Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Zechariah 14:14
And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.
14. at Jerusalem ] This, or in Jerusalem, and not against Jerusalem (R. V. and margin, A. V.), which would be a wholly meaningless and irrelevant statement here (comp. Zec 12:2, note), is the rendering that must be adopted. There is no question here of the strength or allies of the opposing force, but only of the threefold cause of their destruction, viz. (1) the plague sent by God, Zec 14:12; (2) mutual slaughter, Zec 14:13; (3) the onslaught of Judah, rallying to defend the capital, Zec 14:14. “A still further element of ‘confusion’ would be added to the adversaries. When Jonathan gained his wonderful victory over the Philistines’ garrison at Michmash, there was a confusion caused by God in the ranks of the Philistines (1Sa 14:20), which resulted, as here, in a terrible conflict taking place in their own ranks. Those Hebrews who on that occasion were with the Philistines, as well as Israelites who had fled into the holes or fastnesses of the mountains, plucked up courage when they saw the confusion of their adversaries, and stood up boldly against them. Thus in the picture here given, when the ranks of the enemies are thinned by pestilence and mutual slaughter, the prophet represents the whole of the people of Judah, not merely those who had escaped out of the city, but also those who were outside its walls, as once more fighting at Jerusalem, or in its very streets, against the terror-driven, plague-stricken, God-confounded foe.” (Rev. C. H. H. Wright.)
the heathen ] the nations, R.V., as in Zec 14:16, where the same Heb. word is translated “nation” in A.V.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem – This seems more probable than the alternative rendering of the English margin, against. For Judah is united with Jerusalem as one, in the same context Zec 14:21; and, if it had shared with the pagan, it must also have shared their lot. It is Judah itself, not a remnant of Judah, as it is every one that is left of all the nations Zec 14:16, which is thus united to Jerusalem: it is that same Judah, as a whole, of which it is said, it shall fight. Nor is anything spoken of conversion, which is said of those left from the pagan nations, who had fought against her. Yet for Judah to have joined an exterminating pagan war against Jerusalem, even though constrained, had, like the constrained sacrifices to pagan gods, been apostasy. But there is not even a hint that, as Jonathan apologetically paraphrases , they were constrained.
The war is to be Judahs free act: Judah also shall fight. Again, those gathered against Jerusalem, and their warfare against it, had been described at the outset, as all nations (Zec 14:2-3 : here the subject is not the gathering or fighting, but the overthrow. Nor is there any decisive contrary idiom; for, although when used of people, it always means fight against, yet, of place, it as often, means fight in. Probably then the prophet means, that not only should God fight for His people, but that Judah also should do its part, as Paul says, We, then, as workers together with Him 2Co 6:1; and, we are laborers together with God 1Co 3:9; and, I labored more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me 1Co 15:10; or, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure Phi 2:12. God so doth all things in the Church, for the conversion of the pagan, and for single souls, as to wait for the cooperation of His creature. : God made thee without thee; He doth not justify thee without thee.
And the wealth of all the pagan round about shall be gathered – Whatever the world had taken in their war against the Church shall be abundantly repaid. All the pagan had combined to plunder Jerusalem; the wealth of all the pagan Zec 14:2 shall be gathered to requite them. Lap.: As Isaiah says, The nations, converted to Christ, brought all their wealth to the Church, whence he congratulates the Church, saying, Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breasts of kings – For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver Isa 60:16-17; under which he typically understands, (Dionysius), wisdom, philosophy, eloquence, learning, and all the other arts and sciences, liberal and mechanical, wherewith the pagan shall be adorned, who are converted to the faith. So shall the gifts of nature be perfected by the gifts of grace, and they shall defend the Church who erstwhile attacked it.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 14. And Judah also shall fight] They shall have little else to do than take the spoil, the wealth of all the heathen round about; gold, silver, and apparel.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Judah; the Jews, and particularly those of the tribe of Judah, and possibly Judas Maccabeus might be intended too, as those who in that day were valiant warriors, and successful: against the churchs enemies. And many such have been among the Christians too since those days.
Shall fight, with courage, good conduct, and success.
At Jerusalem; both in the land of Judea, and also at Jerusalem.
