Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Zechariah
Chapter 14: One LORD, and His Name One
Zechariah ends with the great day of the LORD and the triumph of God's kingdom. The nations gather against Jerusalem, but 'then shall the LORD go forth, and fight,' and 'his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives.' Living waters flow out from Jerusalem, summer and winter. And at the center blazes one of the greatest declarations of the oneness of God in all Scripture: 'the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.' Not many gods, not a divided deity, but one LORD, with one name, reigning over the whole earth. The surviving nations come up year by year to worship 'the King, the LORD of hosts,' and the book closes with a world made holy, 'HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD' inscribed even on the bells of the horses, and every common pot as sacred as the vessels of the temple. From judgment to worldwide worship, from the mount of Olives to a holy creation, the book of the LORD who remembers ends with the LORD who reigns.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Zechariah chapter 14, the day of the LORD and the triumph of His kingdom. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. This closing chapter ends the book with the LORD reigning as one King over all the earth, and all things made holy to Him. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
His Feet on the Mount of Olives
The LORD going forth to fight and to reign.
Living Waters From Jerusalem
An unfailing river of life, summer and winter.
One LORD, and His Name One
The one God reigning over all the earth.
Holiness Unto the LORD
A whole creation made sacred to God.
His Feet Shall Stand Upon the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:1-8)
When the nations gather against Jerusalem, the LORD Himself goes forth to fight; His feet stand on the mount of Olives, which splits to make a way of escape, and living waters flow out from the city, summer and winter.
Living Waters Shall Go Out From Jerusalem
"Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 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. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be."
Hebrew Study
"his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives." The LORD Himself comes down to fight for His people, and "his feet" stand on the mount of Olives, which splits to make a way of escape. This is God coming in visible, bodily terms to save. For the Apostolic reader it is deeply significant that it was from the mount of Olives that the Lord Jesus ascended, and the angels promised, "this same Jesus... shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11-12). The God whose "feet shall stand... upon the mount of Olives" is the LORD who came in the flesh of Jesus and will return in glory. The coming of the LORD to reign is the coming of Christ.
"living waters shall go out from Jerusalem... in summer and in winter." From the reigning city flows a river of "living waters", running, life-giving water, not seasonal but constant, "in summer and in winter." It joins the Bible's great river imagery: Ezekiel's river from the temple that heals wherever it goes (Ezekiel 47), and Revelation's "pure river of water of life... proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Revelation 22:1). Jesus is the source: "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink," He said, speaking "of the Spirit," so that "out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-39). The living waters that flow from Jerusalem are the life of the Spirit, poured out from Christ, never drying up, reaching the whole world ("the former sea" and "the hinder sea," east and west).
Explanation
The final chapter opens with "the day of the LORD," a day of crisis and triumph. God gathers "all nations against Jerusalem," and the city suffers terribly, taken, plundered, half carried captive. But at the darkest point, "then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations." He comes in person: "his feet shall stand... upon the mount of Olives," which splits to open "a very great valley" of escape for His people. "The LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee."
That day is unlike any other: "not day, nor night," a mysterious twilight, but "at evening time it shall be light", when all seems to be darkening, light breaks in. And from the city flow "living waters," running east and west, "in summer and in winter", an unfailing river of life. The picture is of God coming down to rescue His besieged people, turning their evening to light, and sending out from His presence a river that never runs dry. Judgment and darkness give way to the coming of the LORD and the flowing of living water.
Gospel Focus
Two promises here shine with gospel light. First, "at evening time it shall be light." When the day is darkening, when the nations gather and all seems lost, God breaks in with light at the very hour of despair. This is how God works, bringing light at evening, life out of death, dawn out of the darkest night. The cross itself was the deepest evening, and out of it broke resurrection light. Whatever your evening, trust the God who makes it light at evening time; the coming of the LORD turns the darkest hour bright.
Second, "living waters shall go out from Jerusalem... in summer and in winter." From the presence of the reigning God flows an unfailing river of life, and Jesus tells us what it is: the Spirit He gives to all who come to Him thirsty. "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink," and "out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." This river does not dry up in the "summer" of prosperity or the "winter" of hardship; it flows constantly, and it goes out to the whole world, east and west. If you are thirsty, come to Christ and drink; and once you have drunk, the living water flows out through you to others. The book that began with a call to return ends with a river of life flowing from the reigning LORD to the ends of the earth.
In That Day Shall There Be One LORD (Zechariah 14:9-15)
The LORD is enthroned as king over all the earth, one LORD with one name; Jerusalem dwells safely, and the nations that fought against her are struck with plague and confusion, their wealth gathered to God's people.
The LORD Shall Be King Over All the Earth
"And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. 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. 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. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague."
Hebrew Study
"the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one." This is one of the mightiest declarations of the oneness of God in all Scripture, and it is the goal of history. "The LORD shall be king over all the earth", His reign, now contested, will be universal and unopposed. And "in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one." It echoes Israel's great confession, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" (Deuteronomy 6:4), and looks to the day when the whole world knows and confesses it. For the Apostolic reader this verse is bedrock: there is one LORD, not a plurality of gods nor a divided Godhead, and He has one name. That one saving name is revealed in Jesus, "there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12), and one day "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:10-11). One LORD, one name, one King over all the earth, this is the confession of Oneness faith and the destiny of the world.
"there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited." Under the reign of the one LORD, the curse of "utter destruction" (cherem, the ban of total judgment) is lifted, and the city dwells in perfect safety. This looks to the final state where the curse is gone forever, "and there shall be no more curse" (Revelation 22:3), and God's people "shall be safely inhabited," secure under the King. The insecurity, war, and ruin that mark this fallen age give way to the unbreakable peace of God's kingdom. When the one LORD reigns, His people dwell safe, and destruction is no more.
Explanation
The chapter reaches its glorious center: "the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one." God's reign, resisted throughout history, becomes universal and undisputed, and His oneness is openly confessed by all. Under His reign, the land is transformed and lifted up, and Jerusalem is "safely inhabited," with "no more utter destruction." The insecurity of the fallen world is gone.
Meanwhile the nations that "fought against Jerusalem" are struck with a horrifying "plague", their flesh, eyes, and tongues consuming away, and thrown into a self-destructive "tumult," turning on one another. Even their livestock share the plague, and their "wealth" is gathered to God's people. The scene is one of decisive judgment on all that opposed God and His people, and the establishment of His unopposed, worldwide reign. History's long contest ends with the one LORD enthroned as King over all the earth.
Gospel Focus
"The LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one" is the goal of all history and the heart of Apostolic faith. There is one LORD, one God, not many gods and not a divided Godhead, and He has one name. This is the confession Israel made, "The LORD our God is one LORD," and it is the confession the whole world will one day make. And that one LORD has made His one saving name known in Jesus Christ, "there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." The day is coming when every knee will bow and every tongue confess "that Jesus Christ is Lord," and the one LORD will reign, unopposed, over all the earth. To confess "one LORD, and his name one" now, and to call on that one saving name, is to align yourself with the destiny of the universe.
And rejoice in the promise, "there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited." When the one LORD reigns, the curse is lifted and His people dwell in perfect, unbreakable safety. All the insecurity of this fallen age, its wars, ruin, and dread, gives way to the settled peace of God's kingdom, where "there shall be no more curse" and no more destruction. This is the future secured for all who belong to the King. However besieged God's people seem now, the end is certain: the one LORD enthroned over all the earth, and His people safe forever. Bow now to the one LORD whose name is one, and take your place in the city that dwells secure under His reign.
Holiness Unto the LORD (Zechariah 14:16-21)
The surviving nations come up year by year to worship the King, and the whole of life is made sacred, "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD" inscribed even on the bells of the horses, every common vessel as holy as the altar's, in a world wholly given to God.
Holiness Unto the LORD Upon the Bells of the Horses
"And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts."
Hebrew Study
"HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD." This phrase was engraved on the golden plate worn on the high priest's forehead, the mark of consecration set apart for God alone (Exodus 28:36). But in the age to come, it will be written not on the priest only but on "the bells of the horses", the most ordinary, everyday things, and "every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD," as sacred as the temple vessels. The distinction between "sacred" and "secular" dissolves; the whole of life becomes holy to God. This is the goal of redemption: not a small holy corner in a common world, but a world made wholly holy, where every horse's bell and every kitchen pot is consecrated to God. It anticipates the new creation where God is all in all, and points to the calling of every believer now: "whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). All of life, "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD."
"there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD." The "Canaanite" (a word that can also mean "trader" or "merchant") stands for what is unclean, profane, or commercially corrupt in God's house. In that day there shall be "no more" of it: nothing unholy, nothing that defiles, will remain in God's presence. It recalls the Lord Jesus cleansing the temple of the money-changers, "make not my Father's house an house of merchandise" (John 2:16), and points to the final purity of the new Jerusalem, into which "there shall in no wise enter... any thing that defileth" (Revelation 21:27). The end of God's work is a wholly holy world and a wholly pure house, with everything consecrated to Him and nothing unclean remaining. This is where the book, and history, is heading: a creation stamped "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD."
Explanation
The book's climax is worldwide worship. "Every one that is left of all the nations" that fought against Jerusalem will "go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles." The nations once at war with God now come to worship Him, and those who refuse face drought and plague. The one LORD is worshiped by all the earth.
And the final scene is a world made holy. The words once reserved for the high priest's crown, "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD", will be inscribed even "upon the bells of the horses," and "every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts." The ordinary becomes sacred; there is no longer any division between holy and common, for all is consecrated to God. And "there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD", nothing unclean or profane remains in His presence. So the book of Zechariah, which began with a call to return to God, ends with a world returned to God, worshiping the one King, every common thing made holy, and nothing unclean left in His house.
Gospel Focus
The book ends with the goal of the whole gospel: a world made wholly holy to God. "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD," once written only on the high priest's crown, will be stamped on the bells of the horses and on every kitchen pot. This is the destiny of redemption, not a small holy space in a profane world, but a creation entirely consecrated to God, where the sacred/secular divide is gone and everything, work and worship, the ordinary and the extraordinary, is holy to the LORD. And it is the calling of every believer now, for we are made "an holy priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5), and are to do "all to the glory of God." Let "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD" be written over your whole life, your work, your home, your meals, your relationships, so that nothing is common and all is His.
And take hope that "there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD." One day everything unclean and profane will be removed from God's presence forever; "there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth." The Lord Jesus, who cleansed the temple, will one day cleanse His whole creation, and the redeemed will dwell in a world where all is holy and nothing defiles. This is where the God who remembers His covenant is bringing history: to worldwide worship of the one King, and a creation stamped "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD." So the book that opened with "Turn ye unto me... and I will turn unto you" closes with a whole world turned to God in holiness and worship. Turn to Him now, and take your place in the holy world to come.
Chapter 14 and the Book of Zechariah in Review
Zechariah 14 ends the book with the day of the LORD and the triumph of His kingdom. When the nations gather against Jerusalem, "the LORD shall go forth, and fight," His feet standing "upon the mount of Olives," which splits to save His people; "at evening time it shall be light," and "living waters" flow out from the city, summer and winter. At the center blazes the great confession: "the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one." The surviving nations come up to worship "the King, the LORD of hosts," and the whole world is made holy, "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD" on the bells of the horses and every common pot, with "no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD."
So closes the book of Zechariah, "the LORD remembers." It began by calling the returned exiles to "turn ye unto me"; it moved through the night visions of God's care, the cleansing of the priest, the Spirit's power, the King-Priest BRANCH; it foretold with astonishing precision the lowly King on the donkey, the thirty pieces of silver, the pierced One mourned, the smitten Shepherd, and the fountain opened for sin; and it ends here, with the one LORD reigning as King over all the earth, worshiped by the nations, His people safe, and all creation stamped holy to Him. For the Apostolic reader Zechariah is a treasury of Christ, His humble coming, His betrayal and piercing, His deity as God's fellow pierced for us, and His universal reign, and it closes with the bedrock of Oneness faith: one LORD, and His name one, the one God who came in the flesh of Jesus and will reign forever. The LORD who remembers His covenant will be King over all the earth; may we be found worshiping Him, our whole lives "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD."
- The LORD comes in person to save; His feet stand on the mount of Olives, whence Christ ascended and will return (14:4; Acts 1:11).
- "At evening time it shall be light": God brings light at the darkest hour (14:7).
- Living waters flow from the reigning LORD, the life of the Spirit in Christ (14:8; John 7:37-39).
- The bedrock of Oneness faith: "one LORD, and his name one," reigning over all the earth (14:9; Deuteronomy 6:4; Philippians 2:10-11).
- Under the one LORD, the curse is lifted and His people dwell safe (14:11; Revelation 22:3).
- The whole world made holy: "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD" on all things (14:20-21; 1 Corinthians 10:31).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you confess and worship the one LORD whose name is one, revealed in Jesus?
- Are you drinking of the living waters, the Spirit that Christ gives?
- Is "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD" written over your whole life, not just a corner of it?
- Looking back over Zechariah, how has it deepened your sight of Christ, from the donkey to the throne?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Key terms: cherem ("utter destruction," the ban, verse 11); "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD" (verse 20) is the inscription on the high priest's golden plate, Exodus 28:36-38; 39:30. The LORD coming to fight and reign, and the mount of Olives: Joel 3:1-2, 12-16; Micah 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-12; Matthew 24:29-31; Revelation 19:11-16. Light at evening and the day known to the LORD: Isaiah 60:19-20; Revelation 21:23-25; 22:5. Living waters from Jerusalem: Ezekiel 47:1-12; Joel 3:18; John 4:10-14; 7:37-39; Revelation 22:1-2. "One LORD, and his name one," the oneness of God: Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-6, 22-23; Mark 12:29; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:5-6; and the one saving name, Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9-11; Revelation 11:15; 19:16. The curse lifted, no more destruction: Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 21:4; 22:3. All nations worshiping the King and keeping the feast: Isaiah 2:2-3; 66:23; Zechariah 8:20-23; Revelation 7:9-10; 15:4. All things made holy, the sacred/secular divide gone: Exodus 28:36; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 21:27; and Christ cleansing the temple, John 2:13-17. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The day of the LORD, His feet on Olivet, and living waters from Jerusalem: Zechariah 14:1-8; Acts 1:11; John 7:37-39.
- The one LORD king over all the earth, and His people safe: Zechariah 14:9-15; Deuteronomy 6:4; Philippians 2:10-11.
- All nations worshiping the King and a world made "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD": Zechariah 14:16-21; Revelation 7:9; 1 Corinthians 10:31.