'Behold, a day of Hashem comes' — His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, and the mount shall be cleft in the midst; living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; 'And Hashem shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall Hashem be One, and His name one'; every one that is left of the nations shall go up from year to year to keep the feast of Sukkot; 'in that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses: HOLY TO HASHEM.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Behold, a day of Hashem comes, When your spoil shall be divided in the midst of you.
verse value 1023
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "day·comes" (יֽוֹם־בָּ֖א, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "day·comes" (יֽוֹם־בָּ֖א), "and·will·be·portioned" (וְחֻלַּ֥ק), "her·spoil" (שְׁלָלֵ֖ךְ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "day·comes" (root יום, 40x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּ֥ה [they] (60) + יֽוֹם־בָּ֖א [day·comes] (59) + לַיהֹוָ֑ה [of·Hashem] (56) + וְחֻלַּ֥ק [and·will·be·portioned] (144) + שְׁלָלֵ֖ךְ [her·spoil] (380) + בְּקִרְבֵּֽךְ [in·your·midst] (324) = 1023.
Rashi
“Behold, the day…” – [This day is] beloved to the Holy One, blessed be He.
“And you shall divide your spoil among yourselves.” The spoil that you shall take from your enemies, your inhabitants shall divide among themselves within your midst. And so too does the Targum render it: “And the people of Israel shall divide the property of the nations within you, O Jerusalem.”
Radak
Behold, the day of the Lord comes. To the Lord shall belong that day, for His glory and His might will be revealed at that time. It is the time when Gog and Magog will come upon the land of Israel, as Ezekiel the prophet prophesied. 'And your spoil shall be divided in your midst' — this refers to Jerusalem, for the nations will divide the city's spoil within it, as it says 'and the houses shall be rifled.' Jonathan rendered it: 'It is the day destined to come from before the Lord; and the House of Israel shall divide the property of the nations in your midst, O Jerusalem.'
Metzudat David
"To the Lord." This means that it is designated for Him and kept in His possession.
"And your spoil shall be divided in your midst." This means that all the spoil that the nations have plundered from you since the beginning of time shall return to you, and it shall be divided among you, to give to each one his portion.
Metzudat Zion
"Your spoil." The meaning is plunder:
Malbim
Behold, now it will relate how Gog and Magog will come upon Jerusalem in the final instance, when they will reach Jerusalem itself (and in all the previous instances they did not touch Jerusalem, as stated in Ezekiel chapter 38). And this is what it says: “A day that is special to the Lord” will come, and then “you shall divide the spoil among yourselves,” for he will already begin to plunder the spoil and to seize spoil in Jerusalem itself, and it explains how this will be.
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, But the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
verse value 7410
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 102 letters. Verse gematria: 7410 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·nations" (אֶת־כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֥ם, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 285: the·city, the·city. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "and·let·me·gather" (וְאָסַפְתִּ֨י), "to·the·battle" (לַמִּלְחָמָה֒), "and·will·be·captured" (וְנִלְכְּדָ֣ה). The root עיר appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 36x in Zechariah); "to·Jerusalem" (root איל, 34x in Zechariah); "the·houses" (root בית, 27x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root חצי ("half") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·be·lain·down', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 9 words.
Rashi
"And the rest of the people shall not be cut off." They shall not all be exiled. And why should they leave them to be exiled, half of them and to have their houses torn down, so that they would not have an opening in their mouth to say, "We did not come for war, but we came to worship."
Radak
"And I will gather." This means that they will set their hearts to come to Jerusalem for war, as it is said in the prophecy of Ezekiel: "I will bring you up from the north parts, and will bring you upon the mountains of Israel."
"And the city shall be taken." This is the distress that will befall refining the third [part] that remains in it, and concerning which it is said in the prophecy of Isaiah: "Hide yourself for a little moment until the wrath pass" (Isaiah 26:20), and it is said in the prophecy of Daniel: "And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation" (Daniel 12:1).
“And the houses shall be plundered.” These are from the doubled forms (pa'al) whose root is shin-samekh-samekh. And similarly, “Who gave Jacob for a spoil?” The matter here is that “spoil” (shlal) is related to this root.
“And half the city shall go forth into exile.” This means that they will be exiled from the city as captives to their tents, which are outside the city. Until now, the Holy One, blessed be He, will leave them in the hands of their enemies to refine them; but He will save all those inscribed in the Book, and they will accept the affliction with a good heart. The rest of the people will not be cut off from the city, for the Holy One, blessed be He, will no longer leave them in the hands of their enemies. Rather, Israel will prevail over the enemies with the help of God being with them. This is what is stated: “And the Lord shall go out in the day of battle.” The Targum translates “battle” as “kavva” (warfare), and similarly [we find] “Good wisdom is better than weapons of war” and similar verses. And it says “in the day of battle” without specifying which war, and its interpretation is according to its Targum: “Like the day He waged His battle at the Sea of Reeds.” For then Israel was in great distress, for the Egyptians were pursuing them, and Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, said to them: “The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall keep silent.” And similarly it says: “Behold, I will fight against those nations.”
Metzudat David
"And I will gather." Now he explains how their spoils will be returned to them, and says: Behold, I will rouse all the idolaters, who are the host of Gog and Magog, to assemble and come to Jerusalem for war.
"And they shall tear down the houses." This means that they will demolish the houses, trample on their stones with their feet, and force the women into sexual intercourse.
And the rest of the people: The half that remained, even from the city, shall not be cut off, and they shall remain in their place.
Metzudat Zion
ונשסו. The meaning of "trampling" is similar to "and they shall be a trampling place" (Jeremiah 30:16):
They shall be ravished. The word is derived from the terms *mishgal* and *mishkav*, meaning sexual intercourse and lying down.
Malbim
“And I will gather all the nations” – the Holy One, blessed be He, will place it in the hearts of the nations to assemble against Jerusalem for war. And it has already been explained in Ezekiel 32 and in chapter 38 that in the end of days, the children of Edom will assemble to take Jerusalem from the hands of the Ishmaelites. Then the city will be captured, the houses will be plundered, and half of the people will already have gone into exile. But they will not succeed in completing the matter and exiling all of them, nor will the remainder of the people be cut off from the city. And this will be because...
Then shall Hashem go forth, And fight against those nations, As when He fights in the day of battle.
verse value 903
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "abundance" (הָהֵ֑ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·shall·fight" (וְנִלְחַ֖ם, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "and·shall·fight" (וְנִלְחַ֖ם), "as·day·of" (כְּי֥וֹם), "when·He·fights" (הִֽלָּחֲמ֖וֹ). The root לחם appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "as·day·of" (root יום, 40x in Zechariah); "and·shall·go·forth" (root יצא, 22x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'abundance', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְיָצָ֣א [and·shall·go·forth] (107) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וְנִלְחַ֖ם [and·shall·fight] (134) + בַּגּוֹיִ֣ם [against·the·nations] (61) + הָהֵ֑ם [abundance] (50) + כְּי֥וֹם [as·day·of] (76) + הִֽלָּחֲמ֖וֹ [when·He·fights] (89) + בְּי֥וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + קְרָֽב [war] (302) = 903.
Rashi
Like the day He fought, on the day of battle. [Targum:] Like the day He waged battle at the Sea of Reeds.
Metzudat David
"And the Lord went out" At that time, the LORD went out from the heavens and fought against those idolaters, to strike them down and destroy them.
"As on the day when He fought, on the day of battle." This means: Just as He fought against Egypt on the day of the battle at the Sea of Reeds, as it is stated, "The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall keep silent" (Exodus 14:14), and so it was, for the Lord drowned them in the sea, and Israel came to plunder their spoils; so too will it be in the future, for the Lord will destroy them, and Israel will plunder their spoils.
