluous.
[23]Zec_14:18.—וְלֹא עֲלֵיהֶם introduces the apodosis, and הַגֶּשֶׁם is to be supplied from the preceding verse.
[24]Zec_14:19.—חַטַּאת (LXX.: ἁμαρτιά, Vulg.: peccatum) should surely be rendered sin, however it may be explained. Dr. Van Dyck, in the new Arabic Bible, conforms to the E. V., as does Fürst in his German Version, The Dutch Bible has, de zonde; Luther, Sunde.
[25]Zec_14:20.—מְצִלּוֹת. LXX.: χαλίνον; Vulg., frœnum; Luther, Rüstung; but the meaning in E. V., bells, is now established. Dr. Riggs gives a wordy paraphrase, tinkling bridle ornaments.
[26]Zec_14:21.—כְנַעֲנִי. LXX. transfer the word. Vulg. translates,—mercator; Fürst Kramer.
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2–3 gather all nations, &c.--The prophecy seems literal (compare Joe…
gather all nations, &c.--The prophecy seems literal (compare Joe 3:2). If Antichrist be the leader of the nations, it seems inconsistent with the statement that he will at this time be sitting in the temple as God at Jerusalem (Th2 2:4); thus Antichrist outside would be made to besiege Antichrist within the city. But difficulties do not set aside revelations: the event will clear up seeming difficulties. Compare the complicated movements, Dan. 11:1-45.
half . . . the residue--In Zac 13:8-9, it is "two-thirds" that perish, and "the third" escapes. There, however, it is "in all the land"; here it is "half of the city." Two-thirds of the "whole people" perish, one-third survives. One-half of the citizens are led captive, the residue are not cut off. Perhaps, too, we ought to translate, "a (not 'the') residue."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv1, 3 FINAL CONFLICT AND TRIUMPH OF JERUSALEM, Zec_14:1-21.
FINAL CONFLICT AND TRIUMPH OF JERUSALEM, Zec_14:1-21.
Chapter 14 is an independent piece. The struggle depicted in the first few verses is not the one described in Zec_12:1-9; nor can these verses be considered “a further expansion of the summary announcement of the judgment upon Israel, and its refinement (Zec_13:7-9).” The prophet beholds a new conflict between Jerusalem and the nations. In Zec_12:1-9, the enemies are described as smitten before they are able to capture the city; here the announcement is that “the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished, and half of the city shall go forth into captivity.” Only then will Jehovah appear for the salvation of a remnant and for the setting up of his kingdom (1-7). From Jerusalem, the dwelling place of Jehovah, two streams of living water will go forth covering the whole land with blessing and fertility (8-11). The nations that have come to war against Jerusalem will be destroyed, and their wealth will be given to the Jews (12-15). Those who escape will turn to Jehovah in true worship; those who refuse to do so will be smitten with drought (16-19). Jerusalem and Judah and all that is in them will be holy unto Jehovah (20, 21).
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Capture and deliverance of Jerusalem, Zec_14:1-7.
1. Behold,… cometh — Better, Behold,… is about to come. The coming is imminent (G.-K., 116p).
Day of Jehovah — Literally, a day is about to come for Jehovah. The day is the day of Jehovah mentioned so frequently by the prophets (see on Joe_1:15). In 1b Jerusalem is addressed. The prophet does not stop to describe the struggle; he passes immediately to the outcome and states that the city will be taken and plundered.
In the midst of thee — Indicates the completeness of the defeat; the enemy will gain complete possession of the city.
In Zec_14:2, which is omitted by some as a later expansion of Zec_14:1, the prophet pictures the struggle in greater detail.
I will gather all nations — The rest of the verse would seem to indicate that Jehovah sends them to execute judgment upon the city (compare Isa_10:5-6; not so in Joe_3:2; Joe_3:9-11; Ezekiel 38:39). The city will be taken, and the conquerors will spare nothing.
The women ravished — A practice not uncommon in ancient warfare (see on Amo_7:17; Joe_3:3).
Half — In a general sense — a portion. One portion will be carried into exile, the other will be allowed to remain in the city (compare Zec_13:8).
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv1–3 1. the day of the Lord cometh] Lit. a…
1. the day of the Lord cometh] Lit. a day to (or, of) Jehovah, i.e. which is in a special manner His. The previous prophecy (Zec_13:7-9) is now expanded, attention being concentrated, however, on the city rather than on the land (Zec_13:8), and on the final act rather than on the long previous process of purifying discipline. It is impossible satisfactorily to adapt the terms of this prophecy, either to the taking of Jerusalem under the Maccabees, or to its destruction by the Romans. As Pusey well remarks, “those who explain it solely of this, are obliged to mingle explanations partly literal, as that Jerusalem should be the earthly Jerusalem which was destroyed, partly metaphorical, as to the mount of Olives, its division into two parts, &c.” It should moreover be observed that there is no word here of the city being destroyed.
in the midst of thee] So complete shall be the subjugation of the city, that the enemy shall, in perfect security, portion out her spoil amongst the victorious hosts in the very midst of her.
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Chap. Zec_14:1-7. The final Conflict and Deliverance
All nations shall come against Jerusalem. The city shall be taken, with the attendant horrors of barbarous warfare, and half its population enslaved, Zec_14:1-2. Then Jehovah shall appear, as in olden time, to deliver His people, Zec_14:3. Beneath His feet, as He descends upon the Mount of Olives, the mountain shall cleave asunder, the two parts moving northward and southward, and being separated by a wide valley running east and west, Zec_14:4. By this valley (which shall reach across the ravine of Kedron up to the city wall) the people that remain shall flee from Jerusalem, as they fled from the earthquake in Uzziah’s time. Jehovah shall come with all His holy ones, Zec_14:5, and this “day of the Lord,” unlike all other days and known to Him alone, shall be marked by strange phenomena of mingled light and darkness, and shall have for its evening the dawn of the everlasting day, Zec_14:6-7.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv1–3 (1) The day of the Lord cometh.—Better. A day…
(1) The day of the Lord cometh.—Better. A day cometh for the Lord—viz., on which He will signally manifest His glory. (Comp. Psa_2:12, &c.) The second half of the verse gives with, as it were, one stroke of the pen the most vivid description of the first feature of this “day,” viz., judgment upon Jerusalem.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv1–3 Vers. 1, 2. . The afflictions of the people…
Vers. 1, 2. . The afflictions of the people and their results are set forth in figure and symbol. Jerusalem is represented as taken and plundered.
The day of the Lord; a day of (or, to) Jehovah cometh. The Greek and Latin Versions have the plural, "days of the Lord come." It is a time when he will specially manifest his glory and power, and be recognized as allowing the trial of his people for wise purposes. It is impossible to fix on any historical fulfilment of this prophecy. The details suit neither Maccabean nor Roman times; the attempt to define exactly the period and matter of its accomplishment has proved a failure, and has led to a mingling of events of very different dates, and to a conglomeration of senses literal, metaphorical, and anagogical, which creates confusion while assuming to explain difficulties. The literal interpretation must be resigned, and the whole prophecy must be taken to adumbrate the kingdom of God in its trial, development, and triumph. Thy spoil shall be divided. Jerusalem is addressed; and the prophet intimates that the enemy shall get possession of the capital, plunder it, and divide its spoil among themselves in its very midst with the greatest security, the inhabitants being wholly at the conquerors" mercy.
