Zechariah 14:13
in Zechariah 14On that day a great panic from the LORD will come upon them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of one will rise against the other.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from Jehovah shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor.
KJV
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.
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This verse in Zechariah 14
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
A great tumult - And panic fear, such as God said He would send upon the Canaanites before Israel Deu 7:23, or on Israel itself, if disobedient Deu 28:20; or which fell on the Philistines after Jonathan’s capture of the garrison at Michmash, when every man’s “sword was against his fellow” .
This site's exposition
consume away while they stand upon their feet
on Zechariah 14:12-15
The plague on the nations that fought Jerusalem is described at the body's own ruin, flesh, eyes, and tongue consuming away while the man still stands on his feet, a judgment the earlier verses do not explain further. The great tumult that follows, every man's hand rising against his neighbour, is read by the bench beside Gideon's rout of Midian, where the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow throughout the host (Judg 7:22), the same confusion turned against an enemy camp rather than Israel's own. Judah still fights at Jerusalem even inside a battle the Lord himself wins, wealth and beasts of the nations gathered in one sweeping plague that spares nothing that came up against the city.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
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.
On that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of a neighbor, and the hand of the one will be fastened to the hand of the other. After peace was restored to the Jews, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
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.
And it shall come to pass in that day,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
1Sa 14:15, 20). lay hold . . . on . . . hand of . . . neighbour--instinctively grasping it, as if thereby to be safer, but in vain [MENOCHIUS]. Rather, in order to assail "his neighbor" [CALVIN], (Eze 38:21). Sin is the cause of all quarrels on earth.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A great tumult from the Lord - Among those enemies of his Church, who shall engage and destroy each other.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
there will be great consternation, sent by the Lord upon them to confuse their wisdom, to bring them about to madness.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
his flesh will waste away while he still stands This denotes the falling off of the limbs.
Yea, even Judah against their will shall fight against Jerusalem.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָה֙ | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בַּיּ֣וֹם | baiyom | on the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַה֔וּא | hahu' | <the> that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| תִּֽהְיֶ֧ה | tihyeh | it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| מְהֽוּמַת־ | mehumat- | a panic of | H4103 → | |
| יְהוָ֛ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| רַבָּ֖ה | rabah | great | H7227 → | 454 times |
| בָּהֶ֑ם | bahem | among them | ||
| וְהֶחֱזִ֗יקוּ | vehecheziku | and they will take hold of | H2388 → | 291 times |
| אִ֚ישׁ | ʾish | each | H376 → | 1663 times |
| יַ֣ד | yad | [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| רֵעֵ֔הוּ | reehu | neighbor his | H7453 → | 188 times |
| וְעָלְתָ֥ה | vealtah | and it will go up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| יָד֖וֹ | yado | hand his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יַ֥ד | yad | [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| רֵעֵֽהוּ׃ | reehu | neighbor his | H7453 → | 188 times |
וְהָיָה֙and it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
בַּיּ֣וֹםon the day
baiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַה֔וּא<the> that
hahu'H1931 →1879 times
תִּֽהְיֶ֧הit will be
tihyehH1961 →3559 times
מְהֽוּמַת־a panic of
mehumat-H4103 →
יְהוָ֛הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
רַבָּ֖הgreat
rabahH7227 →454 times
בָּהֶ֑םamong them
bahem
וְהֶחֱזִ֗יקוּand they will take hold of
vehechezikuH2388 →291 times
אִ֚ישׁeach
ʾishH376 →1663 times
יַ֣ד[the] hand of
yadH3027 →1618 times
רֵעֵ֔הוּneighbor his
reehuH7453 →188 times
וְעָלְתָ֥הand it will go up
vealtahH5927 →890 times
יָד֖וֹhand his
yadoH3027 →1618 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יַ֥ד[the] hand of
yadH3027 →1618 times
רֵעֵֽהוּ׃neighbor his
reehuH7453 →188 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Judges 7:22And when the three hundred rams’ horns sounded, the LORD set all the men in the camp against one another with their swords. The army fled to Beth-shittah toward Zererah as far as the…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 4:12
Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;
- 1 Kings 4:12
Through
Ezekiel 38:21And I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains, declares the Lord GOD, and every man’s sword will be against his brother.
it leads to
- Haggai 2:22
I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his…
- Judges 7:22
And when the three hundred rams’ horns sounded, the LORD set all the men in the camp against one another with their swords. The army fled to Beth-shittah toward Zererah as far as the…
- Ezekiel 14:17
Or if I bring a sword against that land and say, ‘Let a sword pass through it,’ so that I cut off from it both man and beast,
- Haggai 2:22
Through
Zechariah 11:6For I will no longer have compassion on the people of the land, declares the LORD, but behold, I will cause each man to fall into the hands of his neighbor and his king,…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 13:14
I will smash them against one another, fathers and sons alike, declares the LORD. I will allow no mercy or pity or compassion to keep Me from destroying them.’”
- Hebrews 10:26–31
If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains,
- Micah 5:8
Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which…
- Jeremiah 13:14
Through
Zechariah 12:4On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and every rider with madness. I will keep a watchful eye on the house of Judah, but I will strike with…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 28:28
The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind,
- Deuteronomy 28:28
Where this verse is studied
About Zechariah

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON ZECHARIAH; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Zechariah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