Metzudat Zion
Karev. The meaning is war, as in “Who teaches my hands to war” (Psalms 144:1):
Malbim
And the Lord will go out and fight against these nations. And it has already been explained in Ezekiel that the Lord will send confusion between the two combatants, and they will kill each other, and this will be by the providence of the Lord. And in this it will resemble the day of His fighting on the day of battle, for there is a difference between battle (krev) and war (milchamah): in battle, one fights with his enemy up close and wrestles with him, whereas war can also be from afar, by arrows and stones and the like. And the meaning is that He will not fight them from afar through natural causes, but rather up close, without intermediaries, by miraculous divine power.
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 cleft in the midst thereof Toward the east and toward the west, So that there shall be a very great valley; And half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, And half of it toward the south.
verse value 5300
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 107 letters. Verse gematria: 5300 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "hill" (הַ֨ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·its·half·southward" (וְחֶצְיוֹ־נֶֽגְבָּה, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 472: of·the·olives, of·the·olives. 13 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "and·they·shall·stand" (וְעָמְד֣וּ), "his·feet" (רַגְלָ֣יו), "upon·the·mount" (עַל־הַ֨ר). The root זית appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 44x in Zechariah); "on·that·day" (root יום, 40x in Zechariah); "upon·the·mount" (root על, 33x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root גיא ("valley") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'very', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 5 words.
Rashi
Half of it. From its middle:
"Eastward and westward." From the east to the west, as it concludes and continues.
"And half of the mountain shall be removed to the north, etc."—its northern half shall be removed from its place and drawn toward the north. And similarly, we find that its southern half [is drawn] toward the south, and the valley shall be between them, its head to the east and its end to the west.
Radak
“And His feet shall stand.” This is an analogy, meaning that a sign and wonder will be seen on the Mount of Olives, that it will split. And the explanation of the great sage, our master Moses, of blessed memory, is that the reason is like “the Lord has blessed you at my feet” in the sense of “on my account”; so too, “His feet” means the sustenance of His causes, namely, the marvels that will be seen then in that place, which He, blessed be He, is the cause of—meaning, the Creator. And the Targum says: “And His might will be revealed in that time.” And the Mount of Olives is “facing Jerusalem,” meaning adjacent to Jerusalem, to its east, half of it to the east and half to the west. From east to west the whole mountain will split, half to the north and half to the south, and there will be between them a very great valley.
And "u-mash" means that He would remove and transfer half of the mountain from its place to the north side, and half of it to the south side, with the valley between them. And so did Jonathan render it: "vayitlash" (and He uprooted). And the lesson of this sign alludes to the nations that will come against Jerusalem, and they will fall here and there.
Metzudat David
"And His feet shall stand" – this is a matter of a parable that comes to teach that the Mount of Olives will be split; it said in a parable as if the feet of the Omnipresent, blessed be He, would stand upon that mountain and split it with His feet.
“Which is before the face.” The one standing before Jerusalem, to its east.
"And the Mount of Olives shall be split." This is so that the exiles may flee from the hand of the captors through the cleft.
“Half of it.” The cleft will be from the middle of the mountain, on the eastern side and on the western side, for the cleft will be from east to west. Therefore, it stated: “Throughout the length of the mountain, from east to west, the cleft will be in its midst.”
A very large valley. Between the two halves there will be a very large valley in terms of depth:
And half of the mountain: One half of it will move from its place toward the north, and the other half toward the south.
Metzudat Zion
"And it was split." The term refers to a rupture and a crack.
Valley. [Namely,] a valley:
And it shall move away. A matter of "removal" is like [the verse] "They shall not depart from your mouth" (Isaiah 59:21):
Malbim
“And His feet shall stand”—then there will be an earthquake in the land. The verse depicts it as if the feet of the Lord—meaning His surrounding entourage (for this is the definition of “feet” in reference to spiritual beings)—will stand upon the Mount of Olives, which is located to the east of Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives will split in its center, extending from east to west; that is to say, the fissure will stretch from the eastern side to the western side. As a result, the mountain will shift from its place: half of it will move toward the north and half toward the south. Between the two halves of the mountain, a very large valley will remain. If the matter is to be understood literally, this will harmonize with what was shown to Ezekiel (there, chapter 48), that Jerusalem of the future will be forty-five mil distant from the site of the Temple. Since other prophets already foretold that Jerusalem would remain in its place, our prophet clarifies that this will occur because the Mount of Olives, which is part of Jerusalem, will be uprooted from its place together with all its surrounding area, measuring five thousand reed-lengths in length and breadth (which equals fifteen miles, as this will be the size of the city of Jerusalem in the future, as explained there). This uprooted section will be forty-five mil distant from the northern half of the mountain, and upon it will be built and established the Jerusalem of the future that Ezekiel saw. In this way, the words of all the prophets will be fulfilled without contradiction.
And you shall flee to the valley of the mountains; For the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; Indeed, you shall flee, like as you fled from before the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah; And Hashem my God shall come, And all the holy ones with You.
verse value 4699
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·he·shall·come" (וּבָא֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Judah" (מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֑ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 556: and·you·shall·flee, and·you·shall·flee. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "valley·of·my·mountains" (גֵּיא־הָרַ֗י), "for·it·shall·reach" (כִּי־יַגִּ֣יעַ), "valley·of·mountains" (גֵּֽי־הָרִים֮). The root נוס appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "as" (root אשר, 44x in Zechariah); "in·days·of" (root יום, 40x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king·of·Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 5 words.
Rashi
“And the valley of the mountains shall be stopped up.” The Targum renders it: “And they shall be stopped up, the valley of the mountains.” This is because Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains, and there is a valley between the mountain in the north and the Mount of Olives, and likewise in the south. And when half of the Mount of Olives extends toward the mountain in the north, the valley between them will be stopped up, and likewise in the south.
"When he shall come." The height of the valley that was between the mountains.
Unto Azal. To the height of the mountain-tops on this side and that. And thus Menachem grouped it (Isaiah 41:9): "and from its heights (u-me-atzileiha) I called you" — its meaning is an expression of height.
And you shall flee. "When you see this great sign:"
As you fled from the earthquake. (Ibid.) And the posts of the thresholds moved on the day Uzziah was struck with leprosy.
"All the holy ones"—the angels:
Radak
"And you shall flee to the valley of My mountains." When the mountain split, they fled from the noise of the commotion and fled to the valley of My mountains.
“For the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal.” For the valley that will be made in that plain will lengthen and reach Azel, which is the name of a place. That is to say, the cleft in that plain will extend beyond the mountains to Azel, and they will flee there, thinking to find refuge beyond the mountains, and they will find there a valley just like that. The mountains are like mountains, and “the nobles of my hands” is like “hands,” and “he tore for him window-openings” is like “windows,” and “the exposed parts of the thigh” is like “exposed,” and similar cases, as we have written in the book Mikhlal.
"as your fathers fled." He means to say: "Your fathers tested [Me]," and similarly, "and He brought us out from there," and the like.
“Because of the earthquake.” They said that what is stated in Isaiah, “And the thresholds shall tremble,” refers to that earthquake, and this is what is said at the beginning of Amos, “Two years before the earthquake.”
“Then the Lord, my God, will come.” This means that the Divine Name, my God, will come, as it is stated, “And the Lord went out,” as explained. “All Your holy ones” is like “and all the holy ones,” and similarly “sun, moon, Reuben, Simeon, king of princes,” and their like. The intent is that “holy ones” refers to angels, in the manner of “He will command His angels concerning you.” “There You have placed, O Lord, Your mighty ones.” The meaning of “with You” is in opposition to Jerusalem, as it is stated at the beginning of the chapter, “in Your midst.” And Jonathan translated “with You” as “with Him,” like “with Him.” And the great sage Maimonides, of blessed memory, explained the matter as referring to the good promise which He promised Israel through His holy prophets; namely, “And the Lord, my God, will come” through all the holy ones who are with You, speaking to Israel. And Jonathan translated, “And it will be sealed.” The beginning of the verse is “and it will be sealed,” similar to how one might read “and it will be sealed” with a shewa na, because “your iniquity is sealed” is written. And so it is found in some manuscripts, and he said that thus the men of the East read “and it will be sealed.” And if the reading is thus, the explanation is accordingly: for after Mount of Olives splits, it will be sealed after a short time, or hours, or a day, or two days. And this will be a greater sign that it will be sealed after it splits, for the earthquake that occurs in the world, from which the earth splits, does not become sealed afterwards. And so was the splitting of the earth for Korah and his congregation, for the earth was sealed after it split, as it is stated, “And the earth covered them.” And this was a great sign. And the meaning of “for the valley of the mountains will reach” is that it will reach up to the valley that is made between the two halves of the mountain. When it is sealed, its sealing will reach up to the high place of the mountain, so that you should not say that half of it or two parts of it will be sealed, but rather all of it will be sealed up to the high place of the mountain. And “up to” in its context means “high,” like “and to the nobles of the children of Israel,” whose meaning is the great ones of Israel. And what it says “mountains” and “Mount of Olives” is one mountain, for in its splitting it became two.
Metzudat David
"And you shall flee." Then you shall flee from the hand of those who return, by the way of the valley of the mountains, this side and that side, for after the splitting, two mountains were formed.
"When he shall come, etc." The "valley" that is between the mountains will be long, and it shall reach to the place Azal, and they shall flee there in great haste, as it is said, "as they fled," meaning just as your fathers fled in those days from the earthquake that was in the days of Uzziah, etc., when he entered the Temple to offer incense. And likewise it is stated, "In the days of Uzziah," and it concludes, "two years before the earthquake" (Amos 1:1).
"And the Lord shall come." And then the Lord will come, and all the holy angels will be with you to assist you in battle against Gog.
Metzudat Zion
ונסתם. The word is from the root נוס (fleeing), meaning "to flee" or "to escape."
Harai (my mountains). Like harim (mountains):
יגיע. The language of "reaching" and "approaching":
Atzal. A place name:
The earthquake. The matter is of shaking and movement:
Malbim
“And the valley of the mountains shall be stopped up”: There are textual variants that read וְנִסְתַּם (venistam, “and it was stopped up”). The meaning is that the valley in the midst of the mountain, which will open up to the abyss from which this great earthquake that shatters mountains will emerge, will be immediately stopped up, and there will be a valley there. As for the textual variant that reads וְנַסְתֶּם (venastem, “and you shall flee”), the meaning is that all of them will flee to the valley between the two mountains that will now separate, for in a place where the earth has already opened, there is no longer the danger of an earthquake as in a place where the earth has not yet opened. Therefore, they will all flee to the valley between the mountains. And it states that the valley of the mountains will reach as far as Atzel, meaning that the valley will extend southward to a place called Atzel, which is forty-five miles distant from present-day Jerusalem. And up to that point the mountain will collapse, and that will be the extent of the valley, for in the place called Atzel half of the mountain will remain standing, and upon it the Jerusalem of the future will be built. And it will be stopped up as it was stopped up because of the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, King of Judah. Then the earthquake occurred because the Lord was zealous for His honor and against the one who disputed the priesthood of Aaron. Likewise, the Lord will be zealous for His honor at that time, and against those who dispute the honor of the religion of Israel and its sanctity. And “the Lord, the God of all the holy ones, will come with you”: The meaning is that then the earthquake will not be because of the Lord’s wrath against Israel, as it was in the days of Uzziah, when Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, with seraphim standing above Him, and the house was filled with smoke from the Lord’s wrath. But then the Lord and all His holy ones will come with you to guard you and to help you, not to withdraw to His throne in heaven and to punish you as in the past.
“Gei harei” (the valley of the mountains) — the form “harei” is like “harim” (mountains); as in “atzilei yadai” (the joints of my hands) and “ve-kara lo challonai” (“and he cut out for himself windows,” Jeremiah 22:14) — for from the one mountain two mountains will be formed; and “Atzel” there is the name of a place.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall not be light, But heavy clouds and thick;
verse value 1575
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "light" (א֔וֹר, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·will·be" (לֹֽא־יִֽהְיֶ֣ה, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "not·will·be" (לֹֽא־יִֽהְיֶ֣ה), "light" (א֔וֹר), "valuable" (יְקָר֖וֹת). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 40x in Zechariah); "that" (root הוא, 31x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֖ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + לֹֽא־יִֽהְיֶ֣ה [not·will·be] (61) + א֔וֹר [light] (207) + יְקָר֖וֹת [valuable] (716) + (יקפאון) [thick] (247) + וְקִפָּאֽוֹן [and·thick] (243) = 1575.
Rashi
It shall not be a light of brightness and frost. The Targum says: "There shall not be light, but rather cold and ice shall be light." It shall not be a shining light, for brightness and frost—let there be brightness. The term "brightness" (יקרות) is like the word "like the fleeting light over the pastures" (כיקר כרים) in Psalms 37: It is a kind of light that appears in the morning on the mountains and gradually fades away.
And "kaf'on." It is frozen, dark, and thick like ice that has been frozen over and turned to frost, as it is said: "And like cheese, You curdled me" (Job 10:10).
Radak
"And it shall come to pass on that day." On the day that He mentioned, in which the sign will be, this matter will be that there will not be light of "ikares" and "kafon." And its explanation is by way of parable: that the light of that day will not be bright, and it is the light of "ikares," as it says, "and the moon moving in splendor" (Job 31:26), and not the light of "kafon," which is frozen and thick, which is like darkness. And its explanation is that that day will not be entirely like light nor like darkness; that is to say, neither in relief nor in distress, for both will be in it. And so He says after it, "Neither day nor night." And Jonathan rendered in the Targum: "There shall not be light, but rather cold and ice."
Metzudat David
There shall not be light, precious things and congelation. There shall not be bright light, nor shall there be anything congealed and thick like the form of darkness. That is to say, Israel will then be hollow in their understanding, and will not recognize whether it is a preparation for salvation or for destruction.
Metzudat Zion
“Light of preciousness.” A bright light. And similarly: “and the moon moving in splendor” (Job 31:26).
And "kafon." This means darkness, like something that congeals; it is a clear substance that becomes thick. Likewise, "the depths froze" (Exodus 15:8).
Malbim
“And it shall be on that day there shall be no light,” meaning that then the light of the sun and the moon will cease to illuminate the world, as it is stated (Isaiah 60:19), “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, etc.,” and “The Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light.” There will be no physical light in existence, neither the light of the precious nor the light of the congealed. This means: neither the light of the sun, which is its own light, a precious light, nor the light of the moon and the stars, which merely receive the light that rises upon their solid sphere by means of the sun striking them, and the light reflects back. For no physical light at all will be found.
And there shall be one day Which shall be known as Hashem’S, Not day, and not night; But it shall come to pass, that at evening time there shall be light.
verse value 1487
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "you" (ה֛וּא, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·night" (וְלֹא־לָ֑יְלָה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, and·it·shall·be. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "one·day" (יוֹם־אֶחָ֗ד), "will·be·known" (יִוָּדַ֥ע), "not·day" (לֹא־י֣וֹם). The root היה appears 3 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "one·day" (root יום, 40x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·not·night', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֣ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + יוֹם־אֶחָ֗ד [one·day] (69) + ה֛וּא [you] (12) + יִוָּדַ֥ע [will·be·known] (90) + לַיהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (56) + לֹא־י֣וֹם [not·day] (87) + וְלֹא־לָ֑יְלָה [and·not·night] (112) + וְהָיָ֥ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + לְעֵֽת־עֶ֖רֶב [at·the·time·of·evening] (772) + יִֽהְיֶה־אֽוֹר [will·be·light] (237) = 1487.