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Vers. 1-5. A signal revelation.
"Behold, the day of the Lord cometh," etc. The "day of the Lord" here referred to seems that of the second coming of Christ. We say this partly because it is a tiny to be marked by a signal exercise of Jehovah"s power against his enemies, "as in the day of battle"; (2Pe_1:16 2Th_2:8 Jos_10:14, Jos_10:42) partly, also, because he is then to appear in person in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem (ver. 4), as though in fulfilment of Mat_23:39 Act_1:11, Act_1:12; and partly, again, because of those who are mentioned here (end of ver. 5) as then to appear in his suite. (comp. Mat_25:31 Dan_7:10 Jud_1:14, 15 Rev_19:11-16) Understood thus of that stupendous event, the prophecy seems to describe
(1) its immediate antecedents; and
(2) its primary results.
I ITS IMMEDIATE ANTECEDENTS. These appear to be described here only so far as "Jerusalem" is concerned whether we understand thereby, as some do, the literal city inhabited again and besieged (see Zec_12:2) by the rest of the nations, or that great "spiritual city," the Christian Church. (Gal_4:26 Heb_12:22 Rev_3:12) In either (or both) of these senses we see the condition of "Jerusalem" at the time intended (note "then" in ver. 3). For example, we see:
1. The city itself wholly subdued. Its bulwarks are all "taken," its separate "houses" "dried," its choicest treasures boldly divided by the secure and triumphant enemy in its most central positions, and every refuge against the deepest indignities utterly gone.
2. Its population half destroyed. When the inhabitants of a neighbourhood are decimated by disease it is awful enough. Here we have a proportion of lost ones just fives times as great! Every second house uninhabited! Every family less by one half! What all this exactly points to it is hard to say; but there are passages connecting such unexampled excess of trial with the very eve of the Saviour"s coming, in Dan_12:1 Mat_24:12, Mat_24:13; possibly, also, in a spiritual sense, Luk_18:8.
II ITS PRIMARY RESULTS; viz. as might be expected, very great natural or else spiritual convulsions. (comp. Hag_2:6, and beginning of Hag_2:7 Mal_3:1, Mal_3:2) Three things to be marked about these.
1. How mighty they are in nature! To divide the tideless waters of the upper Red Sea in old days had been much. To do the same by the flowing waters of Jordan (Jos_3:16) perhaps more. To separate, as prophesied here, into two districts, and far removed portions, the solid range of Mount Olivet, more again. At any rate, nothing less.
2. How momentous in results! Jerusalem, with Mount Olivet practically gone from "before" it "on the east," where it had stood for so long the most conspicuous object all round about, (comp. Psa_125:2) would be no longer the same place as before. Where once had been a mountain was now a valley; where a barrier, a way of escape a way of complete escape to "Azal;" either, i.e., as far as needed (so some), or else close at hand (as others). Certainly, if we may judge from the case of Zedekiah, (2Ki_25:4, 2Ki_25:5) the "way of escape" in previous sieges had been by a very different route.
3. How easily wrought! viz. immediately on the Master"s arrival, by the mere force of that arrival itself by the mere touch, as it were, of his feet! Compare itself not improbably another prediction of the same occurrence the striking description of Hab_3:6; also 2Th_2:8, "Whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming" (or "presence," see margin of Revised Version), as darkness is destroyed, and that instantly, by the mere presence of light.
Observe, from all this, the inevitable consequences of every manifestation of Christ, specially, of course, of the latest of all.
1. Amazing changes to all. "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill brought low." These will be partly, of course, in the world of feeling and thought. "Then shall the righteous shine forth," as they certainly do not at present. (see also Mat_20:16, and elsewhere; and Act_3:20, Act_3:21) Partly, also, it is far from improbable, in the world of matter and sense. (See such passages, on the one side, as Psa_67:6 Eze_34:25, 26 Amo_9:13; the very ground which was cursed for the first Adam"s sake being blessed then for the sake of the second. See, on the other, 2Pe_3:10, etc.)
2. Exceeding fear to some. Many then will be found fleeing as though for their lives, even in such a way as they did on the occasion of that appalling earthquake in the days of Uzziah, the terror of which had engraved itself so deeply on the national mind. Never before had there been greater fear than there will be at "that day". (Mat_24:30 Isa_2:19 Rev_6:15-17)
3. Corresponding triumph to others. How many things which now divide Christ from his people how many which now separate his people from one another shall then be things of the past! All his "saints" shall be with him then (ver. 5), and with him forever. (1Th_4:17) Consequently, (1Jn_3:2 1Co_15:49) they shall be fully "like him" at last; and therefore, also, like one another; and therefore, again, divided no more! No longer, when at last in the Master"s presence, will they "dispute," as they once did "by the way". (Mar_9:33, 34)
HOMILIES BY D. THOMAS Vers. 1-3. A sketch on bad men.
"And thy spoil shall be divided," etc. There are three facts here suggested concerning bad men.
I THAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF PERPETRATING THE GREATEST ENORMITIES ON THEIR FELLOW MEN. "The city of Jerusalem shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished." In the account given by Josephus of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, we have a record of enormities at which we might well stand aghast. Christ said, concerning this event, "There shall be great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be." "The particulars," says Dr. Wardlaw, "here noted, are such as usually, it might be said invariably, attend the besieging, the capture, and the sacking of cities; especially when, as in this case, the assailing army has been exasperated by a long, harassing, and wasting defence. The entrance of the unpitying soldiery, the rifling of houses, the violation of women, the indiscriminate massacre, and the division of the spoil, are just what all expect, and what require no comment. And never were such scenes more frightfully realized than at the destruction of Jerusalem, when God in his providence, in judicial retribution, gathered all nations against the devoted city to battle." "All nations," a correct description of the army of Titus, the empire of Rome embracing a large proportion of the then known world, and this army consisting of soldiers of all the different nations which composed it. And, while such was to be the destruction brought upon the "city," the desolation was to extend, and that in different ways, at short intervals, throughout "the land." The fact that men are capable of perpetrating on their fellow men such enormities, shows:
1. Man"s apostasy from the laws of his spiritual nature. To love supremely the supremely good, to do unto others what we would have others do unto us, to love and to be loved, seem to us to be truths inscribed upon the very constitution of the soul. They are instinctive truths. But in all such abominations as here recorded, all these are outraged. Men have fallen away from their own nature. Somehow or other they have become denaturalized.
2. The great work which the gospel has to do in our world. The great mission of the gospel (and admirably adapted it is to its mission), is morally to renew human nature, to bring it back to its true self and its God. It has done so in millions of instances, it is doing so and will continue to do so until the present abominations shall be unknown amongst the race.
II THAT WHATEVER ENORMITIES THEY PERPETRATE, THEY ARE EVERMORE INSTRUMENTS IN THE HANDS OF THE WORLD"S GREAT RULER. The period in which these abominations were enacted is in the text called the "day of the Lord," and he is represented as calling the Gentile armies to the work. "I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished." If we are to particularize the predicted destruction, and are not satisfied with figurative explanation, we may look to the conquest under Titus, as in some sort fulfilling the announcement. Rome at this time was the mistress of the world, and the army of Titus, who besieged and sacked the holy city, was composed of soldiers of all the nations. These all moved freely, unconscious of any Divine restraint; still they were but the "sword" of justice in his hand mere instruments. God in his retributive procedure punishes the bad by the bad. In this case:
1. No injustice is done. The men of Jerusalem deserved their fate. They "filled up the measure of their iniquity." So it was of old with the Canaanites, who were exterminated by Joshua and his triumphant hosts the aborigines deserved what they received. Joshua was but the sword of justice. No injustice therefore is done.
2. There is no infringement of free agency. Good men might revolt from inflicting such enormities upon their fellow creatures, but it is according to the wish of bad men. They go to it freely. It is the gratification of their malign nature. This is God"s retributive method, to punish the bad by the bad. Thus he makes the very wrath of bad men to praise him.
III THAT ALTHOUGH THEY ARE BUT INSTRUMENTS IN THE HANDS OF THE WORLD"S RULER, HE WILL PUNISH THEM FOR ALL THEIR DEEDS OF ENORMITY. "Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle." That is, for example, he will fight against Rome, the instrument with which he inflicted just punishment upon the sinners at Jerusalem. By successive irruptions of the barbarous tribes of the north, the glory of Rome was extinguished, and its end hastened. Where is the justice of punishing men whom he employs to execute his own will? Two facts will answer this question.
1. What they did was essentially bad. Murder, plunder, rapine, etc., were all violations of his great moral laws, and repugnant to his holy nature.
2. What they did was in accord with their own wills. He never inspired them nor constrained them. They were free, and because they committed crimes of their own free accord, eternal justice required their punishment. Of the Divine government, the justice cried, "Awake, O sword!
CONCLUSION. Do not let the abominations of war and the outrages on justice, truth, and humanity, which are rife in this country of ours, shake our faith in God. "The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice;" "The Lord sitteth upon the flood. D.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v1 And thy spoil shall be divided
Zec_14:1-3
And thy spoil shall be divided
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A sketch on bad men
Three facts concerning such.
I. They are capable of perpetrating the greatest enormities on their fellow men. In the account given by Josephus of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans we have a record of enormities at which we might stand aghast. The particulars, says Dr. Wardlaw, here noted are such as usually, it might be said, invariably attend the besieging, the capture, and the sacking of cities; especially when, as in this case, the assailing army has been exasperated by a long, harassing, and wasting defence. The entrance of the unpitying soldiery, the rifling of houses, the violation of women, the indiscriminate massacre, and the division of the spoil, are just what all expect, and what require no comment. And never were such scenes more frightfully realised than at the destruction of Jerusalem when God in His providence in judicial retribution gathered all nations against the devoted, city to battle. All nations, a correct description of the army of Titus, the empire of Rome embracing a large proportion of the then known world, and this army consisting of soldiers of all the different nations which composed it. And, while such was to be the destruction brought upon the city, the desolation was to extend, and that in different ways, at short intervals, throughout the land. The fact that men are capable of perpetrating on their fellow men such enormities show--
1. Mans apostasy from the laws of his spiritual nature.
2. The great work which the Gospel has to do in our world.
II. That whatever enormities they perpetrate, they are evermore instruments in the hands of the worlds great Ruler. The period in which these abominations were enacted is in the text called the day of the Lord, and He is represented as calling the Roman armies to the work. I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished. God in His retributive procedure punishes the bad by the bad. In this case--
1. No injustice is done. The men of Jerusalem deserved their fate. They filled up the measure of their iniquity.
2. There is no infringement of free agency. Good men might revolt from inflicting such enormities upon their fellow creatures, but it is according to the wish of bad men. This is Gods retributive method, to punish the bad by the bad.
III. Though instruments in His hands, God will punish them for all their deeds of enormity. But where is the justice of punishing men whom He employs to execute His own will? Two facts will answer this question.
1. What they did was essentially bad.
2. What they did was in accord with their own wills.
He never inspired them or constrained them. He did but use them. (Homilist.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain On v1 (Zechariah 14)
10. JUDGMENT OF THE HEATHEN ANDSANCTIFICATION OF JERUSALEM
(Zechariah 14)
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In another apocalyptic vision the prophet beholds Jerusalem again beset by the heathen. But Jehovah Himself intervenes, appearing in person, and an earthquake breaks out at His feet. The heathen are smitten, as they stand, into moldering corpses. The remnant of them shall be converted to Jehovah and take part in the annual Feast of Booths. If any refuse they shall be punished with drought. But Jerusalem shall abide in security and holiness: every detail of her equipment shall be consecrate. The passage has many resemblances to the preceding oracles. The language is undoubtedly late, and the figures are borrowed from other prophets, chiefly Ezekiel. It is a characteristic specimen of the Jewish Apocalypse. The destruction of the heathen is described in verses of terrible grimness: there is no tenderness nor hope exhibited for them. And even in the picture of Jerusalems holiness we have no really ethical elements, but the details are purely ceremonial.
"Lo! a day is coming for Jehovah, when thy spoil will be divided in thy midst. And I will gather all the nations to besiege Jerusalem, and the city will be taken and the houses plundered and the women ravished, and the half of the city shall go into captivity, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. And Jehovah shall go forth and do battle with those nations, as in the day when He fought in the day of contest. And His feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives which is over against Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split into halves from east to west by a very great ravine, and half of the Mount will slide northwards and half southwards for the ravine of mountains shall extend to Asal, and ye shall flee as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, {Amo_1:1} and Jehovah my God will come and all the holy ones with Him. And in that day there shall not be light congeal. And it shall be one day-it is known to Jehovah-neither day nor night; and it shall come to pass that at evening time there shall be light. And it shall be in that day that living waters shall flow forth from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea: both in summer and in winter shall it be. And Jehovah shall be King over all the earth: in that day Jehovah will be One and His Name One. All the land shall be changed to plain, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem; but she shall be high and abide in her place from the Gate of Benjamin up to the place of the First Gate, up to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel as far as the Kings Winepresses. And they shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more and Jerusalem shall abide in security. And this shall be the stroke with which Jehovah will smite all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem: He will make their flesh molder while they still stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall molder in their sockets, and their tongue shall molder in their mouth."
"And it shall come to pass in that day, there shall be a great confusion from Jehovah among them, and they shall grasp every man the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall be lifted against the hand of his neighbor. {Eze_38:21} And even Judah shall fight against Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the nations round about shall be swept up, gold and silver and garments, in a very great mass." These two verses, Zec_14:13 and Zec_14:14, obviously disturb the connection, which Zec_14:15 as obviously resumes with Zec_14:12. They are, therefore, generally regarded as an intrusion. But why they have been inserted is not clear. Zec_14:14 is a curious echo of the strife between Judah and Jerusalem described in chapter 12. They may be not a mere intrusion, but simply out of their proper place; yet, if so, where this proper place lies in these oracles is impossible to determine.
"And even so shall be the plague upon the horses, mules, camels, and asses, and all the beasts which are in those camps-just like this plague. And it shall come to pass that all that survive of all the nations who have come up against Jerusalem, shall come up from year to year to do obeisance to King Jehovah of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. And it shall come to pass that whosoever of all the races of the earth will not come up to Jerusalem to do obeisance to King Jehovah of Hosts, upon them there shall be no rain. And if the race of Egypt go not up nor come in, upon them also shall come the plague, with which Jehovah shall strike the nations that go not up to keep the Feast of Booths. Such shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Booths."
The Feast of Booths was specially one of thanksgiving for the harvest; that is why the neglect of it is punished by the withholding of the rain which brings the harvest. But such a punishment for such a neglect shows how completely prophecy has become subject to the Law. One is tempted to think what Amos or Jeremiah or even "Malachi" would have thought of this. Verily all the writers of the prophetical books do not stand upon the same level of religion. The writer remembers that the curse of no rain cannot affect the Egyptians, the fertility of whose rainless land is secured by the annual floods of her river. So he has to insert a special verse for Egypt. She also will be plagued by Jehovah, yet he does not tell us in what fashion her plague will come.
The book closes with a little oracle of the most ceremonial description, connected not only in temper but even by subject with what has gone before. The very horses, which hitherto have been regarded as too foreign, {Hos_14:3} or-as even in this group of oracles (Zec_9:10)-as too warlike, to exist in Jerusalem, shall be consecrated to Jehovah. And so vast shall be the multitudes who throng from all the earth to the annual feasts and sacrifices at the Temple, that the pots of the latter shall be as large as the great altar-bowls, and every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be consecrated for use in the ritual. This hallowing of the horses raises the question, whether the passage can be from the same hand as wrote the prediction of the disappearance of all horses from Jerusalem (Zec_9:10).
"In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto Jehovah. And the very pots in the House of Jehovah shall be as the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy to Jehovah of Hosts, and all who sacrifice shall come and take of them and cook in them. And there shall be no more any pedlar in the House of Jehovah of Hosts in that day."
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v1 CRITICAL NOTES.] Day] specially appointed to inflict judgments and…
CRITICAL NOTES.] Day] specially appointed to inflict judgments and manifest his glory. Spoil] accumulated by inhabitants of Jerusalem and fit for the enemy.
Zec_14:2. Nations] to take and plunder the holy city, to rob houses and ravish women (cf. Isa_13:16). Half] The able-bodied sold into slavery or condemned to work in mines. Res.] Poorer not cut off] i.e. not transported, but permitted to perish in ruins.
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Zec_14:3. Against] The enemy doomed in turn to destruction by Jehovah, as when he fought for Israel at Red Sea.
Zec_14:4. Mount] Which for situation and height is most convenient to help his people. His feet] touch, and the result is an earthquake (Psa_68:8; Nah_1:5). The mount is split through the middle latitudinally; one half falls to the north, and the other to the south. A great valley] is formed for the escape of God’s people.
Zec_14:5. The] Lit. my mountains—Zion and Moriah specially sacred to Jehovah [Moore]—or mountains formed by my power. He had given them separate existence. The level opening would extend to Azal] a place near Jerusalem, of which no trace exists at present. Like as] the flight from the earthquake—swift, universal, and in fear, as in the days of Uzziah (Amo_1:1). The Lord] The second person indicates the joy of the prophet in hailing the shining retinue of Jehovah’s appearance. Saints] Holy angels (Deu_33:2-3; Dan_7:9-10; Mat_25:31; Rev_19:14). Some say redeemed men as well as holy angels.
Zec_14:6.] A period of unmitigated calamity, which comprehends the long centuries of oppression, cruelty, and scorn to which Jews have been subjected since the destruction of Jerusalem [Henderson]. Clear] Lit. precious, splendid (cf. Job_31:26). There the moon is described as walking preciously, or splendidly, i.e. in brightness; but dark] lit. condensed, from a word to contract, to draw together. “The words describe the passing or vanishing of the brightness of the stars, answering to the prophetic announcement that on the day of judgment sun, moon, and stars will lose their brightness or be turned into darkness” (Joe_3:15; Mat_24:29) [Keil].
Zec_14:7. One day] Solitary in its kind, and unparalleled by any other; neither perfect day nor perfect night. “One continuous day without night (Rev_22:5; Rev_22:15). The millennium described” (Rev_20:3; Rev_20:7) [Henderson]. Known] only to Jehovah, and should restrain the curiosity of men.
HOMILETICS
THE GRAND ASSAULT AND THE WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE.—Zec_14:1-6
Interpreters take this chapter, some literally and others symbolically, believe it to have been partially or to be fulfilled wholly in future ages. In whatever sense explained, it sets forth the great contests of the Christian Church and the great principles of God’s moral government.
I. The grand assault. All nations are gathered together for battle against Jerusalem.
1. An assault at the appointed time. “The day of the Lord cometh.” God suffers his people to be reduced and to pass through fiery trials; but as “day” dawns after night, so a period is chosen to vindicate his judgment and punish his foes.
2. An assault in accordance with the Divine purpose. “For I will gather all nations.” God is supreme over “all nations,” and will accomplish his purpose in spite of the opposition and often by the wrath of man. Historians record events and look no higher. But prophecy exhibits “God in history.” He predicts, and he fulfils.
3. An assault with partial success. We have assault, capture, and plunder, and sad is the picture of rifled houses and dishonoured women. This should remind us of future conflict with the powers of darkness—teach us not to expect peace and calm. A fearful encounter may be at hand, the outlook may soon darken, and the onslaught may convulse the Church. But when the enemies seem to triumph victory will be snatched from them. “Then the Lord shall go forth and fight against those nations.”
II. The wonderful deliverance. God is not hidden in obscurity. He comes forth in wondrous deeds. “Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people.”
1. Deliverance by supernatural means. The mount was cleft asunder, “a very great valley” was made, and a place of escape was provided by the special power of God. Nothing can prevent the escape of God’s people. Mountains are removed and valleys are filled for the way of God’s redeemed. “Behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and will tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft.”
2. Deliverance under God’s leadership. God himself goes forth against the foe, and fights for his people.
(1) God was clad in awful majesty. Again, “the glory of the Lord stood” upon the mount; the earth quaked beneath his feet, and the stars above grew dim. The physical world marked the events in the spiritual.
(2) God was attended by splendid retinue. “My God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” Angels stand before his throne, wait orders, and fly on missions of mercy and judgment. They are represented as going with God for the execution of his purpose. They attended the first, and will come with the second appearance of the Lord Jesus. “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment.”
THE REMARKABLE DAY.—Zec_14:6-7
Many refer these words to different periods, but we take them as connected with one event. The coming of the Lord will produce great changes in nature. The day will bring night, and the evening light. Its order will be reversed. When the natural course of events would bring darkness, a bright light shall dawn.
