Zechariah 14:16
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 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. | Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. | 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, Jehovah of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedZechariah 14 describes the day of the LORD, when all nations attack Jerusalem and the LORD fights against them and becomes king over all the earth. This verse says the survivors of those enemy nations will go up to Jerusalem every year to worship the King and keep the feast of tabernacles. The verses that follow warn that nations who refuse to come will have no rain. Zechariah 14:1Zechariah 14:2Zechariah 14:3Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:16Zechariah 14:17
SpeakingThe prophet Zechariah, son of Berechiah, speaks the LORD's message. This verse is part of the book's second burden, about Jerusalem and the day of the LORD. Zechariah overview
ToThe people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon and were rebuilding the temple. Zechariah overview
Also involvedEveryone left from the nations that came against Jerusalem. These former enemies become yearly worshippers of the LORD. Zechariah 14:2Zechariah 14:16
The survivors of the nations will go up to Jerusalem year after year. They will bow down to the King, the LORD of hosts, and keep the feast of tabernacles. Other Scripture gives the same picture: Zechariah 8 says people from many cities will come, and men of all languages will take hold of a Jew and say, "We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you," while Isaiah 66 says all flesh shall come to worship before the LORD. Zechariah 14:16Zechariah 8:20Zechariah 8:23Isaiah 66:23Isaiah 66:18
Jerusalem is where the nations come to worship. The returned exiles who first heard the message lived in Jerusalem and Judah. Zechariah 14:16Zechariah 14:17JerusalemZechariah overview
The eventsThe verse looks ahead to "the day of the LORD," after the LORD has defeated the nations and become king over all the earth. The text gives no calendar date for it. Zechariah 14:1Zechariah 14:3Zechariah 14:9
WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the whole book, with dated messages from about 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly: most accept chapters 1-8 as Zechariah's from 520-518 BC, but many assign the undated chapters 9-14 to a later writer or writers, while others hold that Zechariah wrote it all. Zechariah overview
HereThe verse shows how complete the LORD's victory will be. The nations that came to destroy Jerusalem end up coming to worship its King. It fulfills the promise that the LORD shall be king over all the earth. Zechariah 14:2Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:16Zechariah overview
In the whole of ScriptureZechariah promises that God will dwell in Jerusalem, and that people of the nations will come because they have heard God is with his people. Isaiah speaks the same hope: nations gather to see his glory and show forth the praises of the LORD, and the LORD will take some of them for priests and Levites. Zechariah overviewZechariah 8:23Isaiah 66:18Isaiah 66:21Isaiah 60:6
For readersGod's final aim is not only to defeat his enemies but to turn them into worshippers. The passage also makes clear that refusing to worship the King brings judgment. Zechariah 14:16Zechariah 14:17Zechariah 14:19
Christians read this differently
No cited Scripture settles whether the yearly feast in Jerusalem is meant literally or as a picture. Some read it as a literal future time when the nations come yearly to an earthly Jerusalem under the LORD's reign. Others read the feast and pilgrimage as Old Testament language for the nations joining in the worship of God, as also pictured in Isaiah 66. Zechariah 14:16Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:21Isaiah 66:23
- leftיָתַר
The word means to be left over or to remain. The worshippers are the survivors of the nations that fought Jerusalem, so the verse pictures enemies who were spared now coming to worship. Strong's H3498Zechariah 14:2Zechariah 14:12
- worshipשָׁחָה
The word means to bow down or lie face down, including before God in worship. The nations come to bow before the King, the LORD of hosts. Strong's H7812Zechariah 14:16Zechariah 14:17
- keepחָגַג
The word means to hold a feast or keep a pilgrim-feast. Together with "go up," it pictures the nations coming as pilgrims to celebrate. Strong's H2287Strong's H5927GZechariah 14:16
- tabernaclesסֻכָּה
The word means booths, which are rough or temporary shelters. This names the particular festival the nations are called to keep, and verses 18-19 name it again. Strong's H5521Zechariah 14:18Zechariah 14:19
Takeaway
In the day of the LORD, nations that once came against Jerusalem will come up year after year to bow before the King, the LORD of hosts. God's victory ends with former enemies worshipping him. Zechariah 14:16Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 8:23
Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.
The world around the text
About 520-518 BC. King of Persia: Darius I (522-486 BC). Where Zechariah prophesied. A small, poor community was rebuilding the temple among the ruins of the city Babylon had burned.