Rashi
"And it shall be one day." This matter shall be one day belonging to the day of the Holy One, blessed be He; it is the well-known day that is designated for the preparation of the salvation of the Holy One, blessed be He.
Not day and not night. Not [ordinary] shining light, but [rather] the light of the World to Come, as it says (Isaiah 30:26): "and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, etc."
And not at night. And not at a time of distress, such as the distress of the subjugation of the exiles that will precede the days of our Messiah, in which there will be no subjugation.
"And it came to pass at eventide." Before the completion of the thousand years, there will be a shining light and all the good things mentioned concerning Israel. And so does the Targum render it: "Not like the light of day, nor like the darkness of night."
Radak
"And it shall be one day." That day will be a special day for the Lord, in which He will be known through His might and wonders that He will perform on that day.
"Neither day nor night." It should not be entirely day, nor entirely night; that is to say, it should not be entirely distress, nor entirely relief.
"And it shall come to pass at evening time, that it shall be light." [This refers] to the time of the great distress, when they will go into exile; then "the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations."
Metzudat David
"And it shall be one day." This refers to the perpetual day, which is known to the Lord as to when this day will be, which will be neither day nor night, for they will not know what is good and what is evil.
"At eventide." Close to evening there will be light; that is to say, then they will recognize the goodness of the salvation.
Malbim
"And it shall be one day," meaning that the day will not be divided into day and night, into morning, noon, and evening time, for this occurs only when the physical luminaries serve their function. But then there will be one day, entirely united as day, and it will be known that it is to the Lord, that its light is attributed to the Lord and not to the sun and moon and luminaries; only in His light will light be seen. Therefore, it will be neither day nor night, for the names "day" and "night" are called so on account of the illumination of the physical light that rises and sets. But the light that will exist then will be a constant light, entirely unchanging, neither rising nor setting, and the names "day" and "night" will not be applicable to it. "And it shall be at evening time, it shall be light," meaning that the physical sun will set and descend, and then the primary light will begin to shine, which is the light of the Lord. This is a wondrous expression indicating that the illumination and the emanation issuing from the luminaries will be nullified, and the Lord Himself, in His Glory, will shine and govern and rule with a constant, unchanging emanation, until there will be no darkness or distress at all, nor any withdrawal or diminution of the emanation, as is necessitated in natural governance that comes through the cause of the celestial system, which rises and descends and entails changes, both good and bad. For then there will be only light, goodness, peace, and success.
And it shall come to pass in that day, That living waters shall go out from Jerusalem: Half of them toward the eastern sea, And half of them toward the western sea; In summer and in winter shall it be.
verse value 2479
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֣ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "waters·living" (מַֽיִם־חַיִּים֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: to·the·sea, to·the·sea. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "waters·living" (מַֽיִם־חַיִּים֙), "their·half" (חֶצְיָ֗ם), "former" (הַקַּדְמוֹנִ֔י). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 40x in Zechariah); "to·the·sea" (root איל, 34x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·last', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
"And it shall come to pass on that day." When Mount of Olives shall be split from east to west:
“Living waters shall go out from Jerusalem.” And they will flow eastward through that fissure until they reach the Eastern Sea, which is in the east of the world, Kedem; and half of it will turn westward toward the Western Sea. This is the spring that Joel prophesied (Joel 4:18), “A spring shall go forth from the House of the Lord,” and this is the stream that Ezekiel prophesied (Ezekiel 47:4), “He measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters, etc.”
Radak
"And it shall be, living waters" – this is what is stated in the prophecy of Joel: "And a spring shall go forth from the House of the Lord," etc. And this is what is stated in the prophecy of Ezekiel: "And behold, waters were issuing," and it is stated there: "And they shall become a great river," everything as it is written there.
The ancient one. The Eastern one:
The latter one. The western one is the one of which it is said in the prophecy of Ezekiel: “And they shall come to the sea, to the sea.”
"In summer and in winter it shall be." Their source is that these rivers shall not dry up, nor shall their waters fail. And the Targum: "In summer and in winter they shall go forth." And the scholar Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, of blessed memory, wrote that the mention of summer and winter is because they are dry seasons, for the days of summer are hot and dry, and the days of winter are cold, and in these days the rivers are diminished.
Metzudat David
“Living waters shall go out from Jerusalem.” This is the spring mentioned above, which flows from beneath the threshold of the House into Jerusalem, and from there it will spread throughout the world.
Half of them. Half of the waters that flow forth shall go through the cleft of the mountain to the eastern sea, and so on.
"In summer and in winter it shall be." It shall not dry up in the heat of summer, nor shall it freeze over with rings of ice in the cold of winter.
Metzudat Zion
Life. Flowing forth like living waters, as it is stated: “living waters” (Leviticus 14:5).
The ancient one. The Eastern one:
The latter. The western one, and so too, "unto the latter sea" (Deuteronomy 11:24):
Malbim
"And it shall come to pass on that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem": Initially, it was stated that a spring would be opened only in Jerusalem alone, but after the final war, the waters will increase until they flow outward and spread to the eastern sea and the western sea. And besides that this will be so literally, as I explained above (13a), it also alludes to the spreading of the waters of knowledge and the stream of true faith, from sea to sea and from river to the ends of the earth. Explanation.
And Hashem shall be King over all the earth; In that day shall Hashem be One, and His name one.
verse value 1127
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֧ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "one" (אֶחָ֖ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·all·the·earth" (עַל־כׇּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem, Hashem. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "upon·all·the·earth" (עַל־כׇּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ), "and·his·name" (וּשְׁמ֥וֹ). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 40x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·all·the·earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֧ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + לְמֶ֖לֶךְ [to·king] (120) + עַל־כׇּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ [upon·all·the·earth] (446) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֗וּא [that] (17) + יִהְיֶ֧ה [it·will·be] (30) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶחָ֖ד [one] (13) + וּשְׁמ֥וֹ [and·his·name] (352) + אֶחָֽד [one] (13) = 1127.
Rashi
"Let the Lord be one." This means that all the nations will abandon their vanities and acknowledge Him as One, with no strange god alongside Him.
"And his name shall be one." That his Name be mentioned on the lips of all of them.
Radak
"And the Lord shall be King." When the nations that come against Jerusalem see these wonders mentioned, they will recognize that the Lord is the One who reigns over all the earth, who oversees the lower realms, and who acts in them according to His will, overturning natural laws to fulfill the desire of those who fear Him, for all are the work of His hands.
"On that day the Lord shall be One, and His Name One." This means that they will recognize that the Lord is One and there is no God besides Him; likewise, His Name will be One, in that they will not mention the name of any other deity in the world, but only His Name will be mentioned, as it is written above: "And it shall come to pass on that day, declares the Lord of Hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered." The wise man Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, of blessed memory, explained this in the name of the Explicit Name, which is the Name of four letters. And so he wrote: "And His Name One" refers to the Exalted Name, known through Moses our Teacher, peace be upon him, which will then be called by everyone according to its written form. Likewise, the great wise man Rabbi Moshe, of blessed memory, explained it in the name of the Explicit Name, for all the names attributed to God, Blessed be He, are derived names, whether according to the attribution of actions to Him or according to the directness to His perfection. And when these derived names multiplied, some people thought that the Lord, Blessed be He, has many attributes according to the number of actions from which the names were derived. Therefore, He designated that when people attain understanding that will resolve this doubt for them, He said: "On that day the Lord shall be One, and His Name One," meaning that just as He is One, so too will He then be called by one Name alone, which indicates the Essence alone, not one that is derived. And so the Targum translates: "And the Kingdom of the Lord shall be revealed," etc.