I. A day of mingled light and darkness. “Not the clearness of unclouded day,” says Wardlaw, from whom we borrow, “nor the darkness of a starless night. Something between both, or a combination of both—darkness here and light there.” A representation of the dispensation before and since the days of Christ. Mercy and judgments, comforts and afflictions in the Christian Church. In the world truth and error, Christ and antichrist in mighty conflict. Now night, and then day. “The light is neither clear nor yet dark,” “not day nor night;” but the darkness will pass away and the true light soon shine.
II. A day only. “It is one day.” Some say one long, continuous day of grief, which makes the saints cry, “How long?” But take it in another sense. Whatever be the length, it is only a day. In the darkness light is not wanting in which we may work and walk. The sun does nor entirely set. The clouds will soon be scattered. Brief, comparatively, is the period, though the joy of day and the repose of night be absent. This should uphold and console in our “fight of afflictions.”
III. A day of remarkable close. When evening is naturally expected, lo, the splendours of day break forth. “At evening time it shall be light.” To God’s people life may be clouded, and to God’s cause night may be dark. But ere long “the Lord shall be” their “everlasting light, and the days of” their “mourning shall be ended.”
IV. A day only known to God. “Which shall be known to the Lord.” Its changes and consequences, its precise duration, are not revealed to men. We should not be curious in asking, “O, my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?” Let us obey the injunction, “Go thou thy way till the end be,”—wait in patience and earnest preparation,—“for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.” (Dan_12:13).
LIGHT AT EVENING.—Zec_14:7
The promise or prophecy, says one on this verse, is that “light shall come at a time when it is not natural, when in the common course of things it is not looked for. It would be no surprise that light should come at noonday; we expect it then; it is just what we are accustomed to see. But if, when the twilight shadows were falling deeper and deeper, with a sudden burst the noonday light were to spread around, that would be a surprise. Lux è tenebris has received and continually receives manifold fulfillments” [Jacox].
I. In human experience. Few lives are spent from early day to evening time in the light of God. Sometimes at midday, and often in the night, light shines.
1. In the conversion of the sinner. Sin is darkness. The penitent struggling with sin and temptation, forsaking the world and turning to God, sees no light and often feels forsaken. At length hope dawns, a voice is heard, and mercy shines.
2. In the life of the Christian. Abraham learned that God could provide in extremity, “Jehovah Jireh.” Jacob found that things which appeared against him at one time were only passing clouds for a brighter light. Israel in Egypt and David in trial discerned “the silver lining.” God turns the shadows of life into morning, and to those who trust him the night shineth as the day. “Light is sown”—like seed cast into the ground—“for the righteous,” and will in due time, and after needful process, be reaped in golden harvest (Psa_97:11).
II. In the history of the Christian Church. In Jewish and apostolic, in the dark and middle ages, in the Reformation and times of revival, this truth has been illustrated. The Church has passed through days of gloom and starless nights; dreary years of tempest, frost and snow, in wintry blasts and wearisome times, but light has come. God’s ways may seem dark and mysterious, impenetrable and hostile, but in him no darkness dwells. Light and truth will break forth from his word and providence to chase away superstitions and error, to make the world happy, intelligent, and pure. “At evening time,” improbable or impossible as this may appear, “it shall be light.” “The light of the knowledge of the glory of God shall cover the earth as the waters cover the seas.”
III. In the end of life. In “life’s evening” light is desired. “Nothing is more common than the craving and demand for light a little before death,” says an author. “Open the windows,” cried M. de Lescure, on his dying bed. Rousseau wished to have “a parting look at the glorious orb of day.” Goethe’s request was for “more light, more light.” Dark indeed has been the evening time to many. But as the sun often struggles through the clouds of day and sinks in brilliant light, so the chamber of death has been filled with light and glory from the Sun of righteousness. To Bunyan’s Mr. Fearing “all was well at last.” The gloom of the poet Cowper endured long, but passed away at length. Dr. Johnson dreaded death through life, but met it with hope and unusual patience (Secular Annotations). Happy those to whom the valley of the shadow of death is lit up with God’s presence! Unhappy those whose darkness is eternal night! “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.”
“Through night to light. And though to mortal eyes
Creation’s face a pall of horror wear,
Good cheer, good cheer! The gloom of midnight flies,
There shall a sunrise follow, mild and fair” [Rosegarten].
HOMILETIC HINTS AND OUTLINES
Zec_14:1 to Zec_5:1. God is supreme in the calamities of the Church and the events of nations.
2. His supremacy may be questioned through the triumph of the enemy and the inactivity of his people.
3. But a day will come when this supremacy will be finally settled, to the comfort of one and the destruction of the other. Christ must be acknowledged to be Lord of heaven and earth.
Zec_14:3. As in the day of battle. Former experience a comfort in after ages. What a fund of consolation in God’s past dealings for present use!
Zec_14:5. The Lord my God shall come. Bright visions in dark days. The prophet lifts up his head, sees the coming help, and joyfully exults in the vision.
1. The Lord shall come.
2. When he does come he is my help. “My God.” Hence some may deny and others scoff, but I will patiently wait and constantly trust in him.
Zec_14:1-7. God’s providence.
1. Strangely checkered.
2. Wonderfully perplexing.
3. Benevolently working. Or, “
1. The mixed condition of the righteous in this world: in knowledge, outward circumstances, inward comforts, and wavering holiness.
2. God’s wisdom in allowing it: to subdue their corruption, to exercise their graces, to bring them to dependence upon himself.
3. Our consolation under it: God notices it, the mixed events work together for good, the scene is short.
4. The happy termination of all: in a state of unmingled good, in an unexpected hour. Finally, Are we the people concerned in it? [Bradley].
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 14
Zec_14:1-3. The Lord goes forth. How sweetly doth God dispose of all second causes, that while they do their own will they do his [Bp. Hall]. Didst thou never hear that things ill got had ever bad success? [Shakespeare].
Zec_14:4-5. Mountain removes. Nature is but a name for an effect whose cause is God [Cowper]. In nature things move violently to their place, and calmly in their place [Bacon].
Zec_14:6-7. Light. As surely as a good man’s sun goes down it shall rise again. If the darkness be caused by depression of spirit the Holy Ghost will comfort him; if by pecuniary loss or personal bereavement the presence of Christ shall be his solace; and if by the cruelty and malignity of men the sympathy of the Lord shall be his support. It is as ordinary for the righteous to be comforted as for the day to dawn. Wait for the light, and it will surely come; for even if our heavenly Father should in our last hours put us to bed in the dark, we shall find it morning when we awake [Spurgeon].
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Sermon Bible 1900 · Public Domain On v1 There are two principles in this promise, which do…
Zec 14:7
There are two principles in this promise, which do for the most part regulate all the dealings of God.
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I. The first part is a principle of surprise. God delights to frustrate expectations. He introduces His power in a manner and at a moment the least anticipated. The day seems just passing—the darkness gathering—everything looks for night—when all in a moment the light kindles into more than meridian lustre. "At evening time it is light." Thus God keeps to Himself the sovereignty; man is humbled to the dust; reason is all put aside, and God’s glory and God’s love stand out all alone in the ascendant.
II. The second principle is that of patience. The blessing waits till the evening. It was not in hope’s first beaming; it was not in the world’s full glare; but in the quiet waiting-time it comes. When faith has been exercised, and graces have been tried, and the heart has been disciplined, do not doubt but that the morning’s gifts, be they what they may, are as nothing to the evening’s love. The sun may have been shining on you all the day through; still "at evening time it shall be light."
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 2nd series, p. 187.
References: Zec 14:7.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. iii., No. 160. Zec 14:8.—Ibid., Morning by Morning, pp. 183, 278; J. Wells, Thursday Penny Pulpit, vol. v., p. 205.
Zec 14:20
I. Let us inquire what holiness is. What precisely do we mean when we say of a man that he is holy? We imply not simply that he is virtuous, but rather that his virtue has a special and peculiar quality. The virtuous man regulates his conduct by moral principles alone, while the holy man maintains a close and constant fellowship with the living God. The one gives you a lofty idea of his own excellence, the other makes you feel the greatness and purity of God; the life of the one may be maintained without any thought of Jehovah, that of the other is entirely supported by the communion of his soul with God. The root principles of holiness are constant fellowship with God, and unreserved consecration of the soul and life to God.
II. Let us ask how this holiness is to be obtained. By no mere process of development or natural selection can the unholy man train himself into holiness. Neither can this change be accomplished by means of external rites. The Scriptures tell us with the utmost explicitness that we are regenerated by the power of the Holy Ghost. In order to holiness, the sinner needs to be reconciled to God, and to be made like to God; these are the very things which are to be accomplished through his belief on the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Ghost.
III. Where is this holiness to be manifested? In the text it is declared that it will be on the bells of the horses, and that is to be understood only as a specimen of a class. The horse is a common animal employed for ordinary purposes every day; and so the prophet would illustrate the principle, that under the new economy holiness would not be restricted to any person, place, or thing, but would characterise the believer’s life in all occupations and under any circumstances.
W. M. Taylor, Limitations of Life, p. 175.
References: Zec 14:20.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. vii., No. 399. Zec 14:20, Zec 14:21.—J. Fraser, Penny Pulpit, No. 537. Zech 14—Expositor, 3rd series, vol. iv., p. 453.
The Sermon Bible, ed. William Robertson Nicoll (1888–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain On v1 The Judgment of the Heathen. Exaltation of Jerusalem
The Judgment of the Heathen. Exaltation of Jerusalem
This chapter has the appearance of a late work. It has all the general characteristics of the style of literature known to students in the book of Enoch, and popular in the Jewish church about the beginning of the Christian era. The terrible punishment of the heathen (Zec_14:12), and the ceremonial purity of Jerusalem (Zec_14:20-21), are typical of the narrower phases of late Judaism.
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1, 2. Jerusalem again assaulted and taken.
3-7. The Lord descends to the help of Jerusalem, and strange phenomena follow.
8-21. Then comes the Messianic age; the face of nature is changed; the heathen are subdued; Jerusalem, restored, becomes the centre of worship, and all therein are consecrated to the Lord.
1. Lo! a day is coming by the instrumentality of the Lord, i.e. a judgment day. Thy spoil] The city is taken and sacked.
2. Cp. Jos_3:2.
3. Shall the Lord go forth] An apocalyptic vision, common to later Jewish literature.
4. An earthquake heralds the presence of the Lord, cleaving the Mount of Olives in two parts: cp. Isa_29:6; Eze_38:19, Eze_38:20.
5. To the valley of the mountains] RV 'by the valley of my mountains.' This text is obscure. Would they flee if God came to help them? Azal] RV 'Azel,' has been identified with Bethezel (Mic_1:11), but this is doubtful. Others make the word an adverb, 'very near.' The earthquake] not mentioned in the historical books, but in Amo_1:1. Josephus describes some of its results ('Ant.'
9. 10. 4).
6. The light shall not be clear, nor dark] i.e. a murky day. Cp. the effect of modern volcanic eruptions. Others render, 'in that day there shall be neither heat nor cold nor frost.'
7. One day] i.e. a unique day. At evening time] When one would expect the deep darkness to settle down, it will grow clear. The calamities will have an end.
8. Now begin the blessings of the Messianic kingdom. Living waters] flowing perennially, an inestimable blessing in parched Eastern lands: cp. Isa_35:7; Rev_22:1. Former.. hinder] RV' eastern.. western,' i.e. Dead Sea.. Mediterranean.
9. The universality of Messiah's kingdom: the Lord shall be one, and his name one' (RV).
10. As a plain] RV' as the Arabah,' i.e. the great plain which stretched from the borders of Palestine to the Red Sea.
Geba] marked the limit of northern Judah (2Ki_23:8). Rimmon] a city in the extreme S. on the borders of Edom. And it] RV 'and she,' i.e. Jerusalem. Inhabited] RV 'shall dwell.' The idea is that even the surrounding country would be depressed in order that Jerusalem might be more conspicuous. Benjamin's gate] on the NW. of the city The first gate (some render the 'oldest' gate) and the corner gate were probably in the E. The tower of Hananeel] RV 'Hananel,' was part of the Temple castle in the extreme NE. The site of the king's winepresses is unknown.
11. Utter destruction] RV 'curse,' or 'ban.' Jerusalem had hitherto seemed under a curse. Now all this would pass away.
12. The ban in most awful form would turn rather upon the nations who assail Jerusalem. Such hatred of the heathen is characteristic of Jewish apocalypse, and arose in great measure from the cruelties and indignities suffered by the Jews in post-exilic times.
13, 14. A panic will fall on the enemies of Jerusalem, and all their spoil will be left a prey to the Jews. But many think that these two vv. should stand nearer the beginning of the chapter If we take Zec_14:15 after Zec_14:12 a much better sense is secured.
16. Some take this v. as pointing to a late date, when the Jews of the dispersion went up to the feasts: cp. the Pilgrim Psalms, especially Psalms 122. The feast of tabernacles] was especially a thanksgiving for the harvest. So the nations which do not keep that feast at Jerusalem will be punished by lack of rain (Zec_14:17), and consequent failure of harvest.
18. That have no rain] RV 'neither shall it be upon them.' Both phrases are unintelligible. They are due to an attempt to account for the word not, which is omitted in LXX. Omitting it the v. runs simply: 'and if the family of Egypt go not up and come not, on them shall be the plague,' etc. Egypt is not dependent on rain. Her punishment will therefore be plague.
20. Bells] here only in OT. HOLINESS] RV 'HOLY.' Pots] This seems to refer to the ash-pans used for receiving the ashes off the altar: cp. Exo_27:3; Exo_38:3; 1Ki_7:40, 1Ki_7:45. These will be as holy as the bowls, probably the golden basins used to hold the sacred blood of the sacrifices in the Temple: cp. Neh_7:70; 1Ki_7:50; Jer_52:19.
21. Everything in Jerusalem will be specially consecrated to the Lord. The idea of ceremonial and outward holiness is usually considered a feature of later Judaism. On the abuse of this idea, cp. Mat_23:25.
The Canaanite] RV 'a Canaanite,' RM 'trafficker,' i.e. any person who is there simply to make money by trading rather than to worship: cp. Mat_21:12-14.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain On v1 1. The last conflict and the manifestation of the…
CHAPTER 14
1. The last conflict and the manifestation of the Lord (Zec 14:1-5)
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2. The complete salvation (Zec 14:6-11)
3. The punishment of the enemies (Zec 14:12-15)
4. The conversion of the world (Zec 14:16-19)
5. The holiness of Jerusalem (Zec 14:20-21)
Zec 14:1-5. Post-millennialism has tried to find some explanation of this chapter, but has failed. The common view that the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in the year 70 A.D. is the burden of this prophecy is ridiculous. We read that “all nations will be gathered against Jerusalem.” Is this true of the destruction of Jerusalem under Titus? It was only one nation. Did the Lord then go forth and fight against the Romans? No! He used the Romans in judgment. Did His feet stand at that time upon the Mount of Olives? Did He come and all the saints with Him? Were the results of the year 70 the results predicted in the rest of this chapter? Any intelligent Christian must see how foolish it is to interpret this passage as having seen its fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem.
Nor is it true that previous sieges have fulfilled this chapter. Ptolemy Soter took Jerusalem about 315 B.C.; Antiochus the Great took the city in 203 B.C.; the Egyptian Scopus in 199 B.C.; Antiochus Epiphanes in 170 B.C. There were other sieges besides. But none of these sieges is predicted here. It is future.
What siege then is it? Some premillennial expositors have a very convenient way of calling everything “the battle of Armageddon” and claim that the twelfth and the fourteenth chapters predict one and the same event. But this is erroneous. It is not the beast, the head of the ten kingdoms, the Roman revived Empire. The details of prophecy concerning the last events can only be understood by distinguishing between the leaders of opposition. There is the beast, the political head of the western nations, the little horn of Dan 7:1-28. He is in league with the second beast, coming out of the earth, with two horns like a lamb Rev 13:1-18. This is the false Christ, the man of sin, who is also called in Revelation the false prophet. He has his seat in Jerusalem, where he poses as Israel’s Messiah-King and is worshipped as such. Then there is another, the king of the north, typified by the Assyrian, the great invader whom Ezekiel also describes. This king of the north is the sworn enemy of the one who is in Jerusalem, that is the false Messiah; they hate each other. The king of the north heads the confederacy of nations from the East, Russia, Persia, Gomer and different Asiatic nations. Then Jerusalem is finally attacked by these nations. It is this final attack which is described in this chapter (see Joe 2:1-32). But then the Lord goes forth, and fights against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle Exo 14:1-31; 2Ch 20:15-37. He manifests His kingly power and glory in the defense of His city and His people. His feet stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, the place so well known in His earthly life, the place from which He departed to go back to the Father. A great physical upheaval takes place, for the mountain splits in the center, toward the east and west, forming a great valley between. The earthquake mentioned is the same to which Amos refers Amo 1:11. All this has never been; it is future, and the details of it will probably only be understood at the time of its fulfillment. The valley will be the avenue of escape, and the divided Olivet mountain will be ever after a witness to the literal fulfillment of God’s Word.
“And Jehovah my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee.” Different manuscripts and versions have instead of “with Thee”--”with Him.” But the difficulty is cleared up when we consider that it is the Seer who addresses Jehovah, whose feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives. Zechariah bursts out in speaking to Him, “And Jehovah my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee.” What a glorious manifestation it will be when He is present and all His holy angels with Him!
Zec 14:6-11. Verses six and seven (Zec 14:6-7) have been rendered in different ways, and have been differently interpreted.
And it shall come to pass in that day That the light shall not be with brightness and with gloom, And the day shall be one. It shall be known unto Jehovah. Not day and not night. And at evening time there shall be light.
We believe that this passage means the physical phenomena in nature which are always connected with the day of the Lord Amo 5:18; Amo 8:9; Joe 2:31; Mat 24:30, and other passages). Changes will then occur which will mean that the present order of day and night are superseded by another order, so that when the evening time comes it will be light. That day will Just be one day of light and glory. The glory light will probably be shining throughout the thousand years, and cover the earth as the waters cover the deep.
From verse eight (Zec 14:8) we learn that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem Eze 47:1-23. This must be interpreted as a literal fact, and likewise as a symbol of the great spiritual blessings. “From the holy city go forth westward and eastward the waters which are destined to heal the long miseries of a world groaning under Satan’s thralldom, themselves the effect and symbol of the rich blessing which Jehovah then diffuses far and wide, and this above all the changes ordinary in nature; in summer and in winter it shall be. Drought and frost will not affect them; neither will the obstruction of the hilly ground toward the west; the waters shall flow as steadily toward the great sea on the west as to the Dead Sea on the east.” The Lord Jesus Christ, Jehovah, then shall be King over all the earth; and His Name shall be one. His throne is established over the earth and He rules the nations in righteousness. In that day of His glorious manifestation His Name will be revealed as the One who on earth declared “I and the Father are One”; He will be known as the One Lord and God, and worshipped as such. All idolatry is at an end and the abominations connected with it are abolished. Confusion is forever ended Zep 3:9.
Other physical changes in the land are indicated in verse ten (Zec 14:10), and from verse eleven (Zec 14:11) we learn that there shall be no more curse and that Jerusalem shall dwell safely.
Zec 14:12-15. This is the description of the dreadful punishment which will befall the enemies in that day. It is to be read in connection with the third verse, the Lord fighting against those nations, and the punishment will be upon them when He appears. Thus it is seen in Rev 19:1-21. He appears, and after His appearing there is the scene of punishment of the enemies. “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice to all the birds that fly in midheaven, Come and be gathered unto the great supper of God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond and small and great” Rev 19:17-21.
“And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against Me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh” Isa 66:24.
Zec 14:16-19. It is clear from this passage that some nations, or representatives of nations, will be left of those who came against Jerusalem. They, with all the other nations of the world, will then know the Lord and worship Him. The temple will then stand in Jerusalem as the house of glory and a house of prayer for all nations. There will be a perfect worship, grand and glorious, and it will not be confined to Israel, but the nations will join it. We may learn perhaps from this verse that the Lord will leave every year once His place on His throne over the earth and come down to Jerusalem and show Himself in His glory before the worshipping multitudes in the earth, as He is seen in the New Jerusalem above. The occasion is the feast of tabernacles. It is the millennial feast. It is a feast kept in remembrance of Israel’s journey through the wilderness for forty years and all their subsequent wanderings. It stands also for the ingathering of the full harvest. It is a feast of joy, praise, and thanksgiving. The Jews keep it to the present day, though few know the full meaning of it. Every year when it comes again they read this 14th chapter of Zechariah. It is strange indeed. What a glorious feast that will be, kept there in Jerusalem, when the fullness at last has come! The fullness of the Gentiles has been gathered in, and is in the New Jerusalem; the fullness of Israel has come in the earth, and their receiving has been life from the dead, and Gentiles know the glory of the Lord. Some find a difficulty here in the fact that it is stated that the nations, the residue of men, are to come up to Jerusalem, and the difficulty is that it will be impossible for all of them to do that. It is not at all necessary that every individual must go up to Jerusalem once in a year. Perhaps every nation will send representatives to the feast of tabernacles, and they come in the name of the different nations and bring their presents. This seems to be indicated in the visit of the wise men from the East, who came to Bethlehem to worship the new-born King Mat 2:1-23. They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. In Isa 60:6 we read of the coming of the Gentiles to Jerusalem when the Lord has come again. They shall come from Sheba; they shall bring gold and frankincense (the myrrh is left out here, for it speaks of suffering), and shall proclaim the praises of the Lord. As the wise men who came to Bethlehem were representatives of nations, so during the Millennium the nations will send delegations to the feast of tabernacles. What a scene that must be! How crowded Jerusalem will be by those from Greenland and from the interior of Africa, from India and the islands of the sea, as well as from the nations which composed the Roman empire. The ends of the earth have seen the salvation of God, and now their praise is heard in the city and mingling with the psalms sung by His own redeemed people.