The wealth of all the heathen; the nations round about them, who having by foreign war peeled and robbed many nations, had brought it herod, and now God gave it to the Jews; and in like manner have many Christians spoiled those that spoiled them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
14. Judah . . . fight atJerusalemnamely, against the foe: not against Jerusalem, asMAURER translates invariance with the context. As to the spoil gained from the foe,compare Eze 39:10; Eze 39:17.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem,…. These are the professing people of Christ, the armies in heaven, the chosen, called, and faithful, who will follow the Lamb, and attend him when he goes forth to make war with the antichristian princes, and shall overcome them, Re 17:14:
and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold and silver, and apparel, in great abundance; by which are meant the riches of the Papists, called Gentiles or Heathens,
Re 11:2 which will fall into the hands of the followers of Christ at the time of Rome’s destruction; and which are signified by the flesh of the whore, and by the flesh of kings, captains, and mighty men, which will then be eaten; they will be stripped and spoiled of all their substance, Re 17:16.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Zechariah speaks here no doubt on the same subject; for he adds, that there would be an intestine war between the country and the city, though they were but one body, and since their return they were under the same Divine banner: God had indeed been their leader in their journey, and was in short the only remaining glory of the people. It was then something horribly monstrous, that Judah should join himself to enemies in order to destroy the city: yet the Prophet says that this evil, as well as other evils, would soon be witnessed; so that they would have not only to sustain the assaults of enemies, who would come from far, but would also find their brethren hostile and hurtful to them: Fight then shall Judah against Jerusalem (194)
At what time this happened, it is well known; for under Antiochus we know that both the city and the whole land were full of traitors; inasmuch as hardly one in a hundred continued to follow true religion. Thus it happened, that almost all were trodden under foot. It was not then without reason foretold by Zechariah, that the Jews would become cruel enemies to their own brethren.
He then adds, Collected shall be the armies of all nations. The word חיל, chil, means forces, wealth and strength. I am disposed to follow what I have already said, — that the army or strength of all nations around would be collected to overthrow Jerusalem. The Prophet intimates in these words that the Jews would apparently be the most miserable of men, were their condition estimated by their state at that time; for there would be harassing traitors within, so that they had to fear intrigues and hidden dangers, and many people also from every part would unite to destroy them. Nothing can be imagined more miserable than to be assailed from within and from without by almost the whole of mankind. But there will presently follow a consolation; and hence we must bear in mind what I have said, that threatening are given by way of warning, that the faithful might courageously bear those ruinous attacks, relying on the hope of a better state of things, according to what God had promised.
When afterwards he mentions gold, and silver, and garments, he intimates that the enemies, whom he speaks of, would not come, as though they were hungry, running to the prey; but that they would be so savage as to seek nothing but blood; for they would be furnished with necessaries, having an abundance of gold and silver. For what purpose then would they come? Not to satiate their avarice, but only to gorge human blood, and thus to extinguish the memory of the chosen people. Even to hear this was terrible; but it was necessary to warn the faithful, lest they should be surprised by any sudden event. He afterwards adds —
(194) Most commentators render this line, “And Judah shall fight in Jerusalem,” but contrary to Scripture usage. The verb used here for “fight,” when followed by [ ב ], almost invariably means to “fight against.” The exception which Henderson makes as to place, is not well founded. The very same form of words occurs in Neh 3:8 and the rendering is, “against Jerusalem.” See also 1Sa 23:1. The history of the Jews, as detailed both by Josephus and the Maccabees, fully bears out what is here said: and this corresponds with what is said of Judah in chapter 12:2. Whatever view may be taken of this and the preceding chapters, it cannot be denied but that there is a striking coincidence between what they contain, and the events connected with the Jews from the time of Ezra to the coming of Christ. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(14) Judah.Then, taking courage from the panic which had struck their adversaries, the whole people of Judahnot merely those who had escaped out of the city, but also those outside the wallsfight once more at Jerusalem, or in its very streets, against the terror-driven, plague-stricken, God-confounded foe (Wright).
And the wealth. . . .Oriental armies always march with quantities of gold, silver, and other valuables. (Comp. 2Ch. 20:25; and for an instance in India, year of the Hejra 964, see Al Badaonis Reign of Akbar, Transl. pp. 9, 10.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
14. The defeat of the nations is made complete by the Jews who, when they behold the ranks of the enemies thinned by pestilence and mutual slaughter, will rush upon the helpless remnant.
Shall fight at Jerusalem Targum and Vulgate, “against Jerusalem”; but the context forbids this interpretation. It means at or near the city, where the events described in Zec 14:12-13 will take place.
Judah Not only the country districts (Zec 12:5-7), but the whole people. With the army destroyed, the camp with all its rich treasures will fall into the hands of the victors. The punishment will be according to the lex talionis (compare Zec 14:2).
Zec 14:15 is the continuation of Zec 14:12 (see introductory remarks on this section). A plague as disastrous as that which smites the men (Zec 14:12) will destroy the beasts of the hostile army.
Horse The beast of war.
Mule, camel, ass Beasts of burden.
All the beasts Cattle and other animals carried along for food (compare Jos 7:24). The last words, “as this plague,” should, perhaps, be omitted; they are superfluous and make the reading awkward. In this wise all the wrongs done to the people of Jehovah will be avenged.
The conversion of a remnant of the nations, 16-19.
The survivors among the nations will cease their rebellion and turn to Jehovah. If any fail to do this they will be smitten with his curse.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Zec 14:14. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem And Judah also shall fight for Jerusalem. Not only, the Lord shall fight, (see Zec 14:3.) but also Judah.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Zec 14:14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.
Ver. 14. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem ] Shall fight like a lion, and do great exploits for his country; as Judas Maccabeus did; as Hunniades, that club of the Turks, and Scanderbeg, who killed 800 Turks with his own hand, and fought so earnestly sometimes, that the very blood burst out at his lips. So did Zisca, and the rest of Christ’s worthy warriors, who, by faith (and yet by force of arms too), waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, subdued kingdoms, fought the Lord’s battles, Heb 11:32 ; Heb 11:34 . They saw, by faith, what is on the other side of the shore of this mortality; and that put mettle into them. The valour of the Gauls was admired by the Romans; it proceeded from that instruction they had from their Druids, of the immortality of the soul. The Swedes upon the same ground showed incredible courage in the late German wars; running into apparent danger, like flies into the candle (saith one), as if they had not seen it (The Life of the King of Sweden, by Mr Clark). Faith fears no colours. What brave spirits hath God raised up among us of late, fighting, as it were, in blood to the knees for religion and liberty, resolved either to vanquish or die, as the Black Prince, , with that Lacedemonian, either to live with the gospel or die for it! And how valiant the restored Jews shall once be upon their enemies, the Turks, who now hold their country till their iniquities be full, who can tell? Sure it is that Israel, after their victory over Gog, shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God, Eze 39:10 . And then perhaps it is, that
the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together,
gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
heathen = nations.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Judah also shall: or, thou also, O Judah, shalt, etc. Zec 10:4, Zec 10:5, Zec 12:5-7
at: or, against
and the: 2Ki 7:6-18, 2Ch 14:13-15, 2Ch 20:25-27, Isa 23:18, Eze 39:9, Eze 39:10, Eze 39:17-20
Reciprocal: Isa 13:4 – noise Isa 60:9 – thy sons Isa 66:23 – shall all Oba 1:15 – the day Zec 12:2 – when they
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Zec 14:14. Judah shall fight at Jerusalem. The margin renders it “against Jerusalem which denotes that the people of God will oppose the wealth of the heathen that will accumulate around the city.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Zec 14:14-15. And Judah also shall fight at [or rather, for] Jerusalem The meaning seems to be, that while the enemies of Jerusalem are engaged in fighting with each other, Judah also (Hebrew, ,) will come up and join their forces with those of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, will fall upon the weakened nations, and take from them great spoil. And the wealth of all the heathen, &c., shall be gathered together And shall fall into the hands of Gods people. Thus the wealth of the sinner is often laid up for the just; and the Israel of God are enriched with the spoil of the Egyptians. And so shall be the plague of the horse, &c. The very cattle shall share in the plagues with which the enemies of Gods church shall be cut off, as they did in divers of the plagues of Egypt.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
14:14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the nations around shall be gathered together, {o} gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.
(o) The enemies are rich, and therefore will not come to entreat, but to destroy and shed blood.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Israelites would also fight their enemies there and would gather much spoil from the people they would defeat. Thus there are three instruments God would use to defeat Israel’s enemies: plague (Zec 14:12), themselves (Zec 14:13), and the Israelites (Zec 14:14).