Metzudat David
"And the Lord shall be King over all the earth..." This means that then all the nations of the world will accept Him as God and believe in Him.
"The Lord will be One." This means that they will no longer serve idolatry.
“And His name is One.” This means that the Name of God shall not be mentioned except His Name alone. This is a repetition of the matter stated above.
Malbim
“And the Lord will be King over all the earth” – this is likened to water, in that all the world will recognize the kingship of the Lord and His unity. For until now, there were nations that did not believe in unity and used to say that there are two beginnings or more. Then, the Lord will be One. And there were nations that acknowledged the unity of the Lord, but they associated partners with Him—partners in His governance, or in His Name and remembrance, or in His emanation, and the like. Then, His Name will also be One, for they will all believe in true unity, in His providence and unique governance, and in His kingship. Moreover, in the future, the Name YHWH will be called as it is spelled, for the epithets [of God] correspond to the divisions of governance: judgment, kindness, mercy, and the like. But in the future, there will be one simple governance.
All the land shall be turned as the Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and she shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate to the place of the first gate, to the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.
verse value 6727
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 103 letters. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֖ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·earth" (כׇּל־הָאָ֤רֶץ, 6 letters). 15 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "will·turn" (יִסּ֨וֹב), "as·the·arabah" (כָּֽעֲרָבָה֙), "from·Geba" (מִגֶּ֣בַע). The root שער appears 3 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·the·earth" (root ארץ, 36x in Zechariah); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 29x in Zechariah); "and·she·shall·dwell" (root ישב, 23x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 15 words.
Rashi
"Yisov kol ha'aretz" – the entire land will be turned into a desert; the mountains will be lowered, and the whole world will become a plain, except for Jerusalem, which will remain a mountain, so that it will be seen as elevated above everything.
“From Geba to Ramon, in the Negev of Jerusalem.” We learned in the Tosefta of Sotah: “The Negev of Jerusalem is a plain, whereas Geba and Rimmon are rocky, clod-covered terrain.” And so is its interpretation: “From Geba to Ramon” refers to a region of mountains; from there onward, the terrain begins to turn into a steppe and a plain, resembling the Negev of Jerusalem, which is a plain.
"וְרָאֵהָהּ" – Because all its surroundings are level, it appears elevated.
“And she shall sit under it.” In its place:
“Until the inner gate and the tower of Hananel.” It too is in its place, and from there the length of the city extends until the king’s winepresses. The Targum translates this as “the channels of the king,” which in the vernacular is called “fosse.” Just as it is stated (Bava Kamma 50b) regarding “channels and caves,” so too all the winepresses mentioned in Scripture are termed “channels.” These are cisterns situated before the winepress, into which the wine flows. In an aggadic exposition, “the king’s winepresses” refers to the ocean, implying that Jerusalem will extend to the ends of the entire world. These are the winepresses hewn by the King of Kings.
Radak
"And the whole land shall be like the Arabah." The entire land surrounding Jerusalem, which is now mountains, as it says, "Jerusalem, mountains all around her," will then become a plain like the Arabah, and she will rise and be elevated above all the land. Even though now too she is higher than all the Land of Israel because of the mountains that surround her, today one does not see her height so much. But in that time, when all the land around her will be a level plain, her height will be seen above all the land. This is what it says in the prophecy of Isaiah: "The mountain of the House of the Lord shall be established as the chief of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills." And even though its interpretation there is that "exalted" means in greatness and in rank, all of this will be so, both this and that.
From Geba to Rimmon. From there the plain begins:
The Negev of Jerusalem. To the south of Jerusalem:
And it shall rise. The aleph is vocalized, and it stands in place of the vav of the ayin (the middle radical) of the verb, like "aleph" and "qam," [as in] "there arose a tumult," except that this aleph is quiescent. And the meaning of "v'ra'amah" is as we have written: that it would be high and elevated above all the earth.
“And she shall remain in its place.” It will remain in its place, only that it will lengthen and widen.
The Corner Gate. This is what is stated in the prophecy of Jeremiah: "The Corner Gate," and the Tower of Hananel is also mentioned there.
"The king's wine cellars." From [the verse] "From the threshing floor and the winepress," and it was known to them that they were outside the city, and the Targum: "until the king's pits."
Metzudat David
"And He will surround..." Although Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains, He will transform the area into a level land like the wilderness, so that Jerusalem will appear elevated and exalted above all the land, for beauty and for glory.
From Geba to Rimmon. The plain begins at the hill of Rimmon, which stands south of Jerusalem.
And it shall be lifted up. And Jerusalem shall be high, for the mountain upon which it stands will remain in its height.
“And she shall dwell in her place.” For Jerusalem, after it was destroyed, was not rebuilt in its original location; therefore, it is stated that then it shall dwell in its original place.
"למשער בנימין" – This means that it will be situated in its place, from the Gate of Benjamin to... And furthermore, it will extend from north to south, to the Inner Gate on one side and to the Tower of Hananel on the other side. And similarly it is stated: "And the city shall be built for the Lord, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate" (Jeremiah 31:38). And this is the Inner Gate.
“Until the king’s wine cellars.” This means that it will extend eastward to the location of the king’s wine cellars, for the addition will be toward the east, as it is stated, “to the corner... eastward” (ibid.).
Metzudat Zion
He will turn. He will reverse:
As the plain. Like the wilderness, which is a land of level terrain.
From Geva. From [the word] givah (a hill) and har (mountain). And it shall be lifted up (ve-ra'amah). From [the word] haramah (raising/height).
Tachteha (beneath it). [Means] in its place (bi-mkomah).
The Gate of the Corners. The gate that stands at the corner and at the angle:
Yikvei. Cisterns that are before the winepress, and the wine descends into them, as it is said: “And also a winepress hewn out of it” (Isaiah 5:2).
Malbim
"All the land shall be like the Arabah." After the Mount of Olives is split in two, the valley between the two mountains will be like the Arabah, a level plain. This will extend from Geva, which is in the south of present-day Jerusalem, to Ramon; near Ramon will stand the new Jerusalem that Ezekiel saw, which will be south of present-day Jerusalem.
And it shall be lifted up: and Jerusalem itself, both the old one, upon which the Temple will stand on the northern half of the mountain, and the new one, upon which the city will stand, will be exalted and elevated, and it will sit beneath them in its place, for both of them will stand on the everlasting mountains, where Jerusalem has always stood. And this will be from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the First Gate, where it stood formerly, up to the Inner Gate and the Tower of Hananel, to the King’s Winepresses, where the new Jerusalem will stand.
Cross-references: Joshua 15:32; I Kings 15:22; II Kings 23:8
And men shall dwell therein, And there shall be no more extermination; But Jerusalem shall dwell safely.
verse value 1684
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "in·it" (בָ֔הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "shall·be·any·more" (יִֽהְיֶה־ע֑וֹד, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "and·will·dwell" (וְיָ֣שְׁבוּ), "and·a thing devoted" (וְחֵ֖רֶם), "shall·be·any·more" (יִֽהְיֶה־ע֑וֹד). The root ישב appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "shall·be·any·more" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "not" (root לא, 36x in Zechariah); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 29x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·be·any·more', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְיָ֣שְׁבוּ [and·will·dwell] (324) + בָ֔הּ [in·it] (7) + וְחֵ֖רֶם [and·a thing devoted] (254) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יִֽהְיֶה־ע֑וֹד [shall·be·any·more] (110) + וְיָשְׁבָ֥ה [and·she·shall·dwell] (323) + יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [Jerusalem] (586) + לָבֶֽטַח [to·safety] (49) = 1684.
