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Zechariah
Chapter Fourteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO ZECHARIAH 14
This
chapter treats of the coming of Christ with all his saints
and his personal
appearance among them; and of the signs of the times before that; and of what
shall befall the enemies of the church
both open and secret; and of the happy
state and condition of the church itself. First there will be a time of great
affliction to the people of God
Zechariah 14:1
when the Lord will appear and fight for them
and will appear to them
and with
them
Zechariah 14:3 but
before this time it will be an uncommon season
neither day nor night; at the
close of which
light will break forth
Zechariah 14:6 the
Gospel will be spread far and near
attended with the Spirit and grace of God
in great plenty
Zechariah 14:8
which will bring on the spiritual reign of Christ over all the earth
Zechariah 14:9
particularly the land of Judea
and the city of Jerusalem
shall be inhabited
by men with safety
Zechariah 14:10 and
all those that oppose and fight against the Lord's people shall be destroyed
partly by an immediate plague from the Lord upon them
and partly by the hands
of one another
and also by the saints of the most High; and the plague shall
not only be upon their persons
but upon their cattle likewise
Zechariah 14:12 and
as for those that profess the Christian name
and yet neglect or refuse to
worship the Lord in a spiritual and evangelical manner
there shall be no rain
upon them
Zechariah 14:17 and
as for the church and people of God
there shall be universal holiness among
them
and not a single Canaanite to be found in the midst of them
Zechariah 14:20.
Zechariah 14:1 Behold
the day
of the Lord is coming
And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
YLT
1Lo
a day hath come to
Jehovah
And divided hath been thy spoil in thy midst.
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
Revelation 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 Ezekiel 38:12.
Zechariah 14:2 2 For
I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be
taken
The houses rifled
And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go
into captivity
But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the
city.
YLT
2And I have gathered all the
nations unto Jerusalem to battle
And captured hath been the city
And spoiled
have been the houses
And the women are lain with
Gone forth hath half the
city in a removal
And the remnant of the people are not cut off from the city.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle
.... Meaning
not the Romans
in the time of Vespasian
for they were not all nations; nor
did a part of the city only go into captivity then
but the whole; nor did any
remain in it: it seems right to refer it to the gathering of the kings of the
earth to the battle of the Lord God Almighty at Armageddon
Revelation 16:14
unless it may be thought better to interpret it of the vast numbers
out of
several nations
the Turk will bring against Jerusalem
to dispossess the Jews
of it
by whom it will be again inhabited in the latter day; see Ezekiel 38:4 and
Kimchi interprets it of the Gog and Magog army. The Jews
in their ancient
MidrashesF4Shirhashirim Rabba
fol. 22. 3. & Midrash Ruth
fol.
33. 2.
apply it to the times of the Messiah; which is true
if understood not
of the first times of the Messiah
whose coming they vainly expect
but of the
last times of the Messiah.
And the city shall be taken
and the houses rifled
and the women
ravished
and half of the city shall go into captivity: this will be
the time when the outward court shall be given
to the Gentiles
the Papists;
the two witnesses shall be slain
and their enemies shall rejoice and send
gifts to one another
Revelation 11:2
this will be a trying season
and such a time of trouble as has not been known:
and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city; there will be
a remnant according to the election of grace; the city
the church
shall not
be wholly extinct; Christ will reserve a seed for himself in those very worst
of times
as he has always done: this cannot refer to the destruction of
Jerusalem by the Romans
for then all the inhabitants of the city were cut off
or carried captive
and none left; but
if literally to be understood
must
refer to what will be
when the army of Gog shall come against it in the latter
day; though these circumstances are not mentioned in Ezekiel.
Zechariah 14:3 3 Then
the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations
As He fights in the
day of battle.
YLT
3And gone forth hath
Jehovah
And He hath fought against those nations
As in the day of His
fighting in a day of conflict.
Then shall the Lord go forth
.... Out of his place in
heaven
either in person
or by the display of his power; that is
the Lord
Jesus Christ; whose name is called the Word of God
and is the King of kings
and Lord of lords
described as a mighty warrior
Revelation 19:11
&c.:
and fight against those nations
as when he fought in the day of
battle: the Targum adds
"at the Red Sea"; when the Lord fought
for
Israel against the Egyptians
Exodus 14:25 and
afterwards against the Canaanites
when they entered the land of Canaan under
Joshua: thus Christ shall judge
and make war in righteousness
and overcome
those that shall make war with him; and with the sharp sword that goeth out of
his mouth shall smite nations
and with a rod of iron rule them
and break them
to shivers
Revelation 14:14
see also Ezekiel 38:21.
Zechariah 14:4 4 And
in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives
Which faces Jerusalem
on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two
From east to west
Making
a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half
of it toward the south.
YLT
4And stood have His feet
in
that day
On the mount of Olives
That [is] before Jerusalem eastward
And
cleft hath been the mount of Olives at its midst
To the east
and to the west
a very great valley
And removed hath the half of the mount towards the north.
And its half towards the south.
