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Commentary on Zechariah 14 verses 8–15
Here are, I. Blessings promised to Jerusalem, the gospel-Jerusalem, in the day of the Messiah, and to all the earth, by virtue of the blessings poured out on Jerusalem, especially to the land of Israel.
1.Jerusalem shall be a spring of living waters to the world; it was made so when there the Spirit was poured out upon the apostles, and thence the word of the Lord diffused itself to the nations about (Zac 14:8): Living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; for there they began, and thence those set out who were to preach repentance and remission of sins unto all nations, Luk 24:47. Note, Where the gospel goes, and the graces of God's Spirit go along with it, there living waters go; those streams that make glad the city of our God make glad the country also, and make it like paradise, like the garden of the Lord, which was well watered. It was the honour of Jerusalem that thence the word of the Lord went forth (Isa 2:3); and thus far, even in its worst and most degenerate age, for old acquaintance-sake, it was made a blessing, and to be so is to be blessed. Half of these waters shall go towards the former sea and half towards the hinder sea, as all rivers bend their course towards some sea or other, some eastward, others westward. The gospel shall spread into all parts of the world, into some that lie remote from Jerusalem one way and others that lie as far off another way; for the dominion of the Redeemer, which was thereby to be set up, must be from sea to sea (Psa 72:8), and the earth must be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea, and as the waters that in various channels run to the sea. The knowledge of God shall diffuse itself, (1.) Every way. These living waters shall produce both eastern churches and western churches, that shall each of them in its turn be illustrious. (2.) Every day: In summer and in winter it shall be. Note, Those who are employed in spreading the gospel may find themselves work both winter and summer, and are to serve the Lord therein at all seasons, Act 20:18. And such a divine power goes along with these living waters that they shall not be dried up, nor the course of them be obstructed, either by the droughts in summer or by the frosts in winter.
2.The kingdom of God among men shall be a universal and united kingdom, Zac 14:9. (1.) It shall be a universal kingdom: The Lord shall be King over all the earth. He is, and ever was, so of right, and in the sovereign disposals of his providence his kingdom does rule over all and none are exempt from his jurisdiction; but it is here promised that he shall be so by actual possession of the hearts of his subjects; he shall be acknowledged King by all in all places; his authority shall be owned and submitted to, and allegiance sworn to him. This will have its accomplishment with that word (Rev 11:15), The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. (2.) It shall be a united kingdom: There shall be one Lord, and his name one. All shall worship one God only, and not idols, and shall be unanimous in the worship of him. All false gods shall be abandoned, and all false ways of worship abolished; and as God shall be the centre of their unity, in whom they shall all meet, so the scripture shall be the rule of their unity, by which they shall all walk.
3.The land of Judea, and Jerusalem, its mother-city, shall be repaired and replenished, and taken under the special protection of Heaven, Zac 14:10, Zac 14:11. Some think this denotes particular favour to the people of the Jews, and points at their conversion and restoration in the latter days; but it is rather to be understood figuratively of the gospel-church, typified by Judah and Jerusalem, and it signifies the abundant graces with which the church shall be crowned, and the fruitfulness of its members, and the vast numbers of them. (1.) The church shall be like a fruitful country, abounding in all the rich products of the soil. The whole land of Judea, which is naturally uneven and hilly, shall be turned as a plain; it shall become a smooth level valley, from Geba, or Gibeah, its utmost border north, to Rimmon, which lay south of Jerusalem and was the utmost southern limit of Judea. The gospel of Christ, where it comes in its power, levels the ground; mountains and hills are brought low by it, that the Lord alone may be exalted. (2.) It shall be like a populous city. As the holy land shall be levelled, so the holy city shall be peopled, shall be rebuilt and replenished. Jerusalem shall be lifted up out of its low estate, shall be raised out of its ruins; when the land is turned as a plain, and not only the mount of Olives removed (Zac 14:4), but other mountains too, then Jerusalem shall be lifted up, that is, shall appear the more conspicuous; she shall be inhabited in her place, even in Jerusalem, Zac 12:6. The whole city shall be inhabited in the utmost extent of it, and no part of it left to lie waste. The utmost limits of it are here mentioned, between which there shall be no ground lost, but all built upon, from Benjamin's-gate north-east to the corner-gate north-west, and from the tower of Hananeel in the south to the king's wine-presses in the north; when the churches of Christ in all places are replenished with great numbers of holy, humble, serious Christians, and many such are daily added to it, then this promise is fulfilled. (3.) This country and this city shall both be safe, both the meat in the country and the mouths in the city: Those that dwell in it shall dwell securely, and there shall be none to make them afraid; there shall be no more of that utter destruction that has laid both town and country waste, no more anathema (as some read it), no more cutting off, no more curse, or separation from God to evil, no more such desolating judgments as you have been groaning under, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited; there shall be no danger, nor any apprehension of it; neither shall its friends be fearful to disquiet themselves nor its enemies formidable to disquiet them. That promise of Christ explains this - that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church; and so do the holy security and serenity of mind which believers enjoy in relying on the divine protection.
II. Here are judgments threatened against the enemies of the church, that have fought, or do fight, against Jerusalem; and the threatening of these judgments is in order to the preservation of the church in safety. Men that read and hear of these plagues will be afraid of fighting against Jerusalem, much more when these threatenings are fulfilled in some will others hear and fear. Those that fight against the city of God, and his people, will be found fighting against God, against whom none ever hardened his heart and prospered (Zac 14:12): This shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; whoever they are, God will punish them for the affront done to him, and avenge Jerusalem upon them. 1. They shall waste away under grievous and languishing diseases: Their flesh shall consume away, and they shall be miserably emaciated, even while they stand on their feet, so that they shall be walking skeletons; nothing shall remain but skin and bones. The flesh which they pampered and indulged, and made provision for, when they were fed to the full with the spoils of God's people, shall now consume away, that it cannot be seen, and the bones that were not seen shall stick out, Job 33:21. They keep their feet, and hope to keep their ground, crawling about as long as they can; but they must yield at last. The organs of sight, the outlets of sin, their eyes, shall consume away in their holes, shall sink into their heads or perhaps start out of them; their envious malicious, adulterous eyes, the eyes they had so often fed with spectacles of misery, these shall consume, which shall make not only their countenances ghastly, but their lives wretched. The organs of speech, the outlets of sin, their tongue, shall consume away in their mouth, whereby God will reckon with them for all their blasphemies against himself and invectives against his people. Thus their own tongues shall fall upon them, and their punishment shall be legible in their sin, as his was whose tongue was tormented in hell-flames. Thus Antiochus and Herod consumed away. 2. They shall be dashed in pieces one against another (Zac 14:13): A great tumult from the Lord shall be among them. But are tumults from the Lord, who is the God of order, and not of confusion? As they are the sin of those that raise them they are not from the Lord, but from the wicked one, and from men's own lusts; but, as they are the punishment of those that suffer by them, they are from the Lord, who serves his own purposes, and carries on his intentions, by the sins, and follies, and restless spirits, of men. It is of themselves that they bite and devour one another, but it is of the Lord, the righteous Judge, that thus they are consumed one of another (Gal 5:15); as Ahab was deceived by a lying spirit from the Lord, so Abimelech and the men of Shechem were divided, and so destroyed, by an evil spirit from the Lord, Jdg 9:23. Note, Those that are confederate and combined against the church will justly be separated, and set against one another; and their tumults raised against God will be avenged in tumults among themselves. And they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, to hold him from striking, or to bind him as his prisoner; nay, his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour, to strike and wound him. Note, Those that aim to destroy the church are often made to destroy one another; and every man's sword is sometimes set against his fellow, by him whose sword they all are. Some think this was fulfilled in the factions and dissensions that were among the Jews, when the Romans were destroying them all; for they had fought against the spiritual Jerusalem, the gospel-church; and to that well enough agrees Zac 14:14, Thou also, O Judah! shalt fight against Jerusalem; the Jewish nation shall be ruined by itself, shall die by its own hands; the city and country shall be at war with each other, and so both shall be destroyed. Suis et ipsa Roma viribus ruit - Rome was urged into ruin by its very strength. 3. The plunder of their camp shall greatly enrich the people of God, or the spoils of their country (Zac 14:14): Judah also shall eat at Jerusalem (so one learned interpreter reads it); people shall come from all parts to share in the prey; as when Sennacherib's army was routed before Jerusalem there was the prey of a great spoil divided (Isa 33:23), so it shall be now; the wealth of all the heathen round about, that had spoiled Jerusalem, shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance, that an equal dividend may be made among all the parties entitled to a share of the prize. Note, The wealth of the sinner is often laid up for the just, and the Israel of God enriched with the spoil of the Egyptians. 4. The very cattle shall share in the plague with which the enemies of God's church shall be cut off, as they did in divers of the plagues of Egypt (Zac 14:15): All the beasts that shall be in the tents of these wicked men, when God comes to contend with them, shall perish with them, not only beasts used in war, as the horse, but those used for travel, or in the plough, as the mule, the camel, and the ass. Note, The inferior creatures often suffer for the sin of man and in his plagues. Thus God will show his indignation against sin, and will make the creature that is thus subject to vanity groan to be delivered into the glorious liberty of the children of God, Rom 8:21, Rom 8:22.
In that day there will be a great tumult of the Lord among them: and a man will seize the hand of his neighbor, and his hand will be placed upon the hand of his neighbor. But Judah will fight against Jerusalem, and the riches of all the nations will be gathered around: gold, silver, and many garments. LXX: And in that day there will be a great astonishment of the Lord upon them: and each one will seize the hand of his neighbor, and his hand will cling to the hand of his neighbor: and Judah will be prepared in Jerusalem, and the strength of all the peoples will be gathered around: gold, silver, and many exceedingly garments. When these wonders have been completed, such as the flesh of the enemies flowing away, the eyes withering away, and the tongue in the mouth of blasphemers decaying: then there will be a great tumult, or astonishment in them; for this signifies the ecstasy which the LXX translated: And each one will seize the hand of his neighbor, and his hand will be compared with the hand of another, because of fear, and the weight of evils which will come upon them. Judas will also fight against the metropolis, of which we spoke above (Chapter XII), and will receive victory granted by the Lord: the wealth of all nations that have fought against Jerusalem will be gathered, gold and silver, and a multitude of clothing, which are most precious in things. This unfortunate Judas promises to himself, hoping to receive gold which he valued the Lord for thirty pieces of silver. But we, following the established order, let us refer all these things to the blessedness of the Church, so that all who are in it may admire the subjection of the enemies and their own happiness, and each one may take hold of the hand of his neighbor, so that they may join right hands and be connected by mutual faith and kinship. And what we read in Hebrew, 'And Judas will fight against Jerusalem'; for this, the Septuagint translators rendered it as, 'And Judas will be prepared in Jerusalem'; let us accept it in both ways, that Judas, who once confessed the Lord's name, and being forced by persecutions, persecuted the people of Christ, may himself turn to joy. Certainly, Judas, being entirely repentant and faithful, should not fight against Jerusalem, but should prepare himself in Jerusalem to fight against the adversaries. And Judas himself will gather the riches of all nations around, gold, and silver, and very many garments. We have often said that gold and silver are understood in a metaphorical sense, and so too should we understand the garments, with which the Church of Christ is adorned, of which it is written: 'The queen stood at your right hand in golden robes, adorned with variety' (Psalm 45:10). The crowd of believers rejoices at seeing her dressed in these garments and says: I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation and covered me with the robe of righteousness (Isa. LXI, according to the LXX). For the Lord Himself has said to her: I clothed you with embroidered work and gave you sandals of badger skin (Ezek. XVI). Let us accept these garments made of embroidered work, which are so beautiful and delicate that they appear to be like hair. The Church gathers these garments so that she may have something to clothe her people with, to whom the true preacher has said: Let your garments always be white (Eccl. IX, 8).
Even Juda: The carnal Jews, and other false brothers, shall join in persecuting the church.
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SUMMARY
Zechariah 14:14 is a powerful prophetic declaration describing the dramatic outcome of a future divine intervention in Jerusalem. It foretells that Judah will actively participate in the climactic battle for Jerusalem, and as a direct result of God's victory, the immense wealth, including gold, silver, and valuable apparel, of all the surrounding Gentile nations who had arrayed themselves against God's people will be plundered and gathered in great abundance by Israel. This verse underscores God's complete triumph over His adversaries and His abundant provision for His people.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Zechariah 14:14 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its prophetic message. Hyperbole is evident in the description of the "great abundance" of gold, silver, and apparel. While literally massive, it also serves to emphasize the overwhelming and unprecedented nature of God's victory and provision, far exceeding normal expectations of war spoils. Symbolism is central, as the "wealth" (chayil) gathered from the "heathen" represents not just material riches but the complete subjugation of all opposing powers and their resources under God's dominion. This transfer of wealth symbolizes the establishment of God's ultimate authority and the vindication of His people. Furthermore, there is an element of Irony in the reversal of fortunes: the nations who gathered to plunder Jerusalem are themselves plundered, and their instruments of power and wealth become the means of blessing for God's chosen people. This highlights God's justice and His ability to turn the tables on His adversaries.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Zechariah 14:14 powerfully articulates the theological truth of God's absolute sovereignty and His unwavering commitment to His covenant people. It demonstrates that God is not only a deliverer but also a provider, capable of turning the most dire circumstances into opportunities for lavish blessing and vindication. The plundering of the nations' wealth signifies a complete reversal of power dynamics, where those who once oppressed God's people are now utterly defeated and their resources appropriated for the glory of God and the benefit of His kingdom. This theme resonates with the broader biblical narrative of God's justice, where the wicked are judged and the righteous are upheld, ultimately leading to the establishment of His righteous reign on earth. It assures believers that God's justice will ultimately prevail, and His people will be abundantly provided for, even through the defeat of their spiritual and physical adversaries.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Zechariah 14:14, while a specific prophecy with eschatological implications, offers profound encouragement and practical application for believers today. It serves as a powerful reminder that no matter how overwhelming the forces arrayed against us may seem, God remains ultimately sovereign and is capable of turning the tide in our favor. Just as Judah was empowered to fight and receive the spoils of victory, we are called to stand firm in faith, knowing that our God is a warrior who fights for us and provides for us. This verse instills hope, reminding us that even in the midst of spiritual battles or personal hardships, God's ultimate plan is to bring about justice, vindication, and abundant provision for His people. It encourages us to trust in His timing and His methods, knowing that His triumph is assured, and we, as His children, are heirs to His victory and His blessings. Our challenges, like the siege on Jerusalem, are temporary; God's ultimate reign and our secure place in it are eternal.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is Zechariah 14:14 a literal prophecy that will be fulfilled in a physical battle, or is it symbolic?
Answer: Biblical scholars hold varying views, but many interpret Zechariah 14, including verse 14, as a prophecy with both literal and symbolic dimensions. While the language describes a physical battle and tangible spoils, the ultimate fulfillment is often seen as eschatological, pointing to a future, climactic event. Some interpret it as a literal future battle involving earthly nations and a restored Israel, while others view it more symbolically as God's ultimate triumph over all spiritual and temporal opposition, culminating in the establishment of His kingdom. The "gold, silver, and apparel" can be seen as literal material wealth, but also as symbolic of the complete transfer of power and resources from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God. Regardless of the precise literal or symbolic interpretation, the core message remains consistent: God will decisively defeat His enemies, vindicate His people, and establish His reign with abundant provision.
Who are "Judah" and "the heathen" in this prophecy?
Answer: In the immediate context of Zechariah, "Judah" refers to the Jewish people, the remnant who returned from exile and were rebuilding Jerusalem. "The heathen" (or "goyim") refers to the surrounding Gentile nations who historically opposed Israel. In an eschatological context, "Judah" can represent God's faithful people (whether ethnic Israel or the spiritual Israel, the Church), while "the heathen" represents all forces and nations that stand in opposition to God and His kingdom. The prophecy thus speaks to God's ultimate victory over all His adversaries, both historical and future, for the sake of His chosen people.
How does this prophecy of war and spoils reconcile with New Testament teachings of peace and love for enemies?
Answer: This is a crucial question that highlights the tension between Old Testament prophetic judgment and New Testament grace. Zechariah 14:14 describes a divine act of judgment and justice at the culmination of history, where God intervenes to right all wrongs and establish His righteous kingdom. It is a declaration of God's ultimate triumph over evil, not a mandate for believers to engage in physical warfare for material gain. The New Testament calls believers to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44), live peacefully (Romans 12:18), and understand that our battle is spiritual, not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). The "spoils" in the New Covenant context are spiritual blessings and the inheritance we receive in Christ, as a result of His victory over sin and death, not material plunder from defeated nations. The ultimate "gathering" of wealth in the New Testament is the ingathering of believers from every nation into God's kingdom, bringing their unique gifts and worship to Christ (Revelation 21:24-26).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Zechariah 14:14 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While the verse describes a future earthly battle and material spoils, it foreshadows the spiritual and cosmic victory achieved by the true King of Jerusalem. Jesus, the Lamb of God, entered Jerusalem not with an army to plunder nations, but as the ultimate sacrifice, conquering sin, death, and the powers of darkness through His crucifixion and resurrection (Colossians 2:15). He is the one who "fights" for His people, not with swords of steel, but with the sword of truth and the power of His Spirit. The "wealth of all the heathen" that is "gathered together" can be seen as a prophetic image of all authority, power, and glory being given to Christ (Matthew 28:18), and ultimately, the ingathering of believers from "every tribe and language and people and nation" into His kingdom (Revelation 5:9). Through Christ, believers are made "more than conquerors" (Romans 8:37) and inherit spiritual riches "in heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3) that far surpass any earthly gold or silver. The final triumph depicted in Zechariah 14:14 points to the glorious return of Christ, when He will truly establish His reign, judge the nations, and gather all things to Himself, making Jerusalem (the New Jerusalem) the eternal center of His universal kingdom (Revelation 21:1-4).