Rashi
"And it shall not be devoted." The city, further:
Radak
“And they dwelled in it.” The meaning is: they dwelled in it forever.
"And there shall be no more a ban." That it shall not be subject to a ban and to desolation forever, as it is stated in Jeremiah's prophecy: "It shall not be torn down and shall not be demolished."
Metzudat David
"And they dwelt therein." This means: they dwelt therein for all time.
"And a ban shall not be there any more." There shall not be in it desolation and destruction.
Metzudat Zion
And devoted to destruction. The meaning is destruction and excision, as it is written: “He devoted all the souls to destruction” (Joshua 10:40).
Malbim
“And they shall dwell in it” – unlike during the time of the exile, when there was no settled habitation in it; “and it shall no more be desolate” – unlike the First Temple period, when it was destroyed after it had been inhabited; “and Jerusalem shall dwell securely” – unlike in previous times, when there were constant wars in it.
And this shall be the plague wherewith Hashem will smite All the peoples that have warred against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, And their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, And their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
verse value 6720
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 99 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·peoples" (אֶת־כׇּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "who·assembled·in·devotion" (צָבְא֖וּ), "shall·consume·away" (הָמֵ֣ק), "his·flesh" (בְּשָׂר֗וֹ). The root מקק appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "it·will·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "who·assembled·in·devotion" (root צבא, 54x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root מגפה ("the·plague") in Zechariah. First appearance of the root מקק ("shall·consume·away") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 11 words.
Rashi
His flesh rots while he stands. This is the falling off of limbs:
Radak
"And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will smite: his flesh shall rot." This refers to the falling of limbs.
“And he shall stand upon his feet.” This teaches that he shall not survive through the illness; rather, while he is still standing on his feet, his flesh and limbs shall melt away.
“their sockets”: When the eyes become sunken, their place will be a hollow; and Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it in the Targum: “they will be consumed in their orbits.” And this is the affliction of which it is stated in the prophecy of Isaiah: “And I will put a sign among them, and I will send out survivors from among them…”
Metzudat David
"And this shall be." In this manner shall the plague be, etc.
“Whose host.” That is, those who encamped with their army to besiege Jerusalem.
"His flesh shall waste away." "Flesh" [indicates that] all of them would melt away while standing on their feet, and they did not fall to their beds.
“in their sockets.” In the place where they are seated:
"In their mouths" – in the mouth of each and every one.
Metzudat Zion
The plague. The matter of the striking:
His host. The matter concerns the gathering of an army:
The meaning of the word "tamkaneh" is the matter of decay, as in: "And you shall rot in your sins" (Ezekiel 24).
In their sockets. The word is derived from the roots for hole and piercing:
Malbim
"And this shall be the plague, as it is stated (Isaiah 66:19), 'And I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who escape to the nations,' so that this will be in order that they may recount throughout the world the deeds of the Lord:"
And it shall come to pass in that day, That a great tumult from Hashem 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.
verse value 2966
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "hand" (יַ֣ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "tumult·of·Hashem" (מְהֽוּמַת־יְהֹוָ֛ה, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 281: his·neighbor, his·neighbor. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "tumult·of·Hashem" (מְהֽוּמַת־יְהֹוָ֛ה), "great" (רַבָּ֖ה), "hand" (יַ֣ד). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "tumult·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 40x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root עלה ("and·she·shall·go·up") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'among·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
"And the tumult of the Lord shall be great among them." To confound their wisdom, turning them into madness.
And they held each other by the hand. He will seize him to kill him:
"His hand shall prevail." Whoever is the stronger prevails.
Radak
“And it shall come to pass on that day”: “His hand shall rise against the hand of his neighbor.” His hand shall be severed when he grasps the hand of his neighbor, as it is stated, “his flesh shall rot,” and similarly, “When the heap rises in its season, and the dew shall rise upon it, and nakedness upon it.” And so did Jonathan translate: “And her hands shall be torn away together with the hand of her companion.”
Metzudat David
"The tumult of the Lord." A tumult under the providence of the Lord will be great among them.
"And they held fast." When one of them grasps his fellow’s hand to assist and support him, the other perceives him as his enemy, one who seeks his harm, and he overpowers his fellow’s hand to strike him, so that he may let go. For this occurs due to confusion of mind, which does not distinguish between friend and foe.
Metzudat Zion
"מהומת" – the matter is one of confusion of the mind:
Rabba. "Great":
And they held fast. The meaning of "holding fast":
Malbim
"And it shall come to pass on that day, and they shall grasp," meaning that when a man intends to grasp his fellow's hand to support him so that he does not fall due to the tumult that the Lord will bring upon them, his hand will prevail over his fellow's hand to cast him to the ground, for this is the ultimate result of the tumult and confusion.
And Judah also shall fight against Jerusalem; And the wealth of all the nations round about shall be gathered together, Gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.
verse value 2050
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. Verse gematria: 2050 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "strength" (חֵ֨יל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·also·Judah" (וְגַ֨ם־יְהוּדָ֔ה, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "and·also·Judah" (וְגַ֨ם־יְהוּדָ֔ה), "will·fight" (תִּלָּחֵ֖ם), "and·will·be·gathered" (וְאֻסַּף֩). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 29x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְגַ֨ם־יְהוּדָ֔ה [and·also·Judah] (79) + תִּלָּחֵ֖ם [will·fight] (478) + בִּירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם [in·Jerusalem] (588) + וְאֻסַּף֩ [and·will·be·gathered] (147) + חֵ֨יל [strength] (48) + כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֜ם [all·the·nations] (114) + סָבִ֗יב [around] (74) + זָהָ֥ב [gold] (14) + וָכֶ֛סֶף [and·silver] (166) + וּבְגָדִ֖ים [and·garments] (65) + לָרֹ֥ב [to·abundance] (232) + מְאֹֽד [very] (45) = 2050.
Rashi
And Judah as well: “She shall fight against Israel against her will.”
Radak
"And also Judah." The interpretation is: "And also Judah" refers to those of Judah who came with the nations and fought alongside them at Jerusalem. When they saw the plague that the Lord would send upon them, they would gather their forces—gold, silver, and garments—as it says, "and they shall eat to the right and to the left." And what it says, "and he shall gather," means that he will gather through their hands first, and afterward the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go out and plunder as well. And Jonathan translated: "And even the house of Judah, etc."
Metzudat David
“And also Judah shall fight at Jerusalem.” For those who come to besiege Jerusalem will compel the inhabitants of the cities of Judah to join them in aiding the siege of the city. And it is as though it says, “Behold, confusion of mind shall be,” because even the sons of Judah will be there. Therefore, when one seizes his fellow by the hand to strengthen him, he will think that he is one of the sons of Judah who have turned to be their enemies.
“And He gathers a multitude, etc.” For the gentiles surrounding them will come to war, and in their hands they hold their desirable wealth in abundance.
Metzudat Zion
חיל. The matter of wealth:
Malbim
“And also Judah” – its measure is “And also Judah shall fight in Jerusalem,” namely, the Judah that remains in Jerusalem, who are those remaining in the city, as stated above, “The remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” They too shall go out to fight, after they see that the Lord has slain them, and thereby they shall gather together the host of all the nations.
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 those camps, as this plague.
verse value 3548
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "and·thus" (וְכֵ֨ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·the·beast" (וְכׇ֨ל־הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "and·thus" (וְכֵ֨ן), "plague·of" (מַגֵּפַ֣ת), "the·mule" (הַפֶּ֙רֶד֙). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "it·will·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "that" (root אשר, 44x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'abundance', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 2 words.