And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives
.... Where he
often was in the days of his flesh
and from whence he ascended to heaven
Luke 21:37 but here
he did not appear at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem; wherefore this
must refer to a time to come; and seeing it is certain that he will stand in
the latter day on the earth
at the time of the resurrection
and will come
down from heaven in like manner as he went up; it seems very probable that he
will descend upon that very spot of ground from whence he ascended
Job 19:25. The
Jews
F5Targum in Cant. viii. 5. have a notion
that
at the general
resurrection of the dead
the mount of Olives will cleave asunder
and those of
their nation
who have been buried in other countries
will be rolled through
the caverns of the earth
and come out from under that mountain. This is what
they call "gilgul hammetim"
the rolling of the dead; and
"gilgul hammechiloth"
the rolling through the caverns. So they say
in the Targum of Song of Solomon 8:5.
"when
the dead shall live
the mount of Olives shall be cleaved asunder
and all the
dead of Israel shall come out from under it; yea
even the righteous
which die
in captivity
shall pass through subterraneous caverns
and come from under the
mount of Olives.'
This
is sometimesF6T. Bab. Cetubot
fol. 111. 1. represented as very
painful to the righteous; but another writerF7Judah Zabarah apud
Pocock. Not. Miscell. p. 119. removes this objection by observing
that at the
time of the rolling through the caverns of the earth
we may say that this
rolling will be of no other than of the bone "luz"
out of which the
whole body will spring; so that this business of rolling will be easy and without
pain; but they are not all agreed about the thing itself: Kimchi saysF8Pirush
in Ezek. xxxvii. 12.
"there
is a division in the words of our Rabbins
concerning the dead without the land
(i.e. of Israel); some of them say that those without the land shall come up
out of their graves; and others say they shall come out of their graves to the
land of Israel by rolling
and by the way of the caverns; but this verse Ezekiel 37:12
proves that those without the land shall live
as the dead of the land of
Israel; for it says
"I will open your graves
and cause you to come up
out of your graves"; and after that
"and I will bring you into the
land of Israel".'
Which is before Jerusalem on the east; a sabbath
day's journey from it
about a mile
Acts 1:12
and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the
east and toward the west; 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; and this valley will be made by cleaving and removing the
mountain in this manner
to hold the dead together when raised; and this is
thought by some to be the same with the valley of Jehoshaphat
called the
valley of decision
into which the Heathen
being awakened and raised
will be
brought and judged
Joel 3:2.
Zechariah 14:5 5 Then
you shall flee through My mountain valley
For the mountain valley shall
reach to Azal. Yes
you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days
of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God
will come
And all the saints with You.[a]
YLT
5And ye have fled [to] the
valley of My mountains
For join doth the valley of the mountains to Azal
And
ye have fled as ye fled before the shaking
In the days of Uzziah king of
Judah
And come in hath Jehovah my God
All holy ones [are] with Thee.
And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains
.... To seek for
shelter and safety in them
for fear of the Lord
and the glory of his majesty
whom every eye shall see
Isaiah 2:19
for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal; a name of a
place not known; it may be thought to be at some considerable distance:
yea
ye shall flee
like as ye fled from before the earthquake in
the days of Uzziah king of Judah; two years before which
Amos prophesied
Amos 1:1 and which
according to JosephusF9Antiqu. l. 9. c. 10. sect. 4.
was at the
time when King Uzziah was stricken with a leprosy for invading the priest's
office; when
as he says
at a place before the city called Eroge
half part of
the mountain towards the west was broken
and rolled half a mile towards the
eastern part
and there stood; so that the ways were stopped up to the king's
gardens:
and the Lord my God shall come; the Lord Jesus Christ
who is truly God
and the God of his people; and who will appear to be so at
his second coming
which is here meant
by raising the dead
gathering all
nations before him
and separating them; by bringing to light all secret and hidden
things; judging the whole world
and executing the sentence on them; and
particularly by taking his own people to himself:
and all the saints with thee: the Targum
and the Septuagint
Syriac
and Arabic versions
read
"with him";
meaning either the holy angels; so Aben Ezra
Kimchi
and Ben Melech; who will
attend him partly for the glory of his majesty
and partly for terror to the
wicked
and also for service; or rather glorified saints
the spirits of just
men made perfect
whom Christ will bring with him to be united to their bodies
which will now be raised
and to be with him in the new heavens and new earth
which will now be formed
and to be presented to him
and dwell with him
during the thousand years.
Zechariah 14:6 6 It
shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights
will diminish.
YLT
6And it hath come to pass
in that day
The precious light is not
it is dense darkness
And it shall come to pass in that day
.... Which
shall precede the coming of Christ
both his spiritual and personal reign; for
what follows will not agree with either state:
that the light
shall not be clear nor dark; before the latter day
glory it will be a darkish dispensation; not "clear"
as in the first
times of the Gospel
when the sun of righteousness appeared
and the shadows of
the ceremonial law were removed
and the Gospel shone out in the ministry of
Christ and his apostles; nor as at the reformation from Popery
when the
morning star was given
Revelation 2:28 nor
as it will be in the spiritual reign of Christ
when Zion's light will be come
and her watchmen will see eye to eye; when the light of the moon shall be as
the light of the sun
and the light of the sun seven fold as the light of seven
days; and much less as will be in the kingdom state
when there will be no need
of the sun or moon; or in the ultimate glory
when we shall see no more darkly
through a glass
but face to face: and yet it will not be "dark"
as
it was with the Jews under the legal dispensation; and much less as with the
Gentiles before the coming of Christ; or as in the dark times of Popery; it
will be a sort of a twilight
both with respect to the light of doctrine
and
of spiritual joy
comfort
and experience; which is much our case now. Some
read the words
"there shall be no light
but cold and frost"F11לא יהיה אור
יקרות זקפאון ουκ εσται φως και ψυχη
και παγος
Sept.; "non erit lux
sed frigus et gelu"
V. L; so Syr. Ar.;
"congelatio"
Tigurine version; so Ben Melech; "non erit lux;
frigora potius et congelatio; vel non erit lux; frigoribus congelascent
scilicet peccatores"
Hiller. de Arcano Kethib & Keri
p. 370. ; it
will be a time of great coldness and lukewarmness
with regard to divine and
spiritual things; iniquity will abound
and the love of many wax cold
Matthew 24:12.
Zechariah 14:7 7 It
shall be one day Which is known to the Lord— Neither
day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be
light.
YLT
7And there hath been one
day
It is known to Jehovah
not day nor night
And it hath been at
evening-time -- there is light.
But it shall be one day
.... A very singular
remarkable
and uncommon one; and it will be but one day; things will not
continue long in such a position:
which shall be known to the Lord; all times and seasons
are known unto the Lord
but this will come under his special notice and
observation
and be under the direction of his special providence; it will only
be taken notice of by him
and not by others; scarce any will observe it
or
know what God is doing in it
or about to do:
not day
nor night; not clear and full day
as at noon; nor yet
quite night or dark
as at midnight; See Gill on Zechariah 14:6
but it shall come to pass
that at evening time it shall be
light; after this day is over
which is neither clear nor dark
there
will be an evening time; things will be worse with us than they are; the sun
will be set; Christ will be withdrawn in the ministry of the word; his
witnesses will be slain and silenced; great coldness and lukewarmness will
seize upon professors; great darkness of error will spread itself everywhere;
great sleepiness and security will fall upon all the virgins
and there will be
great distress of nations; and
when it will be feared and expected that
greater darkness and distress still are coming on
"light" will break
forth; deliverance and salvation from Popish darkness and tyranny will be
wrought; the light of the Gospel will break forth
and spread itself
everywhere; the light of joy and gladness will arise to all the saints
and it
will be a time of great spiritual peace
prosperity
and happiness. Vitringa on
Isaiah 60:20
interprets it there shall be no vicissitude
or succession of day and night
but all day; at evening it shall be light; no calamity nor sorrow; Christ the
light
and sun of righteousness
will break out in a glorious and spiritual
manner.
Zechariah 14:8 8 And
in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem
Half
of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both
summer and winter it shall occur.
YLT
8And it hath come to pass
in that day
Go forth do living waters from Jerusalem
Half of them unto the
eastern sea
And half of them unto the western sea
In summer and in winter it
is.
And it shall be in that day
that living waters shall go
out from Jerusalem
.... When it shall be light; and this is one of the things which
will make it so; for by "living waters" are meant the Gospel
and the
doctrines of it; compared to running "waters" for the sound of them
which will then go into all the earth; for the swiftness in which they shall
proceed; for their rapidity and force in bearing all before them; for the great
spread of them; and for their virtue and efficacy in cooling those who are
inflamed with the fiery law; refreshing thirsty souls; purifying the hearts and
lives of sinners
and making those that are barren fruitful: and to
"living" waters
because they are the means of quickening dead
sinners
and of reviving drooping saints; and because they serve to support and
maintain a spiritual life
and nourish up unto eternal life
and direct the way
to it
as well as give the best account of it: and these will come out of
Jerusalem; which may design Jerusalem literally
which will be rebuilt at the
time of the Jews' conversion; or mystically the church
the spiritual and
heavenly Jerusalem; see Hebrews 12:22
reference seems to be had to the first ministration of the Gospel
which
according to prophecy
came out of Jerusalem
Isaiah 2:3.
Half of them towards the former sea; or the eastern sea
as
the Targum
the Persian sea; and may signify that the Gospel shall be carried
into the eastern parts of the world
into Persia
Tartary
and China
and other
nations; and those great kingdoms shall become the kingdoms of Christ:
and half of them toward the hinder sea; or the
western sea
as the Targum
the Mediterranean Sea; and may denote the progress
and success of the Gospel in the European parts of the world: and the meaning
of the whole is
that the Gospel shall be carried from east to west
and
preached all the world over
to the conversion of Jews and Gentiles
who
some
think
are designed by the two seas; when the abundance of the sea shall be
converted by it
and the forces and fulness of the Gentiles brought in
and all
Israel saved:
in summer and in winter shall it be; there will be no summer
of persecution
nor winter of coldness and indifference to hinder the ministry
of the word: the phrase denotes the constant ministry of the word
and the
duration of it; it shall be constantly preached all the year long
and as long
as summer and winter last.
Zechariah 14:9 9 And
the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— “The Lord is one
”[b] And His
name one.
YLT
9And Jehovah hath become
king over all the land
In that day there is one Jehovah
and His name one.