On the other hand Zec 14:17-19 acquaint us with the fact that even during the coming age of the kingdom-glory there will be disobedience among the nations, which will be fully demonstrated at the close of the Millennium, when a final revolt takes place.
Zec 14:20-21. The most holy person in Israel, the high-priest, carried the inscription, “Holiness to Jehovah” around his mitre, but now even the little bells of the horses bear that inscription. In that temple which stands during the Millennium, sacrifices will be brought, but there will be no difference in the vessels which are used in Jerusalem, the meanest and smallest will be holy. In one word, all will be holy, all will be consecrated to Jehovah. What a perfect service that will be of the people which are then, in truth, a holy people. Application can be made of this to believers now. Surely everything the saint has, and his whole life, must be thus consecrated to Jehovah, to the Lord. No Canaanite will be there, nothing unclean. The Vulgate translates the word Canaanite with merchant. It stands, however, for everything that is unclean and an abomination. The city will be completely purged from it.
And of the New Jerusalem it is written, “There shall in no wise enter into it any thing unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie, but only they that are written in the Lamb’s book of life.... Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie” Rev 21:27; Rev 22:15.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v1 The Judgment and the Redemption
The Judgment and the Redemption
v. 1. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, a great Day of Judgment, and thy spoil, that gained by the enemies in overcoming Jerusalem, shall be divided in the midst of thee, the enemies being at leisure and secure in the conquered city.
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v. 2. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle, the enemies being recruited from all countries of the world; and the city shall be taken and the houses rifled and the women ravished, a picture of an apparent complete overthrow of the Church such as she experienced during the dark ages; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, yielding to the power of Antichrist, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city, some at least would remain faithful to the true God in the Church of the Reformation.
v. 3. Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle, on the many occasions when He went forth to battle with them and for them.
v. 4. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, this location being considered the center of the earth and the throne of the Lord, as He makes ready for judgment, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, an earthquake having this effect as the earth trembled under the footsteps of Jehovah, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south, thus opening a road from Jerusalem straight toward the east.
v. 5. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains, since it would offer safe hiding-places; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal, a small town east of Mount Olivet; yea, ye ’shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah; and the Lord, my God, shall come, His advent being looked for by His children ’with joyful expectation, and all the saints, the holy angels, with thee. The picture sketched by the prophet shows Jehovah preparing to judge the nations, while the believers flee to Him for refuge, knowing that their salvation is near.
v. 6. And it shall come to pass in that day that the light shall not be clear, that is, there would not be full daylight, nor dark, literally, "the glorious things will withdraw themselves," evidently said of the lights of heaven, the sun, moon, and stars;
v. 7. but it shall be one day, a most singular day in every way, which shall be known to the Lord, He alone being acquainted with its true nature, not day nor night, because the lights of heaven will have lost their power to shine; but It shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light. This picture represents the Church of the Middle Ages gradually sinking into darkness as the light of the Word of God was obscured by its leaders. Fortunately, however, the Lord, through the Reformation, caused the glorious light of His Gospel to shine forth once more.
v. 8. And it shall be in that day, after the restoration of the light of the Word in its original position, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, from the Church of the Lord in its renewed state, Cf Eze 47:1; half of them toward the former sea, toward the east, and half of them toward the hinder sea, toward the west, so that the blessings of the Gospel would be distributed throughout the world; in summer and in winter shall it be, without intermission.
v. 9. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth, as the Ruler of His Kingdom of Grace; in that day shall there be one Lord, the Triune God once more accepted by the Church as He had revealed Himself in Christ, and His name one, to be glorified wherever His Word is proclaimed.
v. 10. All the land shall be turned as a plain, with no more mountains to obstruct the work of the Church, from Geba, some twelve miles north of Jerusalem, to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, at the southern border of Judah; and It shall be lifted up, Jerusalem alone being placed up on high, and inhabited in her place, or, "shall dwell in her place,". from Benjamin’s gate, in the wall of the north side of the city, unto the place of the first gate, on the east or northeast, unto the corner gate, that on the west, and from the tower of Hananeel, on the northeast corner of the city, Neh 3:1, unto the king’s winepresses, in the royal gardens on the south side of the city.
v. 11. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction, such as came upon the Church through the wickedness of Antichrist; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. The Church, as renewed by the Reformation, will, on the whole, remain in possession of the truth and its blessings.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 3 General Information:
General Information:
This chapter describes the final war for the city of Jerusalem and how God will save it.
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A day for Yahweh is coming when your plunder will be divided in your midst
A future time is spoken of as if "a day is coming." The phrase "will be divided" can be stated in active form. AT: "Soon Yahweh will judge you, and he will allow your enemies to take all of your possessions and divide if for themselves while you watch" (See: Metaphor and Active or Passive)
I will gather every nation against Jerusalem for battle
Here "every nation" is a generalization that means "many nations." AT: "I will cause many nations to attack Jerusalem" (See: Hyperbole and Generalization)
the city will be captured
This can be stated in active form. AT: "your enemies will capture the city" (See: Active or Passive)
The houses will be plundered and the women raped
This can be stated in active form. AT: "Enemies will plunder the houses and rape the women" (See: Active or Passive)
the remainder of the people will not be cut off from the city
Not removing people from the city is spoken of as if the people will not be "cut off." This can be stated in active form. AT: "your enemies will allow the remaining people to stay in the city" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
day of the Lord
nation
Jerusalem
seize
had relations with
captive
cut off
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1–3 14:1-21 Zechariah closes with visions of judgment, salvation, and…
14:1-21 Zechariah closes with visions of judgment, salvation, and God’s universal kingdom. In the future, Israel would be besieged, teetering on the verge of total destruction, when the Lord himself would intervene and rescue his people (14:3-4) and punish their enemies with a terrible plague (14:12). Israel would be restored as God’s people, and Jerusalem would be exalted as the center of civilization (14:16-17). God’s rule would be established over all the earth (14:9), and the created order would be transformed (14:6-10). Fittingly, God’s holiness would be the pervasive characteristic of his rule over all the earth (14:20-21). Zechariah’s message stimulates the people of God to hope in the Sovereign King of Israel, who will bring justice and restoration.
14:1 The day of the Lord will bring judgment and deliverance and will reverse the fortunes of many (see Amos 5:18; cp. Matt 19:28-30; Luke 13:23-30).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.