His
feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in two, from east to west, making a very great valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zechariah 14:4
Zechariah 13 [7.] “Awake, sword, against my shepherd,
and against the man who is close to me,” says Yahweh of Armies.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
It shall happen that in all the land,” says Yahweh,
“two parts in it will be cut off and die;
but the third will be left in it.
I will bring the third part into the fire,
and will refine them as silver is refined,
and will test them like gold is tested.
They will call on my name, and I will hear them.
I will say, ‘It is my people;’
and they will say, ‘Yahweh is my God.’”
Zechariah 14 [1.] Behold, a day of Yahweh comes, when your plunder will be divided within you. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city will be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go out into captivity, and the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then Yahweh will go out and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in two, from east to west, making a very great valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zechariah 14 [5.] You shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; yes, you shall flee, just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with you. It will happen in that day, that there will not be light, cold, or frost. It will be a unique day which is known to Yahweh; not day, and not night; but it will come to pass, that at evening time there will be light.
Meaning:
Zechariah prophesied after the return from exile in Babylon, from about 520 BC, encouraging the people to rebuild the temple. The last chapters of his book look far ahead to “a day of Yahweh”. In chapter 14 the nations gather against Jerusalem and the city suffers terribly; then “Yahweh will go out and fight against those nations” (see the Context). Verse 4 pictures the Lord himself arriving on the Mount of Olives. This mountain, east of Jerusalem, is the setting for some of the most important moments in Jesus’ last week, including his teaching about the future (Mark 13:3-4).
- “His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives”
“His feet” are the feet of Yahweh. The prophet pictures God coming in person to rescue his people, like a warrior taking his stand. “That day” is the day of the Lord, the time when God steps into history to judge his enemies and save his own.
- “Which is before Jerusalem on the east”
The Mount of Olives rises across the Kidron Valley, directly facing the temple mount. Anyone coming from the east to Jerusalem passed over it. It was from there that Jesus began his entry into the city (Mark 11:1), riding on a donkey as Zechariah had foretold: “Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). And it was there that he sat with his disciples, looking across at the temple, and spoke of his coming in glory (Mark 13:26).
- “The Mount of Olives will be split in two, from east to west, making a very great valley”
When God comes, even the mountains give way. Here the mountain splits to form a great valley, which becomes a way of escape: “You shall flee by the valley of my mountains… just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah” (see the Context). The upheaval that terrifies God’s enemies opens a road of rescue for his people.
- “That day” and its blessings
Zechariah goes on to describe what follows. It will be “a unique day which is known to Yahweh” (see the Context), a day whose timing belongs to God alone, just as Jesus said that “of that day or that hour no one knows… but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). Then “living waters will go out from Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:8), and the Lord will reign over all the earth.
The Significance of Zechariah 14:4
- God comes to save
The God of the Bible does not stay far away. He comes in person to rescue his people, and in Jesus he has done so.
- A way of escape
The split mountain becomes a road to safety. When God acts, he makes a way for those who trust him.
- The King is coming
Zechariah’s vision ends with God reigning over all the earth. Believers live in hope of that day.
Cross-References:
Zechariah 9:9: "Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey" The King who came by the Mount of Olives.
Mark 11:1: "When they came near to Jerusalem, to Bethsphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives" Jesus begins his entry from the Mount of Olives.
Mark 13:3: "As he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple" Jesus teaches about the future from the same mountain.
Zechariah 14:8: "living waters will go out from Jerusalem" The blessings of that day.
Conclusion: Zechariah 14:4 pictures the Lord coming to rescue Jerusalem: his feet stand on the Mount of Olives, and the mountain splits to open a great valley of escape. The same mountain saw Jesus begin his entry as Zechariah’s humble King and later teach his disciples about his coming in glory. The verse points to a day known to God alone, when he will save his people and reign as King over all the earth.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible