ZECHARIAH 14

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NASB	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
God Will Battle Jerusalem’s Foes	The Day of the Lord	The Final Warfare and the Final Victory	Jerusalem and the Nations	The Eschatological Battle; the Splendor of Jerusalem
14:1-7	14:1-2	14:1-5	14:1-5	14:1-5
	14:3-7
		14:6-7	14:6-7	14:6-11
14:8	14:8-11	14:8	14:8-9
God Will Be King Over All
14:9-11		14:9
		14:10-11	14:10-11
14:12-15	14:12-15	14:12-15	14:12	14:12-15
			14:13-14
	The Nations Worship the King		14:15
14:16-19	14:16-19	14:16-19	14:16-19	14:16-19
14:20-21	14:20-21	14:20-21	14:20-21	14:20-21

READING CYCLE THREE (see
“Bible
Interpretation Seminar”)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which
means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the
light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not
relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare
your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is
the key to following the original author’s intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every
paragraph has one and only one subject.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

There have been many interpretations of this chapter. There are two extremes.
1. to take it very literally as national Israel
2. to spiritualize it to fit the church exclusively
We must assert that this section, Zechariah 9-14, is very Messianic. As Zechariah 1-8 are quoted
most often by John in the Revelation, so Zechariah 9-14 are quoted most often in the Gospels. Yet,
the entire book points toward the end-time. It seems that the OT authors used past and current
events to overshadow future events. When the last generation comes I think that this prophecy
and all prophecy will be more easily understood.
Although, as historical-grammatical interpreters, we look closely at the text, we must remember that
Christ is the focus of the OT. These passages are very Messianic, even though the historical setting
is ambiguous. The NT is the proper interpreter of the OT. Christ is the ultimate, final revelation.
It is obvious that God is still involved in national Israel. Their repentance and faith is coming
(cf. Zech. 12:10; Romans 9-11). The Church, in many ways, has supplemented, complemented, and
fulfilled Israel’s initial task, which was to be a kingdom of priests to bring all humans to YHWH
through the Messiah (cf. Gen. 3:15; 12:3; 18:18; Exod. 19:4-6; I Pet. 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6).
Be careful of being too dogmatic concerning your personal interpretation. Often we are overly
influenced by theories which are current in our day.

SPECIAL
TOPIC: WHY DO OT COVENANT PROMISES SEEM SO DIFFERENT FROM NT COVENANT PROMISES?
Zechariah 14 is a picture of the sons of God’s victory in history (cf. Rev. 11:15). It is not as
Messianic as Zechariah 10-13. The Father is the focus and the ideal age is the setting. However,
OT functions, as well as titles for God, are transferred to the Son. This apocalyptic literature
is an idealized future scene in terms of ancient Israel’s capital.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ZECHARIAH 14:1-5
¹Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. ²For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. ³Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. ⁴In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. ⁵You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!

14:1 This is a summary of the entire chapter which emphasizes God’s fighting on behalf of His people.
In this chapter His people are depicted as ancient Israel. God judged them and dispersed them, but now He
restores their losses (cf. Isa. 53:12) and their place (i.e., Promised Land).

▣ “a day is coming for the Lord“ The “day of the Lord” is a common
theme of Zechariah 12-14, but this phrase has an added Hebrew PREPOSITION “of” (BDB 750 #5),
which denotes that the day is His day!

The VERB (BDB 97, KB 112, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) denotes
an approach or arrival. YHWH will be publicly acknowledged as King and victor (cf. Zech. 14:9).

SPECIAL TOPIC: THAT DAY

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE LAST DAYS

▣ “you” This is FEMININE SINGULAR referring to Jerusalem (cf. Zech. 14:2).

14:2 “For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle” Notice the emphasis is on God’s
control of history (cf. Zech. 14:9; 12:2,3,6,9; Ps. 2; Isa. 8:9-10; 17:12-14; Ezek. 38-39; Joel 3:9-17;
Rev. 16:14-16; 19:17-19).

▣ “the city will be captured” The VERB (BDB 539, KB 530) is a Niphil
PERFECT with waw. This final, ultimate confrontation between the kingdoms of this world
and the kingdom of our God will result in the partial fall of Jerusalem (cf. Zech. 13:8). This fall is
described in vivid terms from Jerusalem’s past experience with conquering invaders. However, a remnant
will remain (in Zech. 13:8 only 1/3, but here 1/2). This is a stark contrast to the divine protection
promised in Zech. 12:1-9.

14:3 YHWH fights on behalf of His people as He did in the exodus from Egypt and the conquest and
settlement of Canaan.

In an eschatological sense God is depicted as once-and-for-all fighting on behalf of His
people and setting up a new order (cf. Psalm 2; Isa. 2:2-4; Ezekiel 38-39; Zechariah 14; also in
intertestamental, apocalyptic literature, I Enoch 56:5-8 and IV Ezra 13:1-13,25-53; and in the NT in
Rev. 20:7-9.

14:4 “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives” The PRONOUN
anthropomorphically reflects YHWH (cf. “Lord” of Zech. 14:1,3,5 and
PRONOUN of Zech. 14:2a). However, the Messiah often takes on the titles and functions of
the Father. In context, this chapter is oriented toward God the Father.

▣ “the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley” The
Mount of Olives is a 2½ mile ridge running to the east of Jerusalem and culminates in the city of
Bethany. Apparently this earth-shaking event will occur for two purposes:

the return of the Lord to do battle for His people
a way of escape for the remnant that are still left in the city

This splitting will be for

the remnant to flee (cf. Zech. 14:5)
the water of life to flow (cf. Zech. 14:8; 13:1; Ps. 46:4; Ezek. 47:1-12; Rev. 22:1)

14:5
NASB	”And you will flee by the valley of My mountain”
NKJV	”then you shall flee through My mountain valley”
NRSV	”and you shall flee by the valley of the Lord’s mountain”
TEV	”You will escape through the valley that divides the mountain in two”
NJB	”the valley between the hills will be filled”
JPSOA, LXX	”And the valley of my mountains shall be blocked up”

There has been much confusion in the translation of this verse. The word “flee” occurs
three times in Zech. 14:5 (BDB 630, KB 681, Qal PERFECTS), but the ancient translations
fluctuate the translation from “flee” to “you shall be stopped” (BDB 711).

The Masoretic Text is followed by the Peshitta and the Vulgate, while the Septuagint and
Symmachus’ translation follow the Aramaic Targums.

The UBS Text Project, p. 422, gives the MT (NASB) a “C” rating (considerable doubt) to the first
occurrence of the VERB “flee” (BDB 630, KB 681, Qal PERFECT with waw),
but to the second occurrence it gives a “B” rating.

The difference between “and you will flee” and “it will be blocked” is only vowel points.

▣
NASB	”Azel”
NKJV, NRSV, JPSOA	”Azal”
TEV	—-
NJB	”Jasol”
REB	”Asal”
LXX	”Iasol”
Peshitta	”disaster”

This seems to refer to a city, possibly also mentioned in Micah 1:11 (“Beth-ezel”), which
shows the terminus of this supernaturally-made valley (cf. NRSV).

▣ “the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah” Josephus (Antiq. 9.10.4) links it
with 2 Chr. 26:16-23, when Uzziah offered a sacrifice and was struck with leprosy. This same earthquake is
referred to in Amos 1:1 (i.e., 750 B.C.). This may imply that an earthquake will form the
valley, but this is not a certainty. Earthquakes are used to describe God’s presence in judgment
(cf. Isa. 29:6; Ezek. 38:19).

▣ “the Lord. . .will come and all the holy ones” This refers
to YHWH’s coming with angels (cf. Deut. 33:2-3). Angels are called holy ones in Job 5:1; 15:5; Ps. 89:5,7;
Dan. 8:13. The term “holy” is also used of believers in the OT (cf. Ps. 16:3; 34:9; Isa. 4:3;
Dan. 7:18,21,22,25,27; 8:24). In the NT it refers to Jesus’ Second Coming and may include angels and
believers (cf. Matt. 16:27; 25:31; Mark 8:38; 2 Thess. 1:7; Rev. 19:14).

▣ “with Him” The Masoretic Text has “with You,” which may refer to Jerusalem (FEMININE
SINGULAR, cf. Zech. 14:1).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ZECHARIAH 14:6-7
⁶In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. ⁷For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.

14:6
NASB	”In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle”
NKJV	”there will be no light, the lights will diminish”
NRSV, REB	”on that day there shall not be either cold or frost”
TEV	”when the time comes, there will no longer be cold or frost”
NJB, Pehsitta	”that Day, there will be no light, but only cold and frost”
JPSOA	”In that day, there shall be neither sunlight no cold moon light”

The Septuagint and the Vulgate interpret the last phrase as “no cold and ice” (cf. New
International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, vol. 3, pp. 952, 995). However, the
eschatological context may refer to the dwindling light (BDB 21) of the heavenly bodies (cf. Isa. 13:10;
24:23; 60:19; Jer. 4:23; Ezek. 32:7,8; Joel 2:31; 3:15; Matt. 24:29; Acts 2:19).

The second Hebrew phrase has two words: (1) “precious,” “rare,” “splendid,” “weighty”
(BDB 429) and (2) “thicken,” “condense,” “congeal” (BDB 891, KB 1117, Qal IMPERFECT).
The NASB footnote has “glorious ones will congeal.”

14:7 “For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord“ This possibly
refers to Matt. 24:36 and reenforces the understanding that this section refers to God the Father. The
uniqueness may be that there is no more night (cf. TEV).

▣ “at evening time there will be light” God’s presence provides continual light
(cf. Isa. 60:19,20; Rev. 21:25; 22:5), as it did before the creation of the sun, stars, and moon
(cf. Gen. 1:3-5 versus 1:14-19).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ZECHARIAH 14:8
⁸And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.

14:8 “living waters will flow out of Jerusalem” This seems to be used in the sense of life-giving,
supernatural waters (cf. Gen. 2:10), which issue not only in physical bounty, but also in spiritual bounty.
These waters are often referred to in the Bible (cf. Ps. 46:4; Isa. 33:21-23; 49:10; Ezek. 47:1-12; Joel 3:18;
John 4:13-15; 6:35; 7:37-38; Rev. 22:1,2 and in a negative way in Jer. 2:13; Zech. 9:11). Jerusalem, because
of YHWH’s presence, is the center of all creation. The King is enthroned there!

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE WATERS

▣ “the eastern sea. . .the western sea” This refers to the Dead Sea (which will no longer be
dead!) and the Mediterranean Sea.

▣ “it will be in summer as well as in winter” In Palestine there are really only two seasons.
This verse implies continual water, which is not related to the seasonal changes. This whole context speaks
of a new natural order which is not dependent on regular cycles of nature.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ZECHARIAH 14:9
⁹And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.

14:9 “the Lord will be king” This continues the motif of YHWH as King of
the earth (cf. Zech. 14:16,17; 1 Sam. 8:7; 12:12; Ps. 93:1; 97:1; 99:1). In Zech. 9:9 it is the Messiah who
is king (cf. Isa. 9:6-7; Jer. 10:7; 23:5). YHWH does not become King. He has always been King, but now all
humans recognize it (cf. Matt. 6:10).

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE KINGDOM OF
GOD

▣ “over all the earth” Here is the continuing theme of the universal reign of God
(cf. Zech. 14:6; Ps. 22:27-28; 47:8-9; Isa. 2:2-4; 45:2-3).

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH’S ETERNAL
REDEMPTIVE PLAN

▣ “in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name
the only one” This is an emphasis on monotheism (cf. Exod. 8:10; 9:14; Deut. 4:35,39; 6:4-5;
33:26; 1 Sam. 2:2; 2 Sam. 22:32; 1 Kgs. 8:23; Ps. 86:8; Isa. 46:9; Jer. 10:6-7.

SPECIAL TOPIC: MONOTHEISM)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ZECHARIAH 14:10-11
¹⁰All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. ¹¹People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.

14:10 “All the land will be changed into a plain from” This supernatural altering of the earth’s
terrain has been interpreted in several ways:

as a theological symbol of the holiness of the area
as universal access to the place where God dwells
as the equal distribution of this living water to all people

Some see an allusion to this topographical preparation in Isa. 40:4.

▣ “Geba” This is a city located six miles north of Jerusalem, which is mentioned in 2 Kgs. 23:8.
Its name means “height.” It was the northern boundary of Judah (cf. Jos. 18:24).

▣ “Rimmon south of Jerusalem” This village is mentioned several times in the OT (cf. Jos. 15:32;
19:7; and Neh. 11:29), but its exact location is uncertain. It was in the tribal allocation of Simeon. It is
not the same as Rimmon mentioned in Jos. 19:13, which was in the tribal allocation of Zebulun.

▣ “Jerusalem will rise” This topological rising (BDB 926 or 910, KB 1163, Qal
PERFECT with waw) of the city above its surrounding area was predicted by Isa. 2:2 and Micah 4:1,
which are both eschatological passages that predict the nations will come in great numbers to YHWH in
Jerusalem (cf. Zech. 8:20-23). Is this symbolic of access to God or is it an actual physical modification
of Judah? Other prophets speak of a completely new and permanent earth (cf. Isa. 65:17; 66:22). This tension
is one reason (along with expecting all prophecies relating to Israel’s geographical promises to be literally
fulfilled) that many see an earthly kingdom (millennium, Rev. 20:1-6) before the eternal kingdom
(cf. Dan. 7:13; Rev. 21-22). My problem is that no NT writer reaffirms these national, geographical promises.
Jesus even asserts that true worship is not connected to any mountain (cf. John 4:20-26).

SPECIAL TOPIC: WHY DO OT COVENANT
PROMISES SEEM SO DIFFERENT FROM NT COVENANT PROMISES?

▣ “and remain on its site” The VERB (BDB 442, KB 444) is a Qal
PERFECT with waw. This verse is very specific. Although all of the sites and gates within the city
are now uncertain, it is obvious that it refers to the entire city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is secure
(cf. Zech. 12:6; Jer. 30:18).

14:11 “And people will live in it, and there will be no more curse” The curse mentioned may have
several origins:

the curse of Gen. 3:17, which is related to mankind’s sin
the curse of Deuteronomy 28, which is related to Israel’s breaking the covenant (cf. Zech. 8:18
and Rev. 22:3)
the curse of complete destruction (i.e., Jericho, cf. Jos. 6:17,21; Jer. 25:9)

It is obvious that Jerusalem will be densely populated, which was a change from the prevailing
attitude of Zechariah’s own day (cf. Neh. 7:4; 11:1-2).

This “no more curse” is picked up in Rev. 22:3.

▣ “for Jerusalem will dwell in security” This VERB (BDB 442, KB 444, Qal
PERFECT with waw, #4) has the meaning of “abide in its place” (cf. Zech. 2:8; 9:5; 14:11; Lev. 26:5;
Jer. 23:6; Ezek. 28:26; 34:25-31; 38:8). They are secure (BDB 105) and dwell in the land because YHWH and
His Messiah (cf. Isa. 7:14) dwell with them!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ZECHARIAH 14:12-15
¹²Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. ¹³It will come about in that day that a great panic from the Lord will fall on them; and they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will be lifted against the hand of another. ¹⁴Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance. ¹⁵So also like this plague will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey and all the cattle that will be in those camps.

14:12 “Now this will be the plague” God will defeat the nations (cf. Zech. 14:2-3) by a means
(i.e., plague BDB 620) which He had employed earlier in His defense of Jerusalem against Sennacherib
in 701 B.C.. (cf. 2 Kgs. 19:35; Isa. 37:36). This may be a reference to Deut. 28:20-24,
which is now turned against Israel’s enemies (e.g., Deut. 28:7; Ps. 89:22-24).

▣ “the Lord will strike” This VERB (BDB 619, KB 669,
Qal IMPERFECT) is often used of God’s defense of His people (but there are exceptions,
cf. Exod. 21:22; Ps. 91:12; Pro. 3:23).

14:13 “a great panic from the Lord will fall on them” This is another
supernatural means whereby the army of the nations will fall. They will simply destroy themselves
(cf. Exod. 15:16; 23:27; Jdgs. 7:22; 1 Sam. 14:15-20; 2 Chr. 20:22-23; Hag. 2:22). Confusion (BDB 223) of
the enemies of YHWH is part of the Day of the Lord (cf. Deut. 7:23; 28:20; Isa. 22:5).

14:14 “and Judah also will fight at Jerusalem” The VERB (BDB 535, KB 526) is a
Niphil IMPERFECT. The PREPOSITION “at” (i.e., place) is also used in
the NIV, while the RSV changes it to “against” (cf. Vulgate, Targums). The same PRONOUN is
translated “against” in Zech. 14:3.

▣ “the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered” The VERB (BDB 62,
KB 74) is a Pual PERFECT. See Zech. 14:1.

14:15 This information seems out of place. It should go with the plague on humans mentioned in
Zech. 14:12. It seems to refer to the complete destruction of this invading army’s military capabilities.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ZECHARIAH 14:16-19
¹⁶Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. ¹⁷And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. ¹⁸If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the Lord smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. ¹⁹This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

14:16 “any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to
worship the King, the Lord of hosts” This magnifies the eternal redemptive
plan of God. This could mean

that some few soldiers survived
that some from the nations they represent survived, but those of the nations who are left will be
converted (cf. Zech. 8:20-23)!

There is an allusion to the world-wide annual worship in Isa. 2:2-4 (cf. Isa. 66:19-24).

▣ “to celebrate the Feast of Booths” This feast is described in Lev. 23:34-44 and Deut. 16:13-17.
Foreigners were welcome to participate (cf. Deut. 16:14). It was basically a time for

thanksgiving for the harvest
God’s provision for the poor
a time for reading the Torah (cf. Neh. 8:14-18)

The mention of living waters in Zech. 8:14 and their use in John 7, during the Feast of
Tabernacles (Booths), seems to be significant. During the Feast of Tabernacles several ceremonies pointed
toward this living water as a symbol of spiritual strength.

SPECIAL TOPIC: FEASTS OF ISRAEL

14:17-19 “there will be no rain on them” All of the remaining pagans seem to be converted to faith
in YHWH at this eschatological period. Any who refuse to come and worship at least annually are cursed with
the plague of Deut. 28:22-24. Egypt had seen the plagues of YHWH before! It is surprising that some nations
may not come. It is possible to interpret this as “not everyone is fully converted to faith in Christ.” Some
see this as characteristic of the millennium of Rev. 20:1-6.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ZECHARIAH 14:20-21
²⁰ In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “HOLY TO THE LORD.” And the cooking pots in the Lord‘s house will be like the bowls before the altar. ²¹Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts in that day.

14:20,21 “In that day there will be inscribed. . .’Holy to the Lord‘”
These two verses describe human society that has now become entirely sanctified and holy. This can be seen
by the insignia which was originally on the turban of Aaron, the high priest (cf. Exod. 28:36), and now on
the eschatological High Priest (cf. Zech. 3:9, is also on the common things and people). The different aspects
of society which were affected are

the bells of the horses
the cooking pots in the Lord’s house
the cooking pots in the homes of the people of Jerusalem and Judea (who are now partakers of the
holy food of the temple; joint heirs with the Levites and priests)

14:21 “And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of
hosts in that day” The term “Canaanite” (NASB, NKJV, NIV) can refer to any unholy person not included
in the covenant people, but there should not be any of these remaining. Therefore, many translators
interpret this term as “merchant” (BDB 489 II, i.e., one who weighs out gold and silver, cf. Pro. 31:24;
Isa. 23:8; Ezek. 16:29; 17:4; Hos. 12:7) and this is how it is used in the NT of money changers and sellers
in the court of the Gentiles in the temple (cf. Matt. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46; John 2:13-16).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are
responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You,
the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this
section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

Will this chapter be fulfilled literally or symbolically? Why?
Is this chapter apocalyptic literature and if so, what does that imply in its interpretation?
Relate the significant themes of Zechariah 12-14 and compare them with a reference Bible
throughout the Old Testament.
Is this chapter Messianic or YHWH oriented? Why?
How and why is Zechariah’s prophecy so influential on NT writers?

Old Testament Studies

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