Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Zechariah 14:13
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 neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor.
13. tumult ] Comp. 1Sa 14:20, where the same word is rendered “discomfiture,” and where, as also in Jdg 7:22 ; 2Ch 20:23, the foes are described, as here, as fighting against one another in their panic.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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 Jonathans capture of the garrison at Michmash, when every mans sword was against his fellow . There is no real unity, except in God; elsewhere, since each seeks his own, all must be impregnated with mutual suspicion, ready at any moment to be fanned into a flame; as when, at the blowing of Gideons trumpets, the Lord set every mans sword against his fellow Jdg 7:22; or when, at Jehoshaphats prayer, the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy; and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another 2Ch 20:32.
And they shall lay hold, every one on the hand of his neighbor – Every one shall be every ones foe. Each shall, in this tumultuous throng, grasp the others hand, mastering him powerfully. And his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor, as was prophesied of Ishmael, his hand will be against every man, and every mans hand against him Gen 16:12.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 13. A great tumult from the Lord] Among those enemies of his Church, who shall engage and destroy each other.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
In that day; when God punisheth those that invaded and wasted Jerusalem, his church.
A great tumult; confusion, vexation, and inclination to turn all upside down.
From the Lord; from the just displeasure of God, and in revenge on them for troubling his people.
Shall be among them, the bloody, cruel, and insatiable enemies of Jerusalem.
His hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour; from murmurs and grudgings one against another, they shall at last run into civil wars, and fight one with another, and so destroy themselves, and revenge Jerusalem. As they did, Jdg 7:22; 9:23.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. tumultconsternation(Zec 12:4; 1Sa 14:15;1Sa 14:20).
lay hold . . . on . . . handof . . . neighbourinstinctively grasping it, as if thereby tobe safer, but in vain [MENOCHIUS].Rather, in order to assail “his neighbor” [CALVIN],(Eze 38:21). Sin is the causeof all quarrels on earth. It will cause endless quarrels in hell(Jas 3:15; Jas 3:16).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And it shall come to pass in that day,…. When the vials are pouring out:
[that] a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; the Targum renders it, a great tumult, or noise of killing; and the Septuagint, an ecstasy: it refers to the earthquake, and the slaughter of seven thousand men of name, and the fright upon that, Re 11:13
and they shall lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbour, and shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour; there will be a revolution, upon this tumult, in several of the antichristian states; and the kings of them shall hate the whore, make her desolate, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire, Re 17:16 or, “his hand shall be cut off by the hand of his neighbour” u; see Zec 11:17, the power of antichrist shall be destroyed by neighbouring Christian princes.
u “et succidetur manus ejus super manum amici sui”, Pagninus. So Aben Ezra, and R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 43. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Prophet seems again to be inconsistent with himself; for after having declared that God would be the defender of his people, so as to destroy and consume all people for their sake, he now adds that there would be intestine discords, by which the Jews would wilfully consume one another; while yet there is nothing more improbable than that the people, who live under God’s protection, should so divide themselves into factions, as to perish miserably without any outward enemy. But these things do not ill accord, provided we bear in mind what I have already said — that these things are to be taken in a different sense; for the Prophet at one time warns the faithful of the evils which were impending, lest being shaken by their suddenness, they should despond; at another time he promises them a happy condition, for they would ever be the objects of God’s care. So then we may explain the matter thus — “Though enemies on every side should unite and conspire against you, though they should hasten with great fury and rage to destroy you, and though a vast member at home, and domestic enemies from the bosom of your city, should rise up against you, yet God will prevail against them, and all your enemies shall at length be for your good and benefit.”
This then is the reason why Zechariah blends together what seems to be wholly inconsistent. It was necessary to know both these things — that the faithful might be fully persuaded that God watched over their safety, for it was his purpose to defend the holy city, and to be its perpetual guardian — and then, that they might also be prepared in their minds to bear many trials and troubles, lest they should promise to themselves a joyful state, and thus indulge in carnal security. Having now explained the Prophet’s intention, we must briefly notice the words.
He says that there would be a great tumult from Jehovah among them. This no doubt refers to the Jews; for the Prophet shows that they would be not only exposed to external injuries, but also to another evil — that they would arm themselves against one another, as though they would tear out their own bowels. A tumult, he says, shall be among them, which is the extreme of evils that can happen to a city or people; for no danger is nearer than when they who ought as one man to unite strength and courage to repel an enemy, rage internally against themselves.
But this passage deserves special notice, as here is described to us the condition of the Church, such as it is to be until the end of the world; for though the Prophet speaks here of the intermediate time between the return of the people and the coming of Christ, yet he paints for us a living representation, by which we can see that the Church is never to be free or exempt from this evil — that it cannot drive away or put to flight domestic enemies. And we must also observe, that this tumult, as he says, would be from Jehovah (193) He means that whenever the Church is rent, and sects burst forth, and many hypocrites and ungodly men, who for a time pretend to be God’s true servants, furiously assail true religion — whenever these things arise, the Prophet means that they do not happen by chance, but that they are God’s judgments, in order to prove the faith of his people, and to humble his Church, and also to give to his people a victory and a crown. However this may be, though their own ambition rouses heretics, and all the ungodly, to disturb the Church, and though the devil excites them by his own fans, yet God sits in the chief place, and whatever commotions rage in the Church proceed from him. Hence Paul says that heresies must be, that those who are approved may become manifest. (1Co 11:19.) Certainly this is not the object of the devil; but Paul shows that it is the high purpose of God, so that he may distinguish by severe trial between his sincere servants and hypocrites; for he not only permits tumults to arise, but even stirs them up. And hence also we learn, that nothing is better than to flee to him when ungodly men race and distort our peace; for he can easily by a nod silence those commotions which he excites.
He adds, Every one shall lay hold on the hand of his companion, and rise up (or perish) shall his hand against the hand of his neighbor. This passage may admit of a twofold meaning. The first is, that every one for the sake of obtaining help will lay hold on the hand of his neighbor, and yet without any advantage, for his own hand would perish, that is, he who sought aid for his friend could not support himself: and this is the meaning given by many interpreters; as though the Prophet had said, that the state of things would be so desperate, that every one would be constrained to seek help from his friend, and yet could not obtain what he desired, for while attempting to lay hold on the hand of his friend, he would find that he could not grasp it. But a different meaning would better correspond with the next verse, — that every one would violently lay hold on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand would rise up against the hand of his neighbor. I think then that this part is added as explanatory, — that when God raised tumults among the Jews, every one would start forward to act violently against his neighbor, and raise up his hand to hurt him: for it follows —
(193) Literally it is “the tumult of Jehovah,” that is, proceeding from him, occasioned or produced by him. The arrangement of the words would lead us to make such a version as the following—
13. And it shall be in that day, That there shall be a tumult from Jehovah, Great shall it be among them; And they shall strengthen them; And raised up shall his hand be against his neighbor.
The two last lines describe the tumult and confusion; some would strengthen the hands of their neighbors, others would raise up their hands against them. The verbs “strengthen,” with no preposition before “hand,” cannot mean to seize or lay hold on in an unfriendly manner. See Isa 35:3; Jer 23:14; and see also Isa 41:13; Eze 30:25.
The state of things described here corresponds exactly with the account given by Josephus, and in the books of the Maccabees, of the Jewish nation in those days; they were not only assailed by outward enemies, but also by traitors among themselves. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
13. Additional disaster will result from a panic into which the enemies are thrown; then the terrified soldiers will turn their weapons against one another (compare Jdg 7:22; 1Sa 14:20; 2Ch 20:23).
A great tumult from Jehovah Jehovah will cause the tumult or confusion through the blow described in Zec 14:12.
Lay hold on the hand Seize, to destroy.
His hand shall rise up The hand is said to rise up because it holds the weapon; equivalent to “he shall rise up against his neighbor.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Zec 14:13. And his hand shall rise up, &c. And the hand of one shall cleave to the hand of another. Houbigant.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Zec 14:13 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.
Ver. 13. A great tumult from the Lord shall be among them ] He shall frighten them, as he did the Philistines, by a sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, 2Sa 5:24 , and the Syrians by a marching noise in the air, causing a panic terror, 2Ki 7:6 . Therefore some render it, Erit strepitus vel fragor Domini magnus in eis, so 1Sa 7:10 ; cf. 1Sa 2:10 . Or, he shall exasperate and embitter them one against another; as he did Abimelech and the men of Shechem, by sending an evil spirit between them, Jdg 9:23 , that is, by letting loose Satan upon them, that old manslayer, that coal kindler and mischief-maker of the world; and this in a way of just revenge for their treacherous conspiracy against the house of Gideon. Thus God first divided, and then destroyed, the Midianites, by setting every one’s sword against his fellow, Jdg 7:23 . So he dealt by the Philistines, 1Sa 14:15 ; 1Sa 14:20 . So the kings of Syria and Egypt, that succeeded Alexander, and were enemies to the Jews, destroyed one another; so did the primitive persecutors, the Turk and the Persian, the Spaniard and the French. In the year 1526 Charles V, emperor of Germany, set at liberty his prisoner Francis, King of France, upon this condition, among others, that they should join their forces and do their utmost to suppress and root out the Lutheran heresy; that is, the truth of the gospel, out of both their dominions (Scultet. Annal.). But soon after they fell at variance among themselves (the Pope blowing the bellows), whereby the Church had her halcyons, sic canes lingunt ulcera Lazari. so the digs licked the sore of Lazarus.
Shall take the hand of his neighbour
a A young man generally, in early use esp. a gay or fashionable young man D
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
tumult = panic,
every one. Heb. ‘ish, App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
a great: Zec 12:4, Jdg 7:22, 1Sa 14:15-23, 2Ch 20:22-24, Eze 38:21, Rev 17:12-17
Reciprocal: Deu 28:20 – vexation Isa 13:4 – noise Zec 10:5 – because Zec 12:3 – in that Mat 24:7 – nation shall Mar 13:8 – nation shall Luk 21:10 – Nation shall
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Zec 14:13. General confusion was to overwhelm those who tried to resist the new institution set up in Jerusalem. So great was that confusion to be that the enemies would be turned against each other as if they were strangers.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
14:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] {m} a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on {n} the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.
(m) God will not only raise up war outside, but sedition at home to test them.
(n) To hurt and oppress him.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Panic would seize them from the Lord in that day, and they would fight one another (cf. Jdg 7:22; 1Sa 14:15-20; 2Ch 20:23). This would happen near Jerusalem.