Rashi
“Like this plague.” The one explicitly stated above: “his flesh rots.”
Metzudat David
“And so it shall be.” And likewise, the plague of the horses, etc., [shall be] like this plague mentioned above, the wasting away of his flesh, etc.
Metzudat Zion
The mule. It is the offspring of a horse and a donkey:
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, Hashem of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
verse value 5257
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "from·enough·of" (מִדֵּ֧י, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·all·the·nations" (מִכׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "all·the·remaining" (כׇּל־הַנּוֹתָר֙), "from·all·the·nations" (מִכׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם), "and·shall·come·up" (וְעָל֞וּ). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "hosts" (root צבא, 54x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root חגג ("and·to·hold·a·feast") in Zechariah. First appearance of the root סכה ("the·booths") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 11 words.
Rashi
“the Feast of Booths.” As our Sages of blessed memory explained in the tractate Avodah Zarah: “I have a light mitzvah, and that is the sukkah,” as it is stated in the first passage (page 3).
Radak
"And it shall come to pass that all the remnant" – The remnant refers to those who returned to their hearts during that war and returned to the Lord with all their hearts.
"To the King, the Lord of Hosts." This indicates that they acknowledged Him as King over all the land.
"The Feast of Tabernacles." This is because at that time the war will take place, and they will see the wonders of the Creator, blessed be He, year after year, as a remembrance of that day.
Metzudat David
“Those who come, etc.” – To wage war against it.
And they went up. To Jerusalem:
"And to make a solemn assembly": To bring sacrifices on the Festival of Sukkot. And this is because the plague will occur during the Festival of Sukkot; therefore, they will come every year as a memorial.
Metzudat Zion
“Every year.” [This teaches that it applies] at every time of the year, and similarly “every year when it ascends” (1 Samuel 1:7).
"And to keep the festival." The sacrifices are termed in the language of "festival" because the majority of them are brought during the festival. Similarly, it is written, "Bind the festival sacrifice with cords" (Psalms 118:27).
Malbim
And it shall be that all the survivors will ascend continually during the Festival of Sukkot to Jerusalem, for the downfall of Gog will occur during the Festival of Sukkot, and they will ascend to celebrate the festival in remembrance of the miracle that was performed on that day.
And it shall be, that whoso of the families of the earth goes not up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Hashem of hosts, upon them there shall be no rain.
verse value 5225
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְ֠הָיָ֠ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jerusalem" (אֶל־יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "shall·not·come·up" (לֹֽא־יַעֲלֶ֜ה), "rain" (הַגָּֽשֶׁם). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "hosts" (root צבא, 54x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hosts', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
“The rain.” Actual rains to cause the fruits of their land to grow. And what did He see to decree upon them the withholding of rains? Because the commandments of the Festival that depend on the rains are the Four Species in the lulav and the libation of water, to appease Him for the waters, since the Festival is the season of the rains of the year. And these who doubt [the validity of] the Festival of Sukkot—upon them shall the rain not fall. Thus I learned in the Tosefta of Sukkot.
Radak
“And it shall be” – but not upon them shall the rain fall. Upon the land whose inhabitants do not go up [to the Temple] that year, the rain will not fall upon them.
Metzudat David
"Families of the land." Scripture calls the nation a "family," and similarly, "the family that I brought up from the land of Egypt" (Amos 3:1).
"And not upon them." Then there will not be rain upon them to grow their crops, and this is [the meaning of] "for on the festival of Sukkot the rains of the year are decreed, and for not having come [to Jerusalem] for it, the rain will be withheld from them."
Metzudat Zion
And not upon them. The vav is in place of "then," just as in "If you walk in My statutes, and I will give your rains" (Leviticus 26), meaning: "Then I will give," etc.
Malbim
And it shall be that those who do not go up—if you find a family that does not go up, upon them shall the rain not fall. For the influence of the rain emanates from Jerusalem, where during the Festival they are judged concerning water, and the water libation is poured out. A nation that is not found there will not be remembered for good in the rains of blessing.
And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, they shall have no overflow; there shall be the plague, wherewith Hashem will smite the nations that go not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
verse value 5258
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·if·clan" (וְאִם־מִשְׁפַּ֨חַת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "and·if·clan" (וְאִם־מִשְׁפַּ֨חַת), "not·go·up" (לֹֽא־תַעֲלֶ֛ה), "going·in" (בָאָ֖ה). The root לא appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "it·will·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "that" (root אשר, 44x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 12 words.
Rashi
"And if the family of Egypt shall not go up." And they do not need rains, for the Nile rises and waters them.
"And not upon them." [This concerns] what shall be their rain; in other words, the Nile shall not water them. And so too does the Targum of Jonathan render it: "Not upon them shall the Nile flow."
"There shall be a plague. Of famine:"
"Which the Lord will strike." This is the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the idolaters, as it is said, "The rain shall not be upon them."
Radak
“And if the family of Egypt.” And not upon them, and they — rain does not fall upon them all the years, and they would not need rain. If so, what will be their punishment? The plague with which the Lord smites all the nations that came upon Jerusalem will be upon them, as it is stated: “his flesh shall rot.”
“Which shall not go up to celebrate.” Because the Egyptians should not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, this shall be their punishment: there shall be a plague among them. And Targum Jonathan renders: “the Nile shall not rise for them; rather, upon them shall be the plague with which the Lord strikes,” etc.
Metzudat David
It does not ascend, and it does not come. This is a double expression of the matter stated in:
And not upon them. This means that rain does not fall upon them throughout the years, for the Nile waters their fields; their punishment will be the plague, etc., and it is the striking of the flesh.
"Which shall not ascend." Concerning "which shall not ascend," etc., and they will not, therefore, be free from punishment.
Metzudat Zion
And not upon them. That vav comes in place of the shin, and similarly, "Speak to the children of Israel, and let them take for Me an offering" (Exodus 25:2), and the meaning is that they shall take, etc.
Malbim
And if the family of Egypt does not ascend, since they do not require rain, and they were among the nations that ascended with Gog, as mentioned above in Ezekiel, and they witnessed the punishments of the Lord and were then struck by a plague, then their punishment will be that the plague will return upon them a second time. And then, when the plague returns for Egypt, it will also include the rest of the nations that did not come to Jerusalem, and the plague will spread to them as well, and the punishment of withholding rain alone will not suffice. And this is what it says: “And not only upon them shall be the plague which the Lord will then strike among the nations.” That is to say, it will also strike the rest of the nations that do not ascend to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, even though on another occasion, when they did not ascend, the withholding of rain was sufficient. He explains.
This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations that go not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
verse value 3756
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·nations" (כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "purgation·offering·of" (חַטַּ֣את), "and·sin·of" (וְחַטַּאת֙). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "it·will·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "that" (root אשר, 44x in Zechariah); "not" (root לא, 36x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: זֹ֥את [this] (408) + תִּהְיֶ֖ה [it·will·be] (420) + חַטַּ֣את [purgation·offering·of] (418) + מִצְרָ֑יִם [Egypt] (380) + וְחַטַּאת֙ [and·sin·of] (424) + כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם [all·the·nations] (114) + אֲשֶׁר֙ [that] (501) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יַעֲל֔וּ [they·will·go·up] (116) + לָחֹ֖ג [to·hold·a·feast] (41) + אֶת־חַ֥ג [the·festival·of] (412) + הַסֻּכּֽוֹת [the·booths] (491) = 3756.