And the Lord shall be King over all the earth
.... This
refers to the spiritual reign of Christ in the latter day; upon the success of
the Gospel everywhere
there will be great conversions in all places; Gospel
churches will be set up and ordinances administered everywhere; the earth will
be filled with the knowledge of the Lord; his kingdom will be from sea to sea
from the eastern to the western one
and his dominion will reach to the ends of
the earth; Popish nations
Mahometan kingdoms
Pagan ones
and all the kings of
the earth
will become Christian
and submit to the sceptre of Christ's
kingdom:
in that day shall there be one Lord; there is but one Lord in
right now
and there is but one in fact that is owned by real Christians; and
there will be but one in the spiritual reign
among all that are called
Christians; there will be but one Lord and Head to Jews and Gentiles
Hosea 1:11 the pope
of Rome will be no more owned as head of the church
nor any other:
and his name
one; this refers not to any particular name by
which Christ shall be called; but rather to that by which his people shall be
called; all names of distinction being now laid aside
and only that of
Christians retained; though it chiefly designs unity of doctrine
uniformity of
worship
one and the same way of administering ordinances: it signifies that
there will be one true
spiritual
uniform worship and religion; there will be
no different sentiments and principles in religion; nor different practices and
modes of worship; nor different sects; but all agreeing in the same faith and
practice
under one Lord and King
Christ Jesus. So the Targum
"they
shall serve before the Lord with one shoulder; for his name is firm in the
world
and there is none besides it.'
This
passage is referred by the ancient JewsF12Zohar in Deut. fol. 110.
2. to the times of the Messiah.
Zechariah 14:10 10 All
the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem[c] shall be
raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the
First Gate and the Corner Gate
and from the Tower of Hananel to the
king’s winepresses.
YLT
10Changed is all the land as
a plain
From Gebo to Rimmon
south of Jerusalem
And she hath been high
and
hath dwelt in her place
Even from the gate of Benjamin To the place of the
first gate
unto the front gate
And from the tower of Hananeel
Unto the
wine-vats of the king.
All the land shall be turned as a plain
.... That is
all the land of Israel round about Jerusalem
which was encompassed with
mountains
Psalm 125:2 but now
these mountains shall become a plain
that that may be seen; since it follows
from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; Geba was a
city in the tribe of Benjamin
on the northern border of the land
Joshua 21:17 and
Rimmon was in the tribe of Judah
given to Simeon on the southern part
Joshua 15:32 so
that from Geba to Rimmon was the same as from Geba to Beersheba
which was in
the same tribe
2 Kings 23:8 and
according to the Jewish writers
the south of Jerusalem was a plain; wherefore
the meaning seems to be
that the whole land
from Geba to Rimmon
should be
like that. Jerom makes mention of a village called Remmon in his time
fifteen
miles to the north of Jerusalem
which cannot be the place here meant
and yet
speaks of it as in the tribe of Simeon or Judah; and afterwards takes notice of
another village called Remmus in Daroma
or the southF13De locis
Heb. fol. 94. A. C. ; to me it seems that Geba and Rimmon were places near one
to another
and both in the tribe of Benjamin; see 1 Samuel 14:2 where
the word rendered "pomegranate" is Rimmon
and is the proper name of
a place
according to some; the same with that in Judges 20:47 where
was a rock called the rock Rimmon; and Jonathan ben Uzziel
on 1 Samuel 14:2
renders it
"the plain of the pomegranate"; or rather the plain of
Rimmon: and the Jews make mention in their TalmudF14T. Hieros.
Chagiga
fol. 78. 4. of the valley of Rimmon
where seven elders met to
intercalate the year; and here
they say
was a marble rock
in which everyone
fastened a nail
and therefore it is called the rock of nails. Now the sense
seems to be
that all the land of Israel should become a plain
like the valley
that was between Geba and Rimmon. Jarchi interprets it of the whole world. And
this will be literally true of the new earth
in the thousand years' reign
which will be without hills mountains
and seas
Revelation 21:1. It
may be mystically understood of the spiritual reign of Christ
when the whole
world will become Christian; when Jews and Gentiles
and even the kings of the
earth
shall bow the knee to Christ
and be subject to him.
And it shall be lifted up
and inhabited in her place; that is
Jerusalem
which shall appear very high
all the land round about being a
plain; and
being rebuilt
shall be inhabited on the same spot of ground it
formerly was: or the church may be meant
which in the latter day will be
greatly exalted
and will be filled with
and inhabited by
some of all the
nations of the world
Isaiah 2:2
from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate; not that
called the high gate of Benjamin
and which was near the temple
Jeremiah 20:2 and
seems to be one of its gates; and such an one there was
which in Arabic was
called "Bab Alasbat"
the gate of the tribes
where was the pool of
the blood of the sacrifices; and is said to be not far from another gate
called the gate of mercyF15Cippi Hebr. p. 22. Geograph. Nub. p. 114.
; but this is that which led out of the city
and was one of its gates towards
the land of Benjamin
from whence it had its name
and through which Jeremiah
attempted to go when he was stopped by the captain of the ward
Jeremiah 37:13
this
according to Grotius
was on the north of Jerusalem: Mr. FullerF16Pisgah-Sight
of Palestine
B. 3. c. 3. sect. 15. p. 322. places it more rightly in the
northeast part of it
as does AdrichomiusF17Theatrum Terrae Sanct.
p. 167.
who wrongly confounds it with the corner gate later mentioned
which
is here manifestly distinguished from it; and which mistake also SchindlerF18Lexic.
Pentaglott. col. 1912. gives into
and likewise Arias MontanusF19Nehemias
sive de Antiqu. Jerus. situ. and others. "The first gate" is the same
with "the old gate" in Nehemiah 3:6.
Unto the corner gate; the gate of Benjamin
and the gate of Ephraim
are the same
as is thought by Grotius; the distance
between that gate and the corner gate was four hundred cubits
2 Kings 14:13
and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses; mention is
made of the tower of Hananeel in Nehemiah 3:1 it was
to the south of Jerusalem; and is called in the Targum the tower of Pikkus:
"the king's winepresses" doubtless were where his vineyards were;
King Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon
Song of Solomon 8:11.
Grotius says the place where these winepresses were was at Sion
in the inmost
part of the city; and so AdrichomiusF20Theatrum Terrae Sanct.
Jerusalem
No. 25. p. 152. places them in Mount Sion; though Kimchi speaks of
them as without the city; and Jarchi makes mention of an Agadah
or exposition
which interprets them of the great ocean
which reaches from Jerusalem to the
end of the world
the lakes which the King of kings has made. Very probably
these places lay east
west
north
and south; and so denote the amplitude of
the city
and the largeness and extensiveness of the church of Christ
signified thereby; see Ezekiel 48:1.
Zechariah 14:11 11 The
people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction
But
Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
YLT
11And they have dwelt in her
And destruction is no more
And Jerusalem hath dwelt confidently.
And men shall dwell in it
.... In great numbers
in
much peace and safety
and from generation to generation: Aben Ezra says
Messiah the son of David will now come:
and there shall be no more utter destruction; no wars
nor
desolations by them
in a civil sense; there shall be no more killing
as the
Targum
Isaiah 2:4 no
"cherem"
no anathema
in a religious sense; in the old translation
it is
"and there shall be no more cursing"; there will be no curse
in the Jerusalem state
Revelation 22:3
which words seem to be taken from hence; no cursed thing
nor cursed person
or
any curse or anathema denounced against any; no Popish bulls and anathemas
nor
any other:
but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited; the
inhabitants of it shall dwell securely
without any apprehension of danger
and
having no enemies to fear; though
before this safe and happy state
there will
be many enemies; and what will become of them is shown in the following verses.
Zechariah 14:12 12 And
this shall be the plague with which the Lord will
strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve
while they stand on their feet
Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets
And
their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
YLT
12And this is the plague with
which Jehovah Doth plague all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem
He
hath consumed away its flesh
And it is standing on its feet
And its eyes are
consumed in their holes
And its tongue is consumed in their mouth.
And this shall be the plagues
.... This respects one or
more
or all
of the seven plagues
which will be inflicted on the
antichristian states
mentioned in Revelation 15:1
wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought
against Jerusalem; who have been the enemies and persecutors of his church; and
with which plague or plagues they shall be utterly consumed and destroyed:
their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet; antichrist
will be consumed with the breath of Christ's mouth; the flesh of the whore of
Rome
which is her substance
shall be eaten and devoured by the kings of the
earth; and her destruction will be in a moment
suddenly
and at unawares
as
is here suggested; see 2 Thessalonians 2:8
and their eyes shall consume away in their holes; the right eye
of the idol shepherd shall be utterly dried up
and the kingdom of the beast
will be full of darkness
Zechariah 11:17
and their tongues shall consume away in their mouth; with which
antichrist and his followers have blasphemed the name of God
his tabernacle
and his saints; and which they will gnaw for pain
when the plagues of God are
inflicted on them
Revelation 13:5.
Zechariah 14:13 13 It
shall come to pass in that day That a great panic from the Lord will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor
And
raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand;
YLT
13And it hath come to pass
in that day
A great destruction [from] Jehovah is among them
And they have
seized each the hand of his neighbour
And gone up hath his hand against the
hand of his neighbour.
And it shall come to pass in that day
.... When the
vials are pouring out:
that a great tumult
from the Lord shall be among them; the Targum renders it
a
great tumult
or noise of killing; and the Septuagint
an ecstasy: it refers to
the earthquake
and the slaughter of seven thousand men of name
and the fright
upon that
Revelation 11:13
and they shall lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbour
and
shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour; there will be a
revolution
upon this tumult
in several of the antichristian states; and the
kings of them shall hate the whore
make her desolate
eat her flesh
and burn
her with fire
Revelation 17:16
or
"his hand shall be cut off by the hand of his neighbour"F21ועלתה ידו על
יד רעהו "et succidetur
manus ejus super manum amici sui"
Pagninus. So Aben Ezra
and R. Sol.
Urbin. Ohel Moed
fol. 43. 1. ; see Zechariah 11:17
the power of antichrist shall be destroyed by neighbouring Christian princes.
Zechariah 14:14 14 Judah
also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall
be gathered together: Gold
silver
and apparel in great abundance.
YLT
14And also Judah is fought
with in Jerusalem
And gathered hath been the force of all the nations round
about
Gold
and silver
and apparel
in great abundance.
And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem
.... These are
the professing people of Christ
the armies in heaven
the chosen
called
and
faithful
who will follow the Lamb
and attend him when he goes forth to make
war with the antichristian princes
and shall overcome them
Revelation 17:14
and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered
together
gold and silver
and apparel
in great abundance; by which are
meant the riches of the Papists
called Gentiles or Heathens
Revelation 11:2
which will fall into the hands of the followers of Christ at the time of Rome's
destruction; and which are signified by the flesh of the whore
and by the
flesh of kings
captains
and mighty men
which will then be eaten; they will
be stripped and spoiled of all their substance
Revelation 17:16.
Zechariah 14:15 15 Such
also shall be the plague On the horse and the mule
On the camel and the
donkey
And on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this
plague be.
YLT
15And so is the plague of the
horse
of the mule
Of the camel
and of the ass
And of all the cattle that
are in these camps
As this plague.
And so shall be the plague of the horse
of the mule
of the
camel
and of the ass
.... The flesh of the horse is said to be eaten
Revelation 19:18
and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents
as this plague
their beasts
shall perish in like manner as themselves.
Zechariah 14:16 16 And
it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which
came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King
the Lord of hosts
and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
YLT
16And it hath come to pass
Every one who hath been left of all the nations
Who are coming in against
Jerusalem
They have also gone up from year to year
To bow themselves to the
King
Jehovah of Hosts
And to celebrate the feast of the booths.
And it shall come to pass
.... After the plague on
man and beast is over:
that everyone that is
left of all the nations which come against Jerusalem; these are the
remnant
according to the election of grace
who will have been among the
enemies of Christ and his people
but preserved when others will be destroyed;
and they will not only be frightened at the general destruction
but will be
truly converted
and give glory to the God of heaven
Revelation 11:13
these
shall even go up from year to year to worship the King
the Lord
of hosts; the King Messiah
as Aben Ezra and Abendana on the place
observe; the same with the King overall the earth
Zechariah 14:9 who
is Lord of hosts
of all the armies in heaven
that will have followed him
at
this time
and is to be worshipped by angels and men; he is equal with God
the
Creator of both
the Redeemer of men
and King of saints; and to worship him
shall the above persons preserved and called go up to Jerusalem
the church of
God
year by year
that is
constantly:
and to keep the feast of tabernacles; not
literally
but spiritually; for
as all the Jewish feasts have been long since
abolished
having had their accomplishment in Christ
not one of them will ever
be revived in the latter day. This feast was originally kept in commemoration
of the Israelites dwelling in tents in the wilderness
and was typical of
Christ's incarnation
who was made flesh
and tabernacled among us; so that to
keep this feast is no other than to believe in Christ as come in the flesh
and
in the faith of this to attend to the Gospel feast of the word and ordinances;
and whereas this feast was observed by drawing water with expressions of joy
this may respect the pouring forth of the Spirit in the last day
and that
spiritual joy saints will then be filled with; to which may be added
that palm
tree branches used to be carried in their hands at the time of that feast; and
so the keeping of it now may denote the victory that will be obtained over the
beast and his image
which palm tree branches are a token of; and this will
issue in the personal reign of Christ
when the tabernacle of God shall be with
men.
Zechariah 14:17 17 And
it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up
to Jerusalem to worship the King
the Lord of hosts
on them there will be no rain.
YLT
17And it hath come to pass
That he who doth not go up of the families of the land unto Jerusalem
To bow
himself to the King
Jehovah of Hosts
Even on them there is no shower.
And it shall be
that whosoever will not come up
.... This
though it follows upon the former account
must be understood of times
preceding the spiritual reign of Christ; for the rain of the Gospel will be
upon all the earth in the latter day glory; and all nations will then serve and
worship the King
the Lord of hosts
even those that remain after the general
destruction of the antichristian states; besides
express mention is hereafter
made of Egypt
which designs Rome
Revelation 11:8 and
the whole manifestly refers to the time of the witnesses prophesying in
sackcloth
who had power to shut the heaven
that it rain not
Revelation 11:6
of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem
to worship
the King
the Lord of hosts: all of the antichristian party
that refuse
to worship the Lord with his true church
according to his revealed will:
even upon them shall be no rain; not literally
but
spiritually; and is to be understood either of the love and favour of God
comparable to rain in its original
it being owing to the will of God
and not
to the merits of men
and therefore is distinguishing and sovereign; in its
objects
persons very undeserving; in the manner of its communication
it
tarries not for the will and works of men
and comes in great abundance; and in
its effects
it softens
cools
refreshes
and makes fruitful; and not to have
this is to be hated of God: or of the blessings of divine grace; these are from
above like rain
depend on the will of God
are free gifts
and given in
abundance
and make fruitful; the contrary to these is cursing: or of the
Gospel
which is of God and from heaven
falls according to divine direction
and softens
refreshes
and revives; and not to have this is the sorest of
judgments
Amos 8:11.
Zechariah 14:18 18 If
the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in
they shall have no rain;
they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes
the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
YLT
18And if the family of Egypt
go not up
nor come in
Then not on them is the plague With which Jehovah doth
plague the nations That go not up to celebrate the feast of booths.
And if the family of Egypt go not up
and come not
.... To
Jerusalem
the church of God; do not go thither to worship the Lord
attend his
ordinances
and keep them in their purity; nor walk as becomes the people of
God: by "the family of Egypt" are meant the Papists
so called for
their tyranny
cruelty
and idolatry
Revelation 11:8
that have no rain; have not the pure word
of God
and the ordinances thereof
only the traditions of men; yea
the
doctrines of devils
and lies in hypocrisy: the allusion is to the land of
Egypt
which was watered
not so much by rain as by the overflowing of the
river Nile: or it may be rendered
"and upon them there shall be no rain"F23ולא עליהם "super quos non est
imber"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Drusius; "et non super
illos
scil. erit imber"
Burkius. ; or that which is equivalent to it. So
the Targum paraphrases it
"the
Nile shall not ascend unto them.'
The
sense is
as they are without the pure Gospel of Christ
they shall continue
so
and be punished with
that sore judgment of a famine of hearing the word of
the Lord.
There shall be the plague
wherewith the Lord will smite the
heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles; they shall
have the same plague of want of water
a famine; for it is a vulgar mistake
that there is no rain in Egypt; it rains indeed but seldom
and only in some
places
but it does rain. Monsieur ThevenotF24Travels
part 1. c.
72. p. 247. says
"it
rains much at Alexandria
and Rosetta also; but at Cairo
which stands higher
it rains less; and yet (says he) I have seen it rain very hard every year
for
two days together in the month of December.'
And
Mr. FullerF25Pisgah-Sight
B. 4. c. 5. p. 80. says that Sir William
Paston
a patron of his
and a well accomplished traveller
was
"an
eye witness of much and violent rain at Grand Cairo
but such as presaged a
great mortality
which ensued
not long after.'
But
it should be observed that this is only true of the lower part of Egypt
for in
the upper parts it rains not
at least not very commonly: for HerodotusF26Thalia
sive l. 3. c. 10. reports that
"in
the times of Psammenitus
the son of Amasis
king of Egypt
a very wonderful thing
happened to the Egyptians; it rained at Thebes in Egypt
which it never had
before
nor has ever since
as the Thebans say; for it never rains in the upper
part of Egypt; but then it rained at Thebes in drops.'
Yet
Mr. NordenF1Travels in Egypt and Nubia
vol. 1. p. 140.
a late
traveller in those parts
says he
"experienced
at Meschie (a city in his travels to upper Egypt) a very violent rain
accompanied with thunder
for the space of a whole hour;'
though
in the same place he says
at Feschna
and beyond
in the upper Egypt
the sky
is always serene and clear. And in his travels from Cairo to Girge
capital of
the upper Egypt
he relates
that at a certain place
as he went thither
they
had little wind
and a great deal of rainF2Ib. vol. 2. p. 20. . And
in another placeF3Ib. p. 209. he observes
at Menie (a place in
upper Egypt) there was so thick a fog that we could perceive nothing at thirty
paces distant: wherefore
since it does rain at times in some places
the same
plague as before may be here meant; or want of provisions
as others
through a
defect of rain; or the Nile not overflowing and watering the land
as Jarchi
interprets it: but Kimchi gives another sense
and so Aben Ezra
which is
that
instead of having no rain
which they need not and do not desire
they shall be
smitten with the plague that the Lord will smite all the nations with that
fight against Jerusalem
namely
their flesh shall consume away
&c. Zechariah 14:12.
Zechariah 14:19 19 This
shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do
not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
YLT
19This is the punishment of
the sin of Egypt
And the punishment of the sin of all the nations
That go not
up to celebrate the feast of booths.
This shall be the punishment of Egypt
.... Or
"sin"F4חטאת
"peccatum"
V. L.
as in the original text: rightly is the word
rendered "punishment"
as it is by the Targum:
and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the
feast of tabernacles; which will be one and the same; they shall have no rain
or what
answers to it; they shall all have a famine; or it will be different
Egypt
shall be punished with a consumption of their flesh
and the other nations with
want of rain: the former sense seems best.
Zechariah 14:20 20 In
that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the
horses. The pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls
before the altar.
YLT
20In that day there is on
bells of the horse
`Holy to Jehovah
' And the pots in the house of Jehovah
Have been as bowls before the altar.
In that day
.... After the destruction of antichrist and all the
antichristian party
and a new state of things will take place
either the
spiritual or personal reign of Christ:
shall there be upon the bells of the horses
HOLINESS TO THE LORD; as was upon
the mitre of the high priest
Exodus 28:36 to
which there seems to be an allusion here: or
"upon the trappings of the
horses"F5על מצלות
"in phaleris"
Tigurine version.
as the Targum renders it; and this
intends either the horses slain in war
whose bells or trappings should be
devoted and applied to holy uses; or the horses that carried the people up to
Jerusalem to worship there
or horses in common. The Septuagint and Vulgate
Latin versions render it
"on the bridle of the horse shall be Holiness to
the Lord"; that is
they should be devoted to his service
which sometimes
were very richly adorned; yea
were of gold; as those described by VirgilF6"Aurea
pectoribus demissa monilia pendent
Tecti auro
fulvum mandunt sub dentibus
aurum." Virgil. Aeneid. l. 7. "Fraenaque bina meus
quae nunc habet
aurea Pallas." Aeneid. l. 3. ; nay
they were adorned with precious
stones
with pearls
emeralds
and jacinths
insomuch that the Romans were
obliged to restrain this luxury by a lawF7Vid. Salmuth in Pancirol.
Rer. Memorab. par. 1. tit. 48. p. 231. . The conceit of some of the fathers
that this refers to one of the nails in the cross of Christ
which Constantine
put into his horse's bridle
is justly ridiculed and exploded by most
commentators. It seems best to render the word as we do
"bells"
as
Kimchi and Jarchi interpret it; since it is used of cymbals made of brass
which were to make a sound to be heard
1 Chronicles 15:19
and of the same metal were the horses' bells made; though those which the mules
at the funeral of Alexander had at each jaw were made of goldF8See
Calmet's Dictionary
in the word "Bella". ; as were those Aaron had
at the hem of his robe. The use of these bells on horses
according to
GussetiusF9Ebr. Comment. p. 715.
in the eastern countries
where
they travelled through deserts
and had no beaten track
was to keep them
together
and that they might be known where they were when parted; and of like
use are they now to horses of burden or packhorses with us; though in common
use they seem to serve to give horses a pleasure
and quicken them in their
work: but the original of them seems to be for the training of horses for war
and therefore they hung bells to their bridles
to use them to a noise
and to
try if they could bear a noise
and the tumult of war
so as not to throw their
riders
or expose them to dangerF11Scholiast. Aristophan. in Ranis
Act. 1. Sc. 2. p. 214. Salmuth in Pancirol. par. 2. tit. 9. De Campanis
p.
161. Hospinian. de Templis
l. 2. c. 26. p. 333. ; hence one that has not been
tried or trained up to anything is called by the Greeks ακωδωνιστος
one not used to the noise of a bell
by a metaphor taken from horses
that have
never been tried by the sound of bells
whether they can bear the noise of war
without fearF12Vid. Scapulae Lexic. in voce κωδων
"et alios lexicograph". : and so it may signify
that these
and all
the apparatus of war
all kind of armour
should no more be made use of for
such purposes
there being now universal peace in the kingdom of Christ;
wherefore these
and the like
should be converted to sacred uses
just as
swords
at the same time
shall be beaten into ploughshares
and spears into
pruning hooks
for civil uses
Isaiah 2:4 or
since Holiness to the Lord is said to be upon them
the sense may be
that
holiness will be very general among all men; all professing people will be
righteous; it will appear in all their actions
civil as well as religious; it
will be as visible as the bells upon the horses
by their frequent going to the
house of God; their constant attendance on public worship; their walking in the
ways of the Lord
and their love to one another.
And the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before
the altar; the "pots" in which they boiled the sacrifices shall
be like "the bowls before the altar"
which held the blood of the
sacrifices to be sprinkled; either like them for number; they shall be many
like them
as the Targum paraphrases it; or for goodness
being made of the
same metal: and the whole denotes the number
holiness
and excellency of the
saints in the latter day
who will direct all their actions to the glory of
God
whether in eating or drinking
or in whatever they do.
Zechariah 14:21 21 Yes
every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts.[d] Everyone
who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall
no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.
YLT
21And every pot in Jerusalem
and in Judah
Have been holy to Jehovah of Hosts
And all those sacrificing
have come in
And have taken of them
and boiled in them
And there is no merchant
any more in the house of Jehovah of Hosts in that day!
Yea
every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto
the Lord of hosts
.... Such will be the number of sacrifices and sacrificers
that
the pots in the Lord's house will not be sufficient; wherefore every pot
in
city or country
shall be sanctified and devoted to holy uses:
and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them
and
seethe therein; this denotes
as before
the general holiness of the professors
of religion in those times; and that there will be no difference in the vessels
of the Lord's house
or any distinction of Jew and Gentile; but they will be
all spiritual worshippers
and offer up the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and
praise to the Lord:
and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house
of the Lord of hosts; the Targum paraphrases it
"there
shall be no more a merchant in the house of the sanctuary of the Lord;'
in
the temple
where were buyers and sellers of sheep
oxen
and doves
for sacrifice
such as our Lord drove out; but now there shall be no more of them
all legal
sacrifices being at an end. The word here used does signify a merchant
and is
so rendered in Hosea 12:7 and by
some hereF13כנעני "mercator"
V.
L. Montanus
Vatablus
Grotius
Burkius. ; and the JewsF14T. Bab.
Bava Bathra
fol. 75. 1. have a saying
that
"there
are no Canaanites but merchants;'
or
the word always so signifies
referring to the above places
and having quoted Job 41:6 but it is
to be applied to another sort of merchants; to false teachers
that make
merchandise of the souls of men; to all merit mongers and Papists; and particularly
to the great merchant of all
the pope of Rome
and to all inferior merchants
under him
who sell pardons
indulgences
&c. and are called the merchants
of the earth
Revelation 18:3
these are the Heathen that shall perish out of the land
and the sinners that
shall be no more; antichrist shall no longer sit in the temple of God
showing
himself to be God; nor will there be any
in the spiritual reign of Christ
that will buy Rome's merchandise any more. Moreover
a Canaanite may design an
impure person
a hypocrite; and though there have been many such in the church
of God in all ages
yet at this time there will be few or none
comparatively
speaking; and in the personal reign of Christ there will be no wicked men at
all: in the new heavens and new earth will dwell righteousness
or only
righteous persons; all the wicked of the earth will be destroyed before this
state takes place; only raised ones
the saints that partake of the first
resurrection
will be there; they will be all holy and righteous persons;
nothing shall enter into it that defiles or makes an abomination or a lie
only
those that do the commandments of God; nor will there be any manner of sin or
wickedness there: sin
like the Canaanites of old
continues in the saints as
long as they are in the present state; and though it has not the dominion over
them
yet is as grievous pricks and thorns unto them
and is left in them to
prove them; but in this happy state there will be no more sin
no more this
pricking brier and grieving thorn. That the word Canaanite is here to be taken
in a figurative sense is certain; for
literally understood
there is no such
person in the world now
nor has been for many hundreds of years
even an
inhabitant of Canaan
or one so called.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)