Zakharia 14:2

14:2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem ¹  to wage war; the city will be taken, its houses plundered, and the women raped. Then half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be taken away. ² 

Zakharia 8:5

8:5 And the streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing. ³ 

Zakharia 8:21

8:21 The inhabitants of one will go to another and say, “Let’s go up at once to ask the favor of the Lord, to seek the Lord who rules over all. Indeed, I’ll go with you.”’

Zakharia 8:20

8:20 The Lord who rules over all says, ‘It will someday come to pass that people – residents of many cities – will come.

Zakharia 8:3

8:3 The Lord says, ‘I have returned to Zion and will live within Jerusalem. ⁴  Now Jerusalem will be called “truthful city,” “mountain of the Lord who rules over all,” “holy mountain.”’

Zakharia 1:12

1:12 The angel of the Lord then asked, “Lord who rules over all, ⁵  how long before you have compassion on Jerusalem ⁶  and the other cities of Judah which you have been so angry with for these seventy years?” ⁷ 

Zakharia 1:17

1:17 Speak up again with the message of the Lord who rules over all: ‘My cities will once more overflow with prosperity, and once more the Lord will comfort Zion and validate his choice of Jerusalem.’”

Zakharia 9:1

The Coming of the True King

9:1 An oracle of the word of the Lord concerning the land of Hadrach, ⁸  with its focus on Damascus: ⁹ 

The eyes of all humanity, ¹⁰  especially of the tribes of Israel, are toward the Lord,

Zakharia 2:4

2:4 and said to him, “Hurry, speak to this young man ¹¹  as follows: ‘Jerusalem will no longer be enclosed by walls ¹²  because of the multitude of people and animals there.

Zakharia 7:7

7:7 Should you not have obeyed the words that the Lord cried out through the former prophets when Jerusalem ¹³  was peacefully inhabited and her surrounding cities, the Negev, and the Shephelah ¹⁴  were also populated?

Zakharia 9:4

9:4 Nevertheless the Lord will evict her and shove her fortifications ¹⁵  into the sea – she will be consumed by fire.

Zakharia 2:2

2:2 I asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “To measure Jerusalem ¹⁶  in order to determine its width and its length.”

Zakharia 2:5

2:5 But I (the Lord says) will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem ¹⁷  and the source of glory in her midst.’”

Zakharia 9:3

9:3 Tyre built herself a fortification and piled up silver like dust and gold like the mud of the streets!

Zakharia 14:1

The Sovereignty of the Lord

14:1 A day of the Lord ¹⁸  is about to come when your possessions ¹⁹  will be divided as plunder in your midst.

Zakharia 1:14

1:14 Turning to me, the messenger then said, “Cry out that the Lord who rules over all says, ‘I am very much moved ²⁰  for Jerusalem and for Zion.

Zakharia 1:16

The Oracle of Response

1:16 “‘Therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘I have become compassionate ²¹  toward Jerusalem ²²  and will rebuild my temple ²³  in it,’ says the Lord who rules over all. ‘Once more a surveyor’s measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’

Zakharia 8:4

8:4 Moreover, the Lord who rules over all says, ‘Old men and women will once more live in the plazas of Jerusalem, each one leaning on a cane because of advanced age.

Zakharia 9:12

9:12 Return to the stronghold, you prisoners, with hope; today I declare that I will return double what was taken from you.

Zakharia 9:2

9:2 as are those of Hamath also, which adjoins Damascus, and Tyre ²⁴  and Sidon, ²⁵  though they consider themselves to be very wise.

Zakharia 9:6

9:6 A mongrel people will live in Ashdod, for I will greatly humiliate the Philistines.

Zakharia 14:11

14:11 And people will settle there, and there will no longer be the threat of divine extermination – Jerusalem will dwell in security.

Zakharia 2:12

2:12 The Lord will take possession of ²⁶  Judah as his portion in the holy land and he will choose Jerusalem once again.

Zakharia 7:2

7:2 Now the people of Bethel ²⁷  had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their companions to seek the Lord’s favor

Zakharia 8:2

8:2 “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘I am very much concerned for Zion; indeed, I am so concerned for her that my rage will fall on those who hurt her.’

Zakharia 9:5

9:5 Ashkelon will see and be afraid; Gaza will be in great anguish, as will Ekron, for her hope will have been dried up. ²⁸  Gaza will lose her king, and Ashkelon will no longer be inhabited.

Zakharia 12:2

12:2 “I am about to make Jerusalem ²⁹  a cup that brings dizziness ³⁰  to all the surrounding nations; indeed, Judah will also be included when Jerusalem is besieged.

Zakharia 14:10

14:10 All the land will change and become like the Arabah ³¹  from Geba to Rimmon, ³²  south of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem will be raised up and will stay in its own place from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate ³³  and on to the Corner Gate, ³⁴  and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. ³⁵ 

Zakharia 8:10

8:10 Before that time there was no compensation for man or animal, nor was there any relief from adversity for those who came and went, because I had pitted everybody – each one – against everyone else.

Zakharia 8:13

8:13 And it will come about that just as you (both Judah and Israel) were a curse to the nations, so I will save you and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid! Instead, be strong!’

Zakharia 12:6

12:6 On that day ³⁶  I will make the leaders of Judah like an igniter ³⁷  among sticks and a burning torch among sheaves, and they will burn up all the surrounding nations right and left. Then the people of Jerusalem will settle once more in their place, the city of Jerusalem.

Zakharia 14:5

14:5 Then you will escape ³⁸  through my mountain valley, for the mountains will extend to Azal. ³⁹  Indeed, you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah ⁴⁰  of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come with all his holy ones with him.

Zakharia 14:16

14:16 Then all who survive from all the nations that came to attack Jerusalem will go up annually to worship the King, the Lord who rules over all, and to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. ⁴¹ 

[14:2]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[14:2]  ² tn Heb “not be cut off from the city” (so NRSV); NAB “not be removed.”

[8:5]  ³ sn The references to longevity and to children living and playing in peace are eschatological in tone. Elsewhere the millennial kingdom is characterized in a similar manner (cf. Isa 65:20; Jer 31:12-13).

[8:3]  ⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:12]  ⁵ sn Note that here the angel of the Lord is clearly distinct from the Lord who rules over all himself.

[1:12]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:12]  ⁷ sn The seventy years refers to the predicted period of Babylonian exile, a period with flexible beginning and ending points depending on the particular circumstances in view (cf. Jer 25:1; 28:1; 29:10; Dan 9:2). Here the end of the seventy years appears to be marked by the completion of the temple in 516 b.c., exactly seventy years after its destruction in 586.

[9:1]  ⁸ sn The land of Hadrach was a northern region stretching from Aleppo in the north to Damascus in the south (cf. NLT “Aram”).

[9:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “Damascus its resting place.” The 3rd person masculine singular suffix on “resting place” (מְנֻחָתוֹ, mÿnukhato), however, precludes “land” or even “Hadrach,” both of which are feminine, from being the antecedent. Most likely “word” (masculine) is the antecedent, i.e., the “word of the Lord” is finding its resting place, that is, its focus in or on Damascus.

[9:1]  ¹⁰ tc Though without manuscript and version support, many scholars suggest emendation here to clarify what, to them, is an unintelligible reading. Thus some propose עָדֵי אָרָם (’ade ’aram, “cities of Aram”; cf. NAB, NRSV) for עֵין אָדָם (’en ’adam, “eye of man”) or אֲדָמָה (’adamah, “ground”) for אָדָם (’adam, “man”), “(surface of) the earth.” It seems best, however, to see “eye” as collective and to understand the passage as saying that the attention of the whole earth will be upon the Lord (cf. NIV, NLT).

[2:4]  ¹¹ sn That is, to Zechariah.

[2:4]  ¹² tn Heb “Jerusalem will dwell as open regions (פְּרָזוֹת, pÿrazot)”; cf. NAB “in open country”; CEV “won’t have any boundaries.” The population will be so large as to spill beyond the ancient and normal enclosures. The people need not fear, however, for the Lord will be an invisible but strong wall (v. 5).

[7:7]  ¹³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[7:7]  ¹⁴ sn The Shephelah is the geographical region between the Mediterranean coastal plain and the Judean hill country. The Hebrew term can be translated “lowlands” (cf. ASV), “foothills” (NAB, NASB, NLT), or “steppes.”

[9:4]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew word חַיִל (khayil, “strength, wealth”) can, with certain suffixes, look exactly like חֵל (khel, “fortress, rampart”). The chiastic pattern here suggests that not Tyre’s riches but her defenses will be cast into the sea. Thus the present translation renders the term “fortifications” (so also NLT) rather than “wealth” (NASB, NRSV, TEV) or “power” (NAB, NIV).

[2:2]  ¹⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:1]  ¹⁸ sn The eschatological day of the Lord described here (and through v. 8) is considered by many interpreters to refer to the period known as the great tribulation, a seven year time of great suffering by God’s (Jewish) people culminating in the establishing of the millennial reign of the Lord (vv. 9-21). For other OT and NT references to this aspect of the day of the Lord see Amos 9:8-15; Joel 1:15–2:11; Isa 1:24-31; 2:2-4; 4:2-6; 26:16–27:6; 33:13-24; 59:1–60:22; 65:13-25; Jer 30:7-11; 32:36-44; Ezek 20:33-44; Dan 11:40; 12:1; Matt 24:21, 29; 25:31-46; Rev 19:11-16.

[14:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “your plunder.” Cf. NCV “the wealth you have taken.”

[1:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “jealous for” (so KJV, ASV); NIV, NRSV “very jealous for”; CEV “very protective of.” The meaning is that Jerusalem/Zion is the special object of God’s grace and purposes. This results in his unusual protection of his people, a protection not accorded others with whom he does not have such a close relationship.

[1:16]  ²¹ tn Heb “I have turned.” This suggests that the Lord has responded to the “turning” (i.e., repentance) of the people (v. 6) and now, with great love and forgiveness, allows construction of the temple to proceed.

[1:16]  ²² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:16]  ²³ tn Heb “house.”

[9:2]  ²⁴ map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[9:2]  ²⁵ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[2:12]  ²⁶ tn Heb “will inherit” (so NIV, NRSV).

[7:2]  ²⁷ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[9:5]  ²⁸ tn The present translation presupposes a Hiphil perfect of יָבֵשׁ (yavesh, “be dry”; cf. NRSV “are withered”) rather than the usually accepted Hiphil of בּוֹשׁ (bosh, “be ashamed”; cf. KJV, ASV), a sense that is less suitable with the removal of hope.

[12:2]  ²⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[12:2]  ³⁰ sn The image of a cup that brings dizziness is that of drunkenness. The Lord will force the nations to drink of his judgment and in doing so they will become so intoxicated by his wrath that they will stumble and become irrational.

[14:10]  ³¹ tn Or “like a plain” (similar KJV, NAB, NASB, NCV, NRSV, NLT); or “like a steppe”; cf. CEV “flatlands.” The Hebrew term עֲרָבָה (’aravah) refers to an arid plain or steppe, but can be used specifically as the name of the rift valley running from the Sea of Galilee via the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba.

[14:10]  ³² sn The expression from Geba to Rimmon is a way of indicating the extent of all Judah from north (2 Kgs 23:8) to south (Job 15:32; 19:7). Since Geba (Heb. גֶּבַע) means “hill” and Rimmon resembles the word for height (Heb. רָמָה, ramah), this could be a play on words suggesting that all the high country will be made low, like the great Arabah valley.

[14:10]  ³³ tn Or “old gate” (NLT); or “former gate” (NRSV).

[14:10]  ³⁴ sn From the Benjamin Gate…on to the Corner Gate marks the northern wall of the city of Jerusalem from east to west.

[14:10]  ³⁵ sn From the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses indicates the extent of Jerusalem from north to south.

[12:6]  ³⁶ sn On that day (referring to the day of the Lord) the Davidic monarchy will be restored and the Lord’s people will recognize once more the legitimacy and divine sanction of David’s dynasty. But there will also be a democratizing that will not give Jerusalem and its rulers undue priority over the people of the countryside (v. 7).

[12:6]  ³⁷ tn Heb “a firepot” (so NASB, NIV); NRSV “a blazing pot”; NLT “a brazier.”

[14:5]  ³⁸ tc For the MT reading נַסְתֶּם (nastem, “you will escape”) the LXX presupposes נִסְתַּם (nistam, “will be stopped up”; this reading is followed by NAB). This appears to derive from a perceived need to eliminate the unexpected “you” as subject. This not only is unnecessary to Hebrew discourse (see “you” in the next clause), but it contradicts the statement in the previous verse that the mountain will be split open, not stopped up.

[14:5]  ³⁹ sn Azal is a place otherwise unknown.

[14:5]  ⁴⁰ sn The earthquake in the days of King Uzziah, also mentioned in Amos 1:1, is apparently the one attested to at Hazor in 760 b.c.

[14:16]  ⁴¹ sn Having imposed his sovereignty over the earth following the Battle of Armageddon, the Lord will receive homage and tribute from all who survive from all the nations. The Feast of Tabernacles was especially associated with covenant institution and renewal so it will be appropriate for all people to acknowledge that they are vassals to the Lord at that time (cf. Deut 31:9-13; Neh 8:12-18; 9:1-38).