Radak
"This shall be the sin-offering of Egypt and the sin-offering of all the nations." The sin-offering of Egypt is the plague, and the sin-offering of all the nations is the rain that did not fall upon them, as we have mentioned. The term "sin-offering" denotes punishment; that is to say, the punishment for the sin follows this pattern: "For the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete," meaning that the punishment for the iniquity has not yet been fulfilled. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it as "retribution."
Metzudat David
"This shall be." The punishment of this, namely the striking of the flesh, shall be the recompense for the sin of Egypt.
"And the sin." This means: "And this punishment, namely the withholding of rain, shall be the recompense of the sin of all the idolatrous nations who do not go up, etc." And the phrase "this shall be" serves two functions.
Metzudat Zion
"Sin [penalty]." This means the recompense for sin.
Malbim
"This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations," meaning that after the punishment of Egypt is increased to punish them with a plague, which is a greater punishment than withholding rain, because they were the people of Gog and did not take rebuke, through them this will also be the punishment of all the nations to punish them also with a plague along with Egypt.
In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses: HOLY UNTO THE Hashem; and the pots in Hashem’S house shall be like the basins before the altar.
verse value 3158
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "holiness" (קֹ֖דֶשׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·bells·of" (עַל־מְצִלּ֣וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "upon·bells·of" (עַל־מְצִלּ֣וֹת), "the·pots" (הַסִּירוֹת֙), "in·house·of" (בְּבֵ֣ית). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "it·will·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 40x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֗וּא [that] (17) + יִֽהְיֶה֙ [it·will·be] (30) + עַל־מְצִלּ֣וֹת [upon·bells·of] (666) + הַסּ֔וּס [the·horse] (131) + קֹ֖דֶשׁ [holiness] (404) + לַיהֹוָ֑ה [to·Hashem] (56) + וְהָיָ֤ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + הַסִּירוֹת֙ [the·pots] (681) + בְּבֵ֣ית [in·house·of] (414) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + כַּמִּזְרָקִ֖ים [as·the·basins] (417) + לִפְנֵ֥י [to·face·of] (170) + הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ [altar] (62) = 3158.
Rashi
The trappings of the horse. This refers to the bells that are hung on the horse for ornamentation between its eyes; even these may be consecrated for the purpose of making vessels of service, such as ladles for blood and pots to cook sacrificial meat, in abundance.
"And the pots shall be." [The verse teaches that] just as they were for ashes (the ashes), so too they shall be of gold and of silver, like the basins that are before the altar.
The horse’s bells. In Old French: "Tentiner."
Radak
"On that day, upon the bells of the horses shall be inscribed 'Holy unto the Lord.' 'Bells' are those attached to the necks of the horses, and they jingle them. The bells will be holy unto the Lord, meaning that they will make from them pots to cook with them in the Temple. And these are the horses. Some explain that they are the horses that will die in a plague, as it is said [elsewhere], and some explain [that they are] horses that come year after year to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot, that they will sanctify the bells of their horses to make from them pots to cook with them in the Temple. And the interpretation of 'upon the bells' is as if it were written and expanded upon them, 'Holy unto the Lord'; thus they will be known as holy, and no person will take any of them for himself, not even one. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: What is meant by 'upon the bells of the horses'? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The Holy One, blessed be He, will expand the Land of Israel until the time when the horse runs and casts shade—meaning until midday, when the horse casts shade for itself beneath it. And Rabbi Eliezer said: The bells that are attached to the horse between its eyes will be holy unto the Lord."
And the pots in the House of the Lord shall be like the sprinkling basins. Meaning: many, like the sprinkling basins. And so Targum Jonathan rendered: 'many, like the basins,' just as the basins in the House of the Lord will be many, to dash the blood with them — for the sacrificers will be many, for all who come to keep the feast will bring sacrifices.
Metzudat David
It shall be upon the bells of the horse. On the bells that hang from the horse, which jingle and make a sound, it is as if there is written upon them “Holy to the Lord,” for they sanctify to the Lord those bells from the horses that died in the plague, to serve as a memorial.
"And the pots shall be in the house of the Lord." For from the gold of the bells they will make pots for cooking, and they will thus be of gold, like the basins that are before the altar, which are of gold.
Metzudat Zion
"Maẓilot" – so too the bells on the necks of horses are called "maẓilot," because they rattle and make a sound; and it is from the expression "loud cymbals" (Psalms 150:5).
"הסירות" – The pots, as in "We sat by the flesh-pot" (Exodus 16:3).
Like sprinkling bowls. They are the bowls that receive the blood for sprinkling:
Malbim
"On that day" means that in the future, Jerusalem will be distant from the Temple by 45 mil, which is more than the distance a person can walk on foot in one day, namely ten parasangs. Therefore, holiness will extend to the place that one can reach in a single day while riding a horse at full gallop.
And the basins that will be found then in the Temple will be like sprinkling vessels, for due to the multitude of sacrifices, they will place in them the blood of the offering to sprinkle it upon the altar.
Indeed, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy to Hashem 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 a trafficker in the house of Hashem of hosts.
verse value 4055
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 100 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְ֠הָיָ֠ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "holiness" (קֹ֚דֶשׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·who·sacrifice" (כׇּל־הַזֹּ֣בְחִ֔ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 499: hosts, hosts. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "all·pot" (כׇּל־סִ֨יר), "and·in·Judah" (וּבִיהוּדָ֗ה), "all·who·sacrifice" (כׇּל־הַזֹּ֣בְחִ֔ים). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "hosts" (root צבא, 54x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 7 words.
Rashi
"And the Canaanite shall not be." They will not need to engage in commerce, as it is stated (Isaiah 23:8), "her merchants are the honored of the earth." Another interpretation: There is no poverty here.
Radak
“And it shall be.” Furthermore, the number of pots will increase due to the multitude of those offering sacrifices, for the pots that will be in the Temple will not suffice for them; rather, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord, to cook in them the peace-offerings. And when the nations who offer sacrifices come, they will take from them and cook in them.
"And the Canaanite shall be no more." Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "And he shall no longer be engaged in trade, like the Canaanites, the nobles of the land, whose explanation is that they are merchants." That is to say, the House of the Lord shall no longer need a merchant to sell pots there, or copper to make pots from them, for many will be those who volunteer and consecrate [their offerings]. And my master and father of blessed memory explained that this was said concerning the Gibeonites, who used to chop wood and draw water in the Temple; they shall no longer be there, for the priests will be served by the great ones of the nations. And so he explained also the verse: "And from them also I will take for the priests and for the Levites."
Metzudat David
"And every pot..." – Because the peace-offerings brought to the Temple will increase, therefore all the pots in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy.
All those who sacrifice: the sacrifices of peace-offerings.
“And they shall take from them.” They shall take from those pots and cook in them without asking whether they are sacred, for they will all be sacred; and therefore there is no need to ask.
"And the Canaanite shall be no more." This is because from that time onward, the Gibeonites, who were of the Canaanites, were woodcutters and water-drawers for the House of the Lord, as Joshua had assigned them this role. Therefore, it states that in the future Temple, they will no longer be woodcutters and water-drawers in the House of the Lord, for the great ones of the nations will volunteer to serve as woodcutters and water-drawers in the House of the Lord.
Metzudat Zion
Canaanite. They are the Gibeonites, from the children of Canaan:
Malbim
And it shall be, and every pot that will be in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy, for they will cook in them the peace-offerings and the lightly holy offerings, and all those who slaughter will cook in them, for the number of those who slaughter will increase due to the multitude of converts who ascend; and there will no longer be a merchant who sells sheep, turtledoves, and young pigeons for holy offerings, as was the case at first when they brought them for money, for they will not engage in commerce and profit from this, for all of them will donate their animals for holy offerings.
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim