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Ezekiel 38:1-23 Who is Gog and Magog?

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Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying (Ezekiel 38:1 NASB 1995)

This oracle is given to Ezekiel, and its contents are covered in both chapter 38 and 39.

“Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him (Ezekiel 38:2)

Son of man. Son of man here probably is meant to contrast between the human condition of Ezekiel and the transcendent majesty of God. This contrasts with the usage of “Son of man” in Daniel 7:13-14, which appear to be Messianic.

Set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Ezekiel is commanded to orient himself toward Gog, who is presented as a person, from the land of Magog. The people of Magog are direct descendants of Japheth, one of three sons of Noah (Genesis 10:1-2). Gog rules over more than one people (Tubal and Meshech), who are also descendants from the fifth and sixth sons of Japheth (1 Chronicles 1:5). Hence, Ezekiel likely has in view the peoples to the far north of the land of Israel (in modern day terms, the land area appears to be modern-day Turkey). Because the Hebrew term rosh (“chief”) in verse 1 sounds similar to the name Russia, some believe that Ezekiel 38 predicts modern Russia’s rise and influence. However, the context suggests that everyone in Ezekiel’s day would have been familiar with these nations (Ezek. 38:17), so there is no reason to assume that the nations listed in Ezekiel 38 are actually the geographical equivalent of modern nations.2 

And prophesy against him. Ezekiel is to foretell Gog’s ruin and destruction. 

But who is Gog? Various names have been suggested, such as Cambyses, king of Persia, Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria, Gyges, a Lydian king, among others, as possible historical fulfillments for Gog, though it is uncertain if these identities are the best fits. Dispensationalists interpret Gog as a future ruler from a coalition of nations, including Russia, Turkey, Iran, Sudan, and Libya (Algeria/Tunisia), who comes against modern day Israel near the midpoint of a supposed Tribulation.

However, there appears to be another ruler who fits the description of Gog. He is Haman, who attempted to annihilate the Jews in the book of Esther (Esther 3:12-14). Since Gog is identified as a “chief prince”, Gog may be a fitting description of Haman, who was not the king of Persia, but rather was a high-ranking official or perhaps, 2nd in charge over 127 provinces of the Persian Empire (Esther 1:1; Esther 3:13). Moreover, in Esther 3:1 and 9:24, Haman is referred to as an “Agagite.” He was a descendant of Agag, who was the king of Amalekites. The term “Agag” and “Gog” appear similar at face value, and they are equated in the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. Numbers 24:7 LXX reads, “There shall come a man out of [Israel’s] seed, and he shall rule over many nations. The kingdom of Gog shall be exalted, and his kingdom shall be increased”. In fact, some Septuagint manuscripts say that Haman was a “Gogite,” instead of an “Agagite,” at Esther 3:1 and Esther 9:24 (Lewis B. Paton, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Esther, page 194).Clearly, there is an ancient connection between the titles of “Agag” and “Gog”. Moreover, “Gog” could well have been used as a title for the kings of the Amalekites, much like how “Pharaoh” was a title for the kings of Egypt.

[How could we explain Gog’s relationship with Japhethic territories, if he is a descendant of Amalekites? The Amalekites may not be the descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau (also known as Edomites) (Gen. 36:12,16) since it appears that the Amalekites were already a major force to contend with in the days of Abraham (Gen. 14:7). Furthermore, the Amalekites who were under God’s curse in Exodus and following were said to be the “first (tyvar) of the nations” (Numb. 24:20). If they are identified with Magog, this may makes sense].

Is there further evidence that Haman is Gog from the context of chapter 38 and 39? Continuing from next verse.

This is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (Ezekiel 38:3)

Ezekiel was to announce that Yahweh was opposed to Gog, implication being that God is declaring war against Gog, whose evil scheme is to annihilate God’s people.

So I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them magnificently dressed, a great contingent with shield and buckler, all of them wielding swords (Ezekiel 38:4)

The Lord would reverse the fortunes of this ruler, take him under His control, and bring him and his vast, impressive army and power he exercises over them out into the open.  Putting hooks in his jaws pictures control that Gog would not be able to resist, emphasizing God is the one who is orchestrating this battle.  Gog’s arsenal is said to be armed with swords, clubs, spears, and bows and arrows, and they invade by riding horses while carrying shields. These descriptions could not apply to a future war in our modern day or future time, but rather it appears that the prophet has ancient war in mind. Usually, dispensationalist assert that “bows and arrows,” “clubs,” “spears,” and “swords” really refer to machine guns, rifles, pistols, etc., but this spiritualization or allegorizing of the text undermines the fundamental premise of their position, which is that this text must be interpreted literally. In the Book of Esther, we are told that Haman had command over “all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day” (Esther 3:12,14).

Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with buckler and helmet; Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples with you (Ezekiel 38:5-6)

Gog is not alone. Ezekiel foresaw a day when Meshech and Tubal would also join with two other northern powers—Gomer and Beth-togarmah (all these northern powers are descendants of Japheth)—and this four would form an alliance with Cush (Ethiopia), Put (Libya), and Persia, which were three powers to the far south or southeast of the Promised Land. The sevenfold makeup of the enemy coalition suggests totality of the threat of evil that would rise up against the people of God.  Haman fits Gog here as well, as Meshech, Tubal, Magog, Togarmah, and Gomar were all nations within the Persian Empire, which he had control over during the time of Esther (Esther 3:12-14).3 

“Be ready, and be prepared, you and all your contingents that are assembled around you, and be a guard for them (Ezekiel 38:7)

Gog is admonished to get ready with his alliances. Guard and guide them, but it would be all in vain. Hence, the implication is Gog, be ready for your downfall!

After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual place of ruins; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them (Ezekiel 38:8)

After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come. The expression “after many days” indicate that what is predicted is yet in the future from the time of Ezekiel and it is synonymous with the “latter years” . The idiom “latter years” do not refer to future end times, but the contextual “end”, which is the prophet’s own “eschatological horizon” which is clarified in the next clause. Gog will come at the latter time from days of Ezekiel. When is that time?

Into the land that is restored from the sword. Gog will come into the land, when it is being recovered from the sword of their enemies. This appears to be a time when Israel started to return to their land after the Babylonian exile.

Whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual place of ruins. People who were once scattered over many nations (due to the Babylonian captivity), are now brought back to the mountains of Israel, which were desolated continually due to enemy sieges. We are told that Gog would come shortly after Israel returned from exile. Since modern Israel does not fit the description of Ezekiel 38, it appears the timeframe of Gog’s invasion is shortly after Israel returned from Babylonian exile in approximately 537 BC during the reign of the Persian Empire.

But its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them. Gog will come at a time when the people are been regathered, and they dwell securely. Some Jews had returned to Jerusalem, though others were still scattered over the 127 provinces of Persia ranging from India to Ethiopia and everywhere else (Esther 8:9). Persian empire was much kinder to the Jews unlike its predecessor, the Babylonian empire, and this fits with the idea of Jews living securely. Moreover, in Esther, the fighting occurs in every province. In Ezekiel, though we see a focus on the land of Israel, but Ezekiel also indicates that “all the nations will see My judgment” (Ezek. 39:21) and God will “send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety” (Ezek. 39:6). Hence, both passages portray the fight universally, and not just in the land of Israel.

And you will go up, you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you. (Ezekiel 38:9)

Gog and his bands shall come like a storm that overspreads the whole land like a cloud, as they come against God’s people. The book of Esther shows that all people in all the land were ready to act on God’s people no sooner the command went forth (Esther 3:14)

‘This is what the Lord God says: “It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan (Ezekiel 38:10)

On that day, Gog will entertain a malicious design for the destruction of God’s people. We are told that Haman had an “evil scheme” against Israel (Esther 8:3).

And you will say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, who live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates (Ezekiel 38:11)

Gog will go up against the people of God at a time they are dwelling safely, i.e., securely and confidently, in a land of un-walled villages, meaning a land of open places, as opposed to fortified cities, i.e., towns without walls, and having neither bars nor gates. In Esther, we learn that there were Jews who were living peacefully in “unwalled towns” (Esther 9:19 KJV) when Haman conspired against them. Hence, the battle of Ezekiel occurs when Jerusalem and the other towns where God’s people were living still had no walls. This rules out an interpretation in the days of the Maccabees or later, since Jerusalem has had walls ever since Nehemiah built them. However, at this point in Esther’s story, no walls have been built. Nehemiah has not yet started that work.

To capture spoils and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the ruins that are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who live at the center of the world (Ezekiel 38:11)

Gog’s motive is described here, and that is to seize upon the goods and plunder the substance of these people, who live at the center of the world (what may be meant is that the people of God have an exalted position, and are the center of attention, in reference to other nations, which Gog is envious about). Haman’s words suggest this. “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not observe the king’s laws..” (Esther 3:8). Moreover, we are told that Haman’s desire was exactly this, to “seize their possessions as plunder” (Esther 3:13).

Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to capture spoils? Have you assembled your contingent to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to capture great spoils?’”’“Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it? 15 You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding horses, a large assembly and a mighty army; 16 and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I show Myself holy through you before their eyes, Gog.” (Ezekiel 38:12-16)

Sheba, and Dorian, and the merchants of Tarshish were the great trading communities of the South, East, and West respectively (Ezekiel 27:15, 20, 22, 25). All are depicted as following in the wake of Gog. By coming against Israel, who is living securely, and defenseless, Gog, and his well-equipped forces, is taking on Israel’s God; God says it is “My people”, “My land”, that Gog is assaulting. The only reason that Gog and his armies are brought against Israel is that the Lord will demonstrate His greatness and holiness before their eyes, by defeating them. The planned destruction of the Jews is reversed in both in Ezekiel and Esther and judgement comes upon the enemy (Ezek. 39:3; Esther 9:2).

‘This is what the Lord God says: “Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days through My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them? (Ezekiel 38:17)

Gog and Magog cannot be a new people or modern day nations, who are unmentioned before the time of Ezekiel because earlier prophets had predicted such an invasion of Israel in a future time under the leadership of Gog. Haman appears to represents the ancient spiritual struggle between Amalekites and Israel (Ex. 17:8-16; Deut. 25:17-19). Hence, if Gog and Magog are Amalekites, then this verse makes more sense. Many prophets spoke of Amalek including Moses (Ex. 17:16), Balaam (Numb. 24:20), Samuel (1 Sam. 15:1-3,17-23), Deborah (Judges 5:14), Gideon (Judges 6-7), an unnamed prophet (Judges 10:11-14), David (1 Sam. 30) and Asaph (Psalm 83). They prophesied of multi-generational warfare in Exodus 17:16; Numb. 14:43; 24:20; Deut. 25:17-19; 1 Sam. 14:48; 15:18.

It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” declares the Lord God, “that My fury will mount up in My anger” (Ezekiel 38:18)

However, when Gog comes against Israel, he is coming not to bring judgement on Israel, but to be judged by God’s wrath.

In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will certainly be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, all the crawling things that crawl on the earth, and all mankind who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; and the mountains will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground.  (Ezekiel 38:19-20)

When God’s zeal and wrath is let loose on the enemies, it will be akin to a mighty earthquake that will cause the earth (land) and its creatures to tremble in His presence. In the Old Testament, earthquakes, mountains being thrown down, and turmoil among the enemy nations when God visits in judgement is not unusual. Such language is often used figuratively to describe the grandeur of the judgement. For instance, Micah speaks of “Mountains melting”, “Valley’s splitting” (Micah 1:4) for events that transpired before the first coming of the Messiah. Isaiah speaks of “every mountain and hill be made low” (Isaiah 40:4) in view of the first coming Messiah. In Isaiah 29:6, God’s visit accompanies thunder, earthquake and great noise, and flame of devouring fire on the enemies of Judah. Hence, it is not required to read this literally, as there is a precedent for interpreting some of these judgements symbolically.

And I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains,” declares the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother.With plague and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone. (Ezekiel 38:21-22)

The sword, plague (affliction), bloodshed, torrential rain, hailstones, fire and brimstone: These are alsoemblems and symbols of God’s presence, and of the judgments about to be executed on the persecutors (Isaiah 30:30; Psalms 11:6).

So I will prove Myself great, show Myself holy, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord.”’ (Ezekiel 38:23)

God will show His power, and holiness, not just by the destruction of Gog and his coalition, but by the protection of his restored people.

There is more evidence in Ezekiel 38 and 39 to show that Haman does fit the description of Gog. For instance, a) There are an enormous number of dead in both passages. (Ezek. 39:12-16; Esther 9:12-16). b) Both passages show that the Jews were authorized to plunder those who fought against them (Esther 8:11; Ezek. 39:10). c) The seven months wait in Ezekiel 39:12-16 is equivalent to the time from Purim till the Feast of Tabernacles when cleansing waters are made with the ashes of the heifer (Esther 9:26-32). d) Haman’s name appears in Ezekiel’s prophecy as Hamon (39:11,15,16). Again, this slight change in pronunciation (which is common with other names) can be explained by the language differences. The phrase, “the valley of Hamon of Gog” would then be equivalent to Haman of Agag (or “Haman the Agagite”).  d) Haman was hanged from the 50-cubit-high gallows (Esther 7:9-10), potentially becoming “food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field” (Ezekiel 39:4).3

See also:

  • Our chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse, commentaries on the book of Daniel, Revelation.

Referenced & Adapted

1. Duguid (1999). The NIV Application Commentary, Ezekiel

2. Peterson (2022). https://providencechristiannm.com/difficult-passage-ezekiel-38-part-1/

2. Kayser (2002). https://kaysercommentary.com/Sermons/Old%20Testament/Esther/battle%20of%20Ezek.md

Zechariah 14:1-21 – Is it about the earthly Jerusalem or New Jerusalem

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This study is a continuation from Zechariah 12: 1-14 Is it Yahweh who is pierced? and Zechariah 13:1-9 Who is the shepherd who is struck?. Let’s look at Zechariah 14.

Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you (Zechariah 14:1 NASB 1995). 

Behold. “Behold” marks calls attention to a newsworthy or unexpected entity.

A day is coming for the Lord. “A day of the Lord” is not necessarily the end of the world, but it can be a reference to Yahweh’s judgement in history such as Babylon’s fall (Isaiah 13:6) or Edom’s fall (Obadiah 1:15), which is said to have occurred in a time called “the day of the Lord”.

When the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. The immediate context suggests that it is Jerusalem who will be plundered, and it is her spoils that would be divided among or in the midst of her.

For 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 (Zechariah 14:2)

For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle. Yahweh is depicted as an army general who musters his troops (all the nations) against his enemy (Jerusalem). When Israel rebelled against their King throughout their history, Yahweh turned against them as an enemy, often handing them over to other nations, to discipline them for their disobedience. Some have suggested that this is referring to an event at the second coming. However, there is evidence from the immediate context to see this as pointing to the AD 70 judgment upon Jerusalem. “All the nations” is prophetic hyperbole. The war was conducted by an empire of “nations”, specifically, the Roman imperial forces together with the various client kings who engaged in the Jewish War AD 67–70. Not only the Romans but the lands of Syria, Asia Minor, Palestine, Gaul, Egypt, Britain, and others, and Client kings, such as Antiochus, Agrippa, Sohemus, Malchus, and Alexander, provided auxiliary forces for Rome during the Jewish War.2  

The city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled. These images of the destruction of Jerusalem are also drawn from what happened in 586 B.C when the Babylonian army ‘captured’ (lākad) Jerusalem (e.g. Jer. 32:3, 24, 28), ‘plundered’ (šāsas) it (Ps. 89:41; Jer. 30:16) and took ‘into the exile’ (baggôlâ) half of the city (2 Kgs 24:15–16).  The rape of women is a common feature of warfare and depicts its horror (Isa. 13:16). D. A. Carson observes that never was “so high a percentage of a great city so thoroughly and painfully exterminated and enslaved as during the Fall of Jerusalem.”2 Josephus writes, “Whereas the war which the Jews made with the Romans hath been the greatest of all those, not only that have been in our times, but, in a manner, of those that ever were heard of; both of those wherein cities have fought against cities, or nations against nations..”4.

But the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. This suggests that there will be a remnant that survives this destruction that comes upon the city. In the previous chapter, it was mentioned, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it” (Zechariah 13:8). The “third” appears to be “the rest of the people” who escape the besieged city, and are refined in the process (this is implied by the context). They will become the citizens of the “Jerusalem above” (Galatians 4:26), as that “hour” has come where the people will worship God “neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem . . . but . . . in spirit and truth” (John 4:21–23), as judgement has come upon earthly Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44). Will God protect His remnant?

Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle (Zechariah 14:3)

In Zechariah 14:3–5, the focus shifts. Yahweh is now depicted as a warrior who fights (battles) against his enemy (those nations) who opposes His people (the remnant that survived the destruction of Jerusalem).The language of “The Lord will go forth and fight” is similar to that in Joshua 10:14, 42 and 23:3, where the Lord “fought for Israel.” In Joshua, these references indicated his providential favor in Israel’s victory and deliverance, not his corporeal presence.How would God fight for His remnant during the siege? That appears to be answered in the next verse.

[As for how the Lord fights for His people, we must remember, not only did Yahweh (Ancient of days) judge the Roman Empire (Daniel 7:21-22) who persecuted His people, but it eventually fell in AD 476. Moreover, Messiah’s people went forth like a white horse to conquer and spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond after the destruction of Jerusalem, overcoming many enemies of the gospel].

In 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. (Zechariah 14:4)

In that day. “In that day” appears to be still referring to the time around the destruction of Jerusalem.

His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east. Ezekiel shows when God gave up Jerusalem to Babylon in 586 BC, He “stood over the mountain [of Olives]” (Ezekiel 11:23); signifying Yahweh abandoned the city to its enemies. This is in contrast to Him staying inside the city as its protector. As God gave up Jerusalem to Babylonians, Zechariah appears to show that God is giving up the rebuilt Jerusalem to Romans in 70 AD. While “His feet” appears to be a reference to Yahweh (the Father), Messiah Jesus also fulfilled these words, when He officially abandoned Jerusalem, and warned about the temple to coming judgment (Matthew 23:37–38), and thereafter, when He went up to the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24:3). Prophecy also mentions God’s feet when His and Israel’s enemies are thwarted and are given success against all odds (Ps 18:9; Isa 60:13; Nah 1:3; Hab 3:5). Some say when Jesus comes again (second coming), He will set his foot on the Mount of Olives. That may or may not be true, but the above verses do not appear to be talking about the second coming of the Messiah but the destruction of Jerusalem.

So that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. The idea of the mountain moving towards the east and toward the west is to indicate formation of a “very great valley” through it, so that people can escape.Moving “mountains” are proverbial expressions to indicate that obstacles and difficulties shall be removed. Such language is common throughout the Old Testament and especially in Zechariah. ‘What are you, you great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain” (Zechariah 4:7). What mountain was literally removed during Zerubbabel’s time? Micah speaks of “Mountains melting”, “Valley’s splitting” (Micah 1:4) for events that transpired before the first coming of the Messiah. Isaiah speaks of “every mountain and hill be made low” (Isaiah 40:4) in view of the first coming Messiah. God removed obstacles represented by mountains so that His people (the remnant or the third) would flee to the east. This is historically what happened. He provided a way of escape.

Dispensationalists and other commentators suggest that these verses must be taken literally. However,  Zechariah’s prophetic utterances do not demand that every single expression be taken literally, unless the context demands it. In addition to the above proverbial expressions, notice that: Jerusalem is identified as a “cup” (Zechariah 12:2), and a “stone” (Zechariah 12:3). People are identified as a “firepot” (Zechariah 12:6). A “fountain” is opened in Jerusalem (Zechariah 13:1). A “sword” is referenced to strike the shepherd (Zechariah 13:7), yet we know Jesus was not killed with a sword.  

You 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! (Zechariah 14:5)

You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel. Because the mountains were moved, a valley has been created for the remnant to flee Jerusalem when God judges it. They ultimately flee to all points of the compass, taking the gospel with them (Zechariah 14:8-9). “It is a remarkable but historical fact that Cestius Gallus, the Roman general, for some unknown reason, retired when they first marched against the city, suspended the siege, ceased the attack and withdrew his armies for an interval of time after the Romans occupied the temple, thus giving every believing Jew the opportunity to obey the Lord’s instruction to flee the city. Josephus the eyewitness, himself an unbeliever, chronicles this fact, and admitted his inability to account for the cessation of the fighting at this time, after a siege had begun”.5 As for Azel, perhaps a place, that was most probably near to Jerusalem; and had its name from that circumstance.

You will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. The remnant would flee as people would do during a great earthquake, such as that which happened during King Uzziah’s reign over Judah (Amos 1:1).

Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him. Once the remnant have fled and gone to safety, then Yahweh “will come” in judgement upon Jerusalem with the holy angels. “Holy ones” could refer to angels (Matt. 25:31; 2 Thess. 1:7) or “spirits of the righteous” in heaven (Hebrews 12:23;1 Thess. 3:13, 4:16-17), however, the meaning here appears to be the coming of the Lord in angelic judgement akin to when He came in judgement against Egypt. “Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt” (Isaiah 19:1). Just like when, “The Lord came from Sinai..and He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones” (Deut 33:2; Galatians 3:19), an army of angels accompanied His coming in judgement. Hence, Jerusalem’s destruction by Rome is providential destruction by “his armies” (Matthew 22:7).

In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. (Zechariah 14:6)

Isaiah used similar figures of speech to warn of the destruction of a nation such as Babylon. “Behold the day of the Lord cometh…stars of heaven…shall not give their light, the sun shall be darkened….the moon shall not cause her light to shine.” (Isaiah 13:10). Hence, dimming of light is associated with a destruction of a nation, specifically, destruction of Jerusalem which leads to darkness and woe upon Israel (Acts 2:20, 22; Mt 24:29).

For 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 (Zechariah 14:7)

These verses are difficult to translate as the Hebrew is obscure and hence the many variations in the translations. However, it may be a figurative description of the “day of the Lord”, that “unique day” of judgement, which was known only to Yahweh. That unique day may be said to resemble neither “day nor night”, because the lights of heaven, which regulate day and night, have lost their brightness (Zechariah 14:6). But when this day ends (at evening time), there will be light. Perhaps what is meant is that it is a day of darkness for Old Jerusalem. But when the evening comes, it is light for another, the New Jerusalem. Its lights going out for old Jerusalem (the old covenant). Its light dawning on another, the Jerusalem from above (the new covenant) (Hebrews 8:13).

And 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. (Zechariah 14:8)

And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem. “In that day” could again point us to the days beginning with Messiah’s first coming, as these living waters only could have begun to flow because a “fountain” was opened for cleansing people from sin and impurity (Zechariah 13:1). “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:38). The Messiah who opened that fountain tells us that the “living waters” will flow from within His people, from “whoever believes”. While it is literally from earthly Jerusalem that salvation began to spread to all the nations and families of the earth. Since these “living waters” can flow from “whoever believes”, then these living waters are flowing from all believers, who have become the representatives of the new and better “heavenly Jerusalem’ ‘ (Galatians 4:26).

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. Living waters will flow worldwide from the east (Dead Sea) and west (Mediterranean), uninterrupted (in summer and in winter) unlike natural streams which dry up in summertime in Israel. Hence, as Jerusalem collapses (Old Covenant) and Christianity (New Covenant) separates from her Jewish constraints, the waters of life begin flowing out freely into all the world. Ultimately, when heavenly Jerusalem descends from heaven in the “new earth”, John also sees living waters or “water of life” continuing to flow from the very throne of God (Revelation 21:5;22:1).

And 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. (Zechariah 14:9)

The Lord’s kingdom overflows Israel’s limited borders so that He becomes the King of all the earth. There is universal acknowledgement of the Lord as the one and only true God, which is the result of living waters doing its work in the hearts of the people. People will recognize His full sovereignty and there will never be rebellion against Him again (the fate of those who rebel against Him appears to be explained in Zechariah 14:12-16). The language of Zechariah 14:9 is similar to the Shema (Deut 6:4), the definitive statement of true religion. This verse appears to find its ultimate fulfillment in the “new earth”, after the first earth has passed away (Revelation 21:4).

All 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 (Zechariah 14:10)

The dimensions of the city are those of the eighth-century capital in its prime, with mention of the Benjamin (Jer. 20:2), First and Corner (Jeremiah 31:38) Gates, the Tower of Hananel (Jeremiah 31:38), and the royal winepresses (Jeremiah 39:4). Zechariah speaks of upheaval that fully refashions the land of Judea, flattening the summits of mountains. He uses language in which his original audience will understand. City boundaries paint a picture of Jerusalem as a city entirely safe from the threat of violence. Resting on flat land, on high ground gives military advantage, thus, Jerusalem will be fully secure, and no enemy will be able to invade it.

Moreover, as Jerusalem is elevated, it produces a picture similar to Psalm 48:2; Isaiah 2:2–4, Micah 4:1–3, depicting the elevation of God’s new Jerusalem, from which “living waters” have started to flow universally, to which all nations stream throughout the church age. “And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the peoples will stream to it” (Micah 4:1). Ultimately, the change in landscape appears to point to new Jerusalem which descends into the “new earth” (Rev 21:2). 

People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security. (Zechariah 14:11)

Zechariah appears to be seeing a time when the first earth has passed away, and “there will no longer be any curse” (Rev 22:3) in the new Jerusalem. People “will dwell in security” in the new creation. In the period after the return from the Exile, many of those who returned preferred to live in the countryside and had to be forced to come to the capital (Neh. 7:4; 11:1–2). But there will be no problem about getting people to live in the capital when the king has returned to it.6

Now 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. (Zechariah 14:12)

Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem. This verse appears to take us back to a time when people were not living in “security” (verse 11), a time before the “new earth”. “Living waters” attracted nations since Messiah’s first arrival; however, not all people thirsted for this water. Anyone who comes against His people (who belongs to heavenly Jerusalem), will be defeated, and the Lord will strike them with plagues or afflictions. “The plague” may also refer to the “plagues” mentioned in Revelation which are inflicted on the antichristian powers (Revelation 15:1-16:21) before Messiah’s second coming. The dragon appears to be the one who is behind these people, who went to “make war with the rest of her children” (Revelation 12:17), the remnant, the believers, that survived the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (Zechariah 13:8;14:2).

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. This sort of language is not unusual in the Old Testament (Leviticus 26:16; Deuteronomy 28:22; 2 Chronicles 21:15-19). If this is metaphorical, and since the next verse shows that some survive this plague, then, perhaps it may mean that tongues of God’s enemies will rot in the sense that their defiant speech will be silenced. Their united goal will become blurred to their vision, as if their eyes had rotted away. Their physical powers, which emboldened them to make the attack, will waste away. 

It 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. (Zechariah 14:13)

And for those that do survive the plague, God will send confusion to them so that they end up attacking each other. Hence, the enemies of God’s people will be vanquished through plague (verse 12) or confusion (verse 13). Instances of the latter occur in Israelitish history. (Judges 7:22; 1 Samuel 14:20; 2 Chronicles 20:23).

Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance.  (Zechariah 14:14)

If the enemies of God’s people are not vanquished, then they will be converted. Zechariah, using language that makes sense to his audience, portrays an image of Judeans outside of Jerusalem, meaning the nation at large uniting to defend “Jerusalem”, God’s holy city to them.  Of course, because of the finished work of the “pierced” Messiah, Judah, and Jerusalem have now taken “better” meanings. It represents the new “covenant” people, both Jew and Gentile. Old Jerusalem has given way to the better “Jerusalem from above”. It is these gentile nations who attack God’s people that also become part of the “commonwealth of Israel” (Ephesians 2:12) and “fellow citizens with the saints and are of God’s household” (Ephesians 2:19), and they bring their riches to God’s household, to be used in ministry.

So 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 (Zechariah 14:15)

Not all enemies, but all their things (possessions) come under judgment should they come against God’s people. The case is illustrated by the example of Achan, whose oxen and sheep and asses were burned, along with himself and his children ( Joshua 7:24).

Then 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 (Zechariah 14:16)

Those who are converted from the nations that came against Yahweh will worship the King, continually.  It must be noted that ‘go up’ still thinks in terms of pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The language of the Old Covenant is being used to communicate to its original readers. But a “new and living way” (Hebrews 10:20) has been enacted by the Messiah for His people, for God is worshiped “neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem . . . but . . . in spirit and truth” (John 4:21–23).  The Feast of Booths may have been singled out as it came at the end of the religious calendar and summed up all the worship of Israel (Lev. 23 and Deut. 16.). During this time the people lived in booths constructed out of branches to remind them of how they lived during the period in the Wilderness and how the Lord had guided them at that time (Lev. 23:42–43). The nations in coming to this feast were therefore making the acknowledgment: that it was the Lord who had guided them to where they were. 1 Cor 5:7-8 “Therefore let us celebrate the feasts..with sincerity and truth”. In the days of the Messiah, believers celebrate the feasts in a spiritual way (in sincerity and truth in our lives – all seven days), and since, the Old Covenant holy days are “shadows”, they are no longer obligatory in the New Covenant since reality has come in the person of the Messiah (Colossians 2:16-17).

And 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 (Zechariah 14:17). 

Rain seems to be mentioned as one of the principal blessings of God, that by which the fruitfulness is produced. It therefore appropriately stands here to represent the whole class of providential favors. It  shall be withheld from those who demonstrate faithlessness to Him. See a similar threat, upon Israel, in Deuteronomy 11:16-17.

If 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. This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths (Zechariah 14:18-19)

Egypt may be singled out for mention, perhaps because it was the origin of the Hebrew exodus (of which the Feast of Tabernacles was to be a reminder, Lev. 23:43), and in the past it was a nation that ‘had suffered the most from the plagues at God’s hands. If people do not demonstrate true faith, it would suffer again, meaning no rain or blessing will fall on them, instead it will be affliction (plague) just like people in Egypt witnessed.

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 (Zecheriah 14:20)

In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “HOLY TO THE LORD.” “In that day”, again a reference to days beginning with the Messiah. It is said here that even mundane things like the bells of the horses or cooking pots have holiness as much as the high priest. Horses were unclean animals according to Levitical law, yet in the age that Messiah brings, there will be no such distinction. Every ordinary stuff will be holy. The New Covenant is not concerned with holy days (sabbath days) any more than it is concerned with holy places (see John 4:19-24) or unclean food (Mark 7:19; Rom. 14:1-5, 14, 20; 1 Cor. 8:8; 10:23-27; Col. 2:16, 17; 1 Tim. 4:3-5). To emphasize these questions is to distort the spirituality and ethical concerns of the New Testament (see Matt. 25:31-46; Gal. 5:6). However, the new covenant gives the liberty for believers to consider sacred “one day above another (like the Sabbath), and others to consider “every day alike” (no holy days) (Romans 14:5), for the sake of unity. However, in the new earth, everyone would be mature enough to acknowledge that every little thing is holy to the Lord, and no distinctions exist as it was in the Old Covenant, the age of shadows.  

Every 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 (Zechariah 14:21)

Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of hosts. The mundane things like cooking pots will be holy to the Lord. In the Old Testament, somethings were holy and other things were not. Seventh day was holy, other days were not. In the new order, we do not need to leave any thing that is not devoted to God. Not one day out of seven. All things are set apart for the Lord. Every day, every moment, every penny, every child belongs to God.

All who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. “Sacrifice” has taken a superior meaning in the days of the “pierced” Messiah, for He fulfilled it. For those who are in Messiah, the only acceptable worship is to offer themselves completely to the Lord, as “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). Dispensationalists suggest that literal sacrifices will be reenacted (not for atonement but as a memorial), and the literal feast of Booths in some form will be celebrated, as they press for a literal interpretation of these verses during a temporary Millennial reign of Christ. To reinstate “shadows” of the Old Covenant, even in a diluted form, is to deny the work of the Messiah, who fulfilled all those shadows not just for gentiles, but for all the Jews. It is akin to going back to Judaism, and abandoning Christianity.

And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts in that day. The Hebrew word translated “Canaanite” refers to merchants and traders or to any unclean person, both of whom would defile the temple of God. When Jesus began His ministry and ended it, He found “religious merchants” using God’s house for personal gain (John 2:13–22; Matt. 1521 Zechariah 1421:12–13; Mark 11:15–17; Luke 19:45–46). The house of prayer for all nations had been turned into a den of thieves for the profit of the Jewish high priest and his family. But the kingdom that Messiah establishes will not be defiled by those who neither know the Lord nor love Him. Nothing “unclean” will enter there (Revelation 21:27). Hence, this verse would find its ultimate fulfillment in the new earth. 

See also:

  • Our chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse, commentaries on the book of Daniel, Revelation.

Adapted & Referenced

 1. https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/zechariah-14/

2. https://postmillennialworldview.com/2021/05/11/zechariah-14-in-postmillennialism-2/

3. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/commentary/zechariah/

4. https://lexundria.com/j_bj/1.1-1.30/wst

5. https://brackenhurstbaptist.co.za/the-beginning-of-the-end/

6. https://cbtseminary.org/an-amillennial-interpretation-of-zechariah-14-5-of-8/

7. https://truthaccordingtoscripture.com/commentaries/lcc/zechariah-14.php#.Y7-U1HbMKUk

8. https://amillennial.org/zechariah-14-commentary-amillennial/

Zechariah 12:1-14 – Is it Yahweh who is pierced?

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Zechariah was one of three prophets, along with Haggai and later Malachi, who ministered (about 520 B.C.) to the Jewish exiles returning from Babylon to Jerusalem, to rebuild the temple. By Zechariah’s day, Judah was no longer the kingdom that it was before, under David or Solomon. In a sense, the exiles who returned were all that was left of Israel, and they were always under siege from hostile forces, and threatened with extinction. However, Zechariah explains that God’s people will triumph one day. Zechariah is writing at a time when the Old Covenant was active. We must keep in mind that he uses old covenant imagery, shadows, and symbols, that the first readers understood, to communicate coming restoration of God’s people. With that in mind, lets dive into a verse-by-verse study of Zechariah 12:1-14 to see what it teaches us about “restoration” of God’s people and a coming Messiah.

The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him (Zechariah 12:1 NASB 1995)

The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Zechariah characterizes the entire message in chapter 12-14 as “the burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel.” It is a burden because it brings heavy tidings and burdens the prophet with a sense of urgency to deliver it to God’s people who need hope and encouragement after their return from exile.

The oracle is concerning Israel. Since what had once been the nation of Israel, composed of the twelve tribes of Israel, is no more, it looks forward to the time when the exiled and scattered people of God will return to become the people of God once more. The use of ‘Israel’ to refer to God’s people (instead of Jerusalem or Judah mentioned in verse Zechariah 12:2), gives this prophesy an eschatological thrust. Who is Israel? 

This message is delivered to its first readers, who are ethnic Jews. It is given for their comfort and encouragement. However, when Christ entered human history, He established a new covenant with His people (as Old Covenant prophet Jeremiah prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34), rendering the Old Covenant obsolete (Hebrews 8:13). Since there is a New Covenant in effect, Gentiles have been included in the commonwealth of Israel and are as much “true Jews” as are believing ethnic Jews today and in Zechariah’s day. Paul says in Ephesians 2:11 that believing Gentiles are now equal members of the “commonwealth of Israel” (Ephesians 2:12) and are “fellow citizens with the saints and are of God’s household” (Ephesians 2:19). This is not replacing ethnic Israel but including and fulfilling what God always predestined through Abraham.  If anyone belongs to “Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29). Hence, according to New Testament revelation, “true Israel” must include all Abraham’s descendants, comprised of believing Jews and Gentiles (Galatians 6:16; Ephesians 2:15).

But does Israel as corporate entity also have a future? Paul appears to answer this question in Romans 11 with a “yes.” Paul presents Israel as a corporate entity, comprised of an elect remnant and a hardened majority. Paul goes on to say that while God never promised to save every Jewish citizen (Romans 11:6), he did promise to save the people-group, the corporate entity, the nation. Paul’s answer, of course, isn’t comprehensive. It doesn’t say anything, for example, about Israel’s land or about a temporal future (millennial) kingdom. But what it does say is that (1) Israel will be saved, (2) this salvation is taking place now [from his day] and will conclude at Jesus’ return, (3) it will lead to the resurrection from the dead, (4) it happens as a result of the Gentile mission, and (5) it is a re-grafting of unbelieving Jews into their own tree (in concert with a grafting in of Gentiles to the same tree).2 The restoration of Israel will mean their becoming part of the “true Israel” by faith in Jesus Christ the Messiah. Though Romans 11 may be interpreted differently, such a view is not uncommon among non-dispensationalist adherents.4 Continuing on from the rest of the verse.

Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. The power that guarantees the coming restoration is seen in the threefold description of Yahweh. 1) He stretches out the heavens, 2) He founded the earth, 3) He formed the Spirit within man. The mention of the creation of heavens, and earth implies a new act of creation that is coming with establishment of the Kingdom promised to David. The mention of the creation of the “spirit” of man implies a further work in man, a work of “new creation” that would result from a “pierced” One (Zechariah 12:10).

Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah (Zechariah 12:2)

Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the only holy City of God that Zechariah ever knew. So, he uses earthly Jerusalem and Judah as a representation of God’s holy city and His people (just like Micah 5:5 represents the “Assyrians“, as all enemies of the Messiah and His people). It is from Jerusalem that salvation spread to all the nations and families of the earth. Hence, Zechariah’s oracle displays the centrality of Judah and Jerusalem to this restoration of God’s people. 

If we did not have the New Testament, and there was no new covenant in effect, we would have concluded that the earthly Jerusalem was still God’s holy city. In the past God spoke to His people through “the prophets” (Hebrews 1:1) but in these last days, He “has spoken” (Hebrews 1:2) to us through the Messiah and His apostles the essential meaning of the Old Testament [Law and Prophets]. God’s Jerusalem is no longer an earthly city, but it has become the eternal “heavenly Jerusalem”, the “city of the living God” (Hebrews 12:22), where both Jew and Gentile believers’ “citizenship” have been established and included (Philippians 3:20). Abraham who was promised an earthly “land” (Genesis 17:8) understood that what God ultimately had in mind for him, and his descendants was something much “better” (Hebrew 11:16), a heavenly “city” whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10). Therefore, Jerusalem here must refer to “Jerusalem above” (Galatians 4:26), hence, God is worshiped “neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem . . . but . . . in spirit and truth” (John 4:21–23).

A cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around. The figure of Jerusalem as a cup that causes people to ‘reel’ or stagger (as though drunk), draws on traditional prophetic language about ‘the cup of judgment’ that God will cause his enemies to drink when they come against His people (Jew or Gentile), who belong to “heavenly Jerusalem”. “All the peoples around” implies enemy forces of global proportions who will come against God’s people.

When the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. Here, the prophet tells his readers that God will not only be the guardian of His city, but also of the whole land. When Jerusalem shall be besieged, the Lord will put impediments (causes reeling) everywhere, which will hinder and prevent the assault of enemies. The promise of protection is thus extended to all people when the enemy comes.

It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. (Zechariah 12:3)

It will come about in that day. It will come about in “that day”, a time in the future. When is “that day”? It was on “that day” Zechariah 12:11 says that there was great mourning in Jerusalem, because of the “pierced” one (Zechariah 12:10). John says Zechariah 12:10 was fulfilled in the days of the Messiah, when Jesus was crucified (John 19:37). Hence, “that day” refers to the days of the Messiah. In the New Testament, “that day” refers to the “last days” – the whole period beginning with the first coming of Christ to make atonement for sin, and his second coming in glory to judge the world. Peter in Acts 2:17, and the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 1:1-2, declare the last days to be the days of the Messiah.

Many, particularly those of a dispensational tradition, have understood Zechariah chapter 12–14 to be all about the events at the end of this age, during a 1000 year millennial reign. But the problem is the New Testament understands “that day” foremostly with the crucifixion of the Messiah, and secondarily with His return.

That I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. Here imagery shifts from cup to a heavy stone, and from reeling to injury caused by those who try to move an immovable foundation. God will place His people as a stone of offense before all peoples, when enemy nations will come against His people. “All nations” like “all the peoples around” implies enemy forces of global proportions. However, what is implied is, when enemies come against God’s people, unlike the Babylonian siege in 586 B.C, God will act to repel the nations and give victory to His people.

Moreover, the reference to “All nations” is prophetic hyperbole which do not necessarily mean that all the 190 plus nations on this planet in the 21st century would be coming against God’s people, but the attack will come from a global scale. Since “that day” encompasses the days of Messiah, then we could expect these words to have fulfillment during the days of Messiah. The New Testament is explicit that all the Old Testament promises about the coming kingdom of God find their fulfilment (ultimate meaning) in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16). This means (among other things) that the fulfilment would come in His first coming, and consummated with His second coming.

In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness. But I will watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness (Zechariah 12:4)

So God will cause those who come against His people to stagger (verse 2) and injure themselves (verse 3), and now, he will confuse their cavalry (verse 4). Horses were pivotal in battle, and ancient battle strategies often included plans to try to panic the enemies’ horses. Using Old Testament horse riding warlike imagery, God promises to watch over His people so that the enemies of God’s people shall be astonished at the failure of their attempts. That is the kind of thing that happened when the Lord overthrew the army of Pharaoh at the Red Sea, when Joshua led the Israelites into battle against the Canaanites, when Rome turned its attention away from hunting Christians (AD66).3

The expression the house of Judah, may be a general term for the people as a whole or for their leaders. Again, Zechariah’s words will be fulfilled “in that day”, the last days which began with Christ’s first coming and end with His second coming. God has fought for his people before. But this appears to be last battle – the battle of that day which will usher in the kingdom of God, after His second coming.

Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘A strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the Lord of hosts, their God.’ (Zechariah 12:5)

Clans of Judah, meaning leaders (under God) are shown as playing a key role in the victory. And the people who support them will be strong because the Lord Almighty is their God.

“In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:6)

In these images the enemy is the wood and sheaves, which are entirely consumed (“right and left”). These verses appear to describe thoroughness of God’s victory over the enemy through His people. When the battle is over and the victory complete, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem (now expanded to include heavenly Jerusalem) will dwell securely in their own eternal homes (John 14:1-4).

The Lord also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above Judah. (Zechariah 12:7)

The statement that the Lord will “save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David may not be magnified above Judah,” contains the simple thought that the salvation will take place in such a manner that no part of God’s people will have any occasion to lift itself up above another, and that because the salvation is effected not by human power, but by the omnipotence of God alone.

In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. (Zechariah 12:8)

On that day, not only the Lord will protect his people. Even the one who is weak will be like David who on many occasions saved Israel by defeating its enemies through God’s power. It was the ‘angel of the Lord’ who was responsible for leading Yahweh’s people on many occasions and providing protection, particularly in the exodus. Therefore, the house of David will be victorious because the Messiah himself is the “a descendant of David” (Romans 1:3) who will go before His people like He did as the “Angel of the Lord” (1 Cor. 10:4).

And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.  (Zechariah 12:9)

On that day, when all the nations of the earth gather against Jerusalem, appears to refer to the day when God will establish his kingdom on earth in glory (Revelation 19:11). While God defending His people is applicable through out the last days (like He preserved His people during Neronic persecution (AD64-66), its position at the end of this prophetic snapshot suggest here the Spirit is mainly looking ahead to the Day of the LORD, His Second Coming.

How is it that eschatological Jerusalem will become a cup of reeling to the nations (12:2); how is it that God will so zealously come to her aid (12:4, 9); how is it that his people will find such great strength for the battle (12:5-7)? Zechariah’s next prophetic snapshot supplies the answer: They will enjoy these blessings because “in that day” God will grant them deep, Spirit-wrought repentance and faith in the Messiah (Zechariah 12:10-14).

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)

I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication. Yahweh speaks and says He will be poured out, conveying grace to the leadership (house of David) and people (inhabitants of Jerusalem), thereby enabling them to offer repentant prayer. This is similar to what Joel prophesied in Joel 2:28, which is quoted by Peter in Acts 2:17 as fulfilled in the days of Messiah, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, God says, that I will pour forth My Spirit on all mankind.” 

So that they will look on Me. “They” in context refer to the house of David and inhabitants of Jerusalem – the offspring of Abraham. “Look on” is the idea of looking in faith just as Israel looked upon the bronze serpent in faith to receive healing (Numbers 21:9). “Me” is the object of their look of faith. Yahweh is the speaker (the “Me”), so He identifies himself as the one who is pierced. The oldest and best Hebrew manuscripts read “me”. Since it appears inappropriate to speak Yahweh as pierced, many scholars have doubted the integrity of the oldest Hebrew text.

Whom they have pierced. The verb “pierce” (daqar) means to pierce or thrust through. In the case of the one pierced here, it is certain that death happened, given the subsequent reference to mourning and cleansing. Yet if it refers only to the piercing of God, this seems inappropriate – how can God be pierced?

Since in immediate context, “house of David” or “David” is mentioned several times, it is natural to identify the pierced one was the Davidic King, the Messiah (instead of persons like Zerubbabel, the prophet Jeremiah, Onias III or ‘the true prophets of Yahweh, as some have suggested). The New Testament confirms this to be Messiah Jesus (John 19:37; Revelation 1:7). It is significant that a number of Jewish rabbis also interpreted this verse in terms of a pierced Messiah, though, as per Jewish tradition, it is their second Messiah, ben Joseph/Ephraim, who is killed, rather than the triumphant Messiah ben David, who will rule as King6,7.

The great irony is that the death of the king comes at the hands of his own people (‘whom they pierced’). This is not surprising given the history of the people of God in rejecting Yahweh as their shepherd.

Why is the king pierced? This becomes clearer in Zechariah 13:1, “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity”. The piercing of Yahweh and the Messiah served as a type of sacrifice for sin. This is supported by Isaiah’s suffering servant, where the servant is made an offering for sin (Isaiah 53:10). Forgiveness of sin and cleansing from impurity are two key fruits of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice.

Quick summary: Zechariah 11 portrayed God’s rejection of his people for their rejection of him, but chapter 12 reveals that God’s ultimate purpose for his people is salvation. Yet the path to this outcome is not without cost to God’s people, and Messiah himself. In Zechariah 12:10–14, the prophet reveals that accompanying this salvation from external forces will be an internal renewal of the people as God transforms their affections to seek him in repentance.

And they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 

They will mourn for Him. The association of the pierced one with the future Messiah (Davidic King) provides a reasonable explanation for the abrupt shift here from the first person “look on Me” to third person “mourn for Him” in reference to the pierced one. How was Yahweh pierced? To pierce the Messiah is also to pierce Yahweh, the Father.

As one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. They will “mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve as one grieves the death of a firstborn”, are expressions that convey the depth of anguish and sorrow. The implication appears to be that those who have pierced the Messiah have offended Yahweh, and that they understand that they are deserving of His judgment. Yet Yahweh in his grace has restored relationship and moved them to grieve because of their sin and pray for mercy. Firstborn was synonymous with the most beloved. The title “firstborn” was used of David (Psalm 89:27), as well Messiah Jesus (Colossians 1:8). At his return, Jesus Christ will again be seen by ‘those who pierced him’, and they will ‘mourn because of him’. But this time it is not just Israel (when Messiah was crucified), but ‘all peoples of the earth’ who are in view (Revelation 1:7).

In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo.  (Zechariah 12:11)

This sorrow will be widespread. Mourning of Hadadrimmon may refer to the mourning over King Josiah’s death (2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:20-25). He was such a godly king that the whole nation wept bitterly at his death.

 The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves. (Zechariah 12:12-14)

This mourning is clearly universal in the land and certain families are singled out. It may be representing the entire leadership caste of the community (royal, David; prophetic, Nathan; priestly, Levi; sapiential, Shimei), or the list represents two specific lines within the royal (David/Nathan) and priestly (Levi/Shimei) houses. Notably women and men are separated for this activity, an action probably related to ancient mourning customs. The ‘mourning’ and ‘wailing’ for him by ‘a large number of people’ was fulfilled in the days of Messiah as Luke 23:27, 48 shows. Zechariah 12:10-14 is fully fulfilled, neither in Jewish converts alone, nor in Gentile converts alone, but in all converts; in the One New Man and the One New Nation that is the Spirit-filled Body of Christ, comprised of believing Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:15; 1 Peter 2:9).

See also:

  • Our chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse, commentaries on the book of Daniel, Revelation.

References

1. Anthony R. Petterson, Apollos Old Testament Commentary

2. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-future-of-ethnic-israel/

3. https://adammaarschalk.com/2014/12/24/zechariah-12-fulfilled/

4. https://www.monergism.com/noted-theologians-history-who-believed-future-conversion-nationalethnic-israel

5. OTTC ZECHARIAH 12:10 “look upon him whom they have pierced,” OR “look upon me whom they have pierced”? – Christian Publishing House Blog

6. https://jewsforjesus.org/answers/jewish-messianic-interpretations-of-zechariah-12-10

7. https://www.oneforisrael.org/holidays/pierced-messiah-zechariah-1210/

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