Zechariah 14:2
in Zechariah 14For I will gather all the nations for battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
KJV
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
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This verse in Zechariah 14
Commentary
8 notes on this verse(Chapter 14, verses 1, 2.) Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when your spoils will be divided in your midst. And I will gather all nations to Jerusalem for battle, and the city shall be taken, and the houses plundered, and the women violated. And half of the city shall go into captivity, but the rest of the people shall not be removed from the city. LXX: Behold, the days of the Lord are coming, and your spoils will be divided within you.
This site's exposition
the day of the Lord cometh
on Zechariah 14:1-2
The chapter opens on the day of the Lord itself, and it opens badly for Jerusalem: her own spoil divided in the midst of her, the nations gathered to battle, the city taken, houses rifled, women ravished, half the city marched into captivity. The last clause holds the turn inside the disaster, for the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city, a remnant kept alive inside the very catastrophe that seems to swallow the whole. The readings on the timing and referent of this day are named with their holders and carried no further, per the parking order that governs the whole close of the book.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
And we can see this with our own eyes. For though many have afflicted the word of Christ and are even now contending with it, yet it is lifted above them and become stronger than them all. Yes, truly, the hand of Christ is raised against all that afflicted him, and all his enemies who from time to time rise up against his church are said to be "utterly destroyed." The fulfillment of this also agrees with the passages quoted on the destruction of the whole Jewish race, which came on them after the coming of Christ.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
He presently changes his way, and appears for Jerusalem; for, though judgment begin at the house of God, yet, as it shall not end there, so it shall not make a full end there, Jer. iv.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
I will gather all nations - The Romans, whose armies were composed of all the nations of the world. In this verse there is a pitiful account given of the horrible outrages which should be committed during the siege of Jerusalem, and at its capture. The residue of the people shad not be cut off - Many were preserved for slaves, and for exhibition in the provincial theatres.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
But difficulties do not set aside revelations: the event will clear up seeming difficulties. Compare the complicated movements, Da 11:1-45. half . . . the residue--In Zec 13:8, 9, it is "two-thirds" that perish, and "the third" escapes. There, however, it is "in all the land"; here it is "half of the city." Two-thirds of the "whole people" perish, one-third survives.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
I Will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle - This is a feature which belongs to the end. It had been dwelt upon by Joel; Joe 3:2-9, Joe 3:11; Ezekiel spoke of the “many nations” Eze 38:6, Eze 38:15, Eze 38:22 which should come under Gog. John foretells of an universal strife at the end, when “The spirits of devils, working miracles, go forth unto the king; of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” Rev 16:14; and “Satan shall be loosed out of his prison and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints round about, and the beloved city” Rev 20:7-9. Since no creature can do aught but what God wills, and, in his phrensy against God’s people, is but His instrument, “to try them and to purge and to make white to the time of the end” Dan 11:35; Dan 12:10; and the strength of body or intellect, which is abused against His law, He continuously in the order of nature supplies, God may be said to do what Satan does against Him. Satan, in his blind fury, crowns martyrs, fills the thrones of heaven, works, against his will, the All-wise Will of God. And the houses rifled, and the women ... - The horrors of pagan war repeat themselves through people’s ever-recurring passions. What was foretold as to Babylon is repeated in the same words as to the Church of God. Seemingly “all things” come “alike to all Ecc 9:2: there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean and to the unclean: to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner.” The outward event is the same, the hidden part is known to God alone. […]
The words behind it
23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאָסַפְתִּ֨י | veasafti | and I will gather | H622 → | 200 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַגּוֹיִ֥ם׀ | hagoyim | the nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| אֶֽל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִַם֮ | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| לַמִּלְחָמָה֒ | lamilchamah | for <the> battle | H4421 → | 320 times |
| וְנִלְכְּדָ֣ה | venilkedah | and it will be captured | H3920 → | |
| הָעִ֗יר | hair | the city | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| וְנָשַׁ֙סּוּ֙ | venashasu | and they will be plundered | H8155 → | |
| הַבָּ֣תִּ֔ים | habatim | the houses | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| וְהַנָּשִׁ֖ים | vehanashim | and the women | H802 → | 781 times |
| תִּשָּׁכַ֑בְנָה | tishakhabnah | they will be lain with | H7901 → | |
| וְיָצָ֞א | veyatza' | and it will go out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| חֲצִ֤י | chatzi | <the> half of | H2677 → | 125 times |
| הָעִיר֙ | hair | the city | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| בַּגּוֹלָ֔ה | bagolah | in <the> exile | H1473 → | |
| וְיֶ֣תֶר | veyeter | and [the] rest of | H3499 → | |
| הָעָ֔ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִכָּרֵ֖ת | yikaret | it will be cut off | H3772 → | 288 times |
| מִן־ | min- | from | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הָעִֽיר׃ | hair | the city | H5892 → | 1090 times |
וְאָסַפְתִּ֨יand I will gather
veasaftiH622 →200 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הַגּוֹיִ֥ם׀the nations
hagoyimH1471 →561 times
אֶֽל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יְרוּשָׁלִַם֮Jerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
לַמִּלְחָמָה֒for <the> battle
lamilchamahH4421 →320 times
וְנִלְכְּדָ֣הand it will be captured
venilkedahH3920 →
הָעִ֗ירthe city
hairH5892 →1090 times
וְנָשַׁ֙סּוּ֙and they will be plundered
venashasuH8155 →
הַבָּ֣תִּ֔יםthe houses
habatimH1004 →2046 times
וְהַנָּשִׁ֖יםand the women
vehanashimH802 →781 times
תִּשָּׁכַ֑בְנָהthey will be lain with
tishakhabnahH7901 →
וְיָצָ֞אand it will go out
veyatza'H3318 →1067 times
חֲצִ֤י<the> half of
chatziH2677 →125 times
הָעִיר֙the city
hairH5892 →1090 times
בַּגּוֹלָ֔הin <the> exile
bagolahH1473 →
וְיֶ֣תֶרand [the] rest of
veyeterH3499 →
הָעָ֔םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יִכָּרֵ֖תit will be cut off
yikaretH3772 →288 times
מִן־from
min-H4480 →1188 times
הָעִֽיר׃the city
hairH5892 →1090 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
Mark 13:14So when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
it leads to
- Daniel 12:11
And from the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation set up, there will be 1,290 days.
- Daniel 9:27
And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple…
- Daniel 11:31
His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation.
- Matthew 24:15–28
So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),
- Luke 21:20–24
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near.
- Daniel 12:11
Through
Isaiah 13:16Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes, their houses will be looted, and their wives will be ravished.
it leads to
- Hosea 10:14
the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be demolished as Shalman devastated Beth-arbel in the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to pieces along with…
- Nahum 3:10
Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity. Her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her dignitaries, and all her nobles were bound in…
- Isaiah 13:18
Their bows will dash young men to pieces; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; they will not look with pity on the children.
- Hosea 10:14
Where this verse is studied
About Zechariah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Edward Bouverie Pusey, The Minor Prophets: A Commentary; Eusebius of Caesarea, PROOF OF THE GOSPEL 2:3.50, 53; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Zechariah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.