Who ruled
- King of PersiaDarius I522-486 BC
Zechariah dates his messages by the years of Darius. Darius confirmed Cyrus's decree and ordered the temple work to go on at royal expense. Zechariah 1:1Zechariah 7:1Ezra 6:1-12Haggai 1:1Behistun Inscription
- Governor of JudahZerubbabelc. 520 BC
A descendant of David who led the rebuilding. "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it." Zechariah 4:6-10Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:8
- High priestJoshua the high priestc. 520 BC
Called Jeshua in Ezra. He stands in Zechariah's vision clothed in filthy garments, which are taken away, and later receives crowns as a sign. Zechariah 3:1-10Zechariah 6:11Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:2
- Persian governor "on this side the river"Tattenaic. 520 BC
The governor of the province west of the Euphrates. He asked who had allowed the building, wrote to Darius, and was told to let the work go on. Ezra 5:3-6Ezra 6:6-13
What was happening, 539 BC to 332 BC
- 539 BCWarBabylon falls to Cyrus
Cyrus king of Persia took Babylon, ending the empire that had destroyed Jerusalem. Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Cyrus Cylinder
- 538 BCGod's peopleThe first return
Cyrus let the exiles go home to build the LORD's house. About fifty thousand returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Ezra 1:1-4Ezra 2:1-2Ezra 2:64-65
- c. 536 BCGod's peopleThe foundation is laid, then the work stops
The returned exiles laid the temple's foundation with shouting and weeping. Opposition from their neighbors stopped the work until the second year of Darius. Ezra 3:10-13Ezra 4:4-5Ezra 4:24
- 525 BCWarPersia conquers Egypt
Cyrus's son Cambyses invaded and took Egypt, bringing the whole region from the Nile to the Indus under one king. Herodotus, Histories 3.1-16
- 522-521 BCWarDarius crushes the revolts
When Darius took the throne, provinces across the empire rebelled, Babylon twice. By 520 he had put them all down. Compare the riders' report in Zechariah's first vision: "all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest." Behistun InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 3.150-159Zechariah 1:11
- 520 BCGod's peopleHaggai and Zechariah stir the people to build
In Darius's second year the two prophets urged the people to take up the temple work again, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua began to build. Ezra 5:1-2Haggai 1:1-15Zechariah 1:1
- c. 520-519 BCRulersDarius confirms Cyrus's decree
Tattenai questioned the building. A search found Cyrus's decree at Achmetha, and Darius ordered the work to continue and be paid for from royal taxes. Ezra 5:3-6:12
- 515 BCBuildingThe second temple is finished
The temple was finished on the third day of Adar in Darius's sixth year and dedicated with joy. Ezra 6:14-18Zechariah 4:9
- 490-479 BCWarPersia's wars with Greece
Persia invaded Greece twice and was turned back at Marathon (490), Salamis (480) and Plataea (479). Greece, which Zechariah names in 9:13, was becoming Persia's great rival. Herodotus, Histories 6.102-117Herodotus, Histories 8.40-96Herodotus, Histories 9.1-89Zechariah 9:13
- 445 BCBuildingNehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem's walls
Under the Persian king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah came from Shushan and rebuilt the walls in fifty-two days. Nehemiah 2:1-8Nehemiah 6:15
- 332 BCWarAlexander takes Tyre and Gaza
Alexander the Great besieged island Tyre for seven months and then Gaza for two, on his way to Egypt. Zechariah 9 speaks of Tyre's "strong hold" and of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron and Ashdod. Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 2.15-27Zechariah 9:3-7
The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records (the Behistun Inscription, the Cyrus Cylinder, the Babylonian Chronicles) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.
Where
- Jerusalem settlementMapAbout this place
Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.
Original Hebrew words
| English | Hebrew | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and it will be | וְהָיָ֗ה | ve-ha-YAH | H1961 | to beהָיָה (ha.yah) 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) --- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) … |
| every | כָּל־ | kol- | H3605 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606) |
| the [one who] remains | הַנּוֹתָר֙ | ha-no-TAR | H3498 | to remainיָתַר (ya.tar) 1) to be left over, remain, remain over, leave 1a) (Qal) remainder (participle) 1b) (Niphal) to be left over, remain over, be left behind 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to leave over, leave 1c2) to save over, preserve alive 1c3) to excel, show pre-eminence 1c4) to show excess, have more than enough, have an excess |
| of all | מִכָּל־ | mi-kol | H3605 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606) |
| the nations | הַגּוֹיִ֔ם | ha-go-YIM | H1471A | nationגּוֹי (goy) 1) nation, people 1a) nation, people 1a1) usually of non-Hebrew people 1a2) of descendants of Abraham 1a3) of Israel 1b) of swarm of locusts, other animals (fig.) |
| which came | הַבָּאִ֖ים | ha-ba-'IM | H0935G | to come (in): comeבּוֹא (bo) : come/go_in 1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to enter, come in 1a2) to come 1a2a) to come with 1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy) 1a2c) to come to pass 1a3) to attain to 1a4) to be enumerated 1a5) to go 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to lead in 1b2) to carry in 1b3) to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon 1b4) to bring to pass 1c) (Hophal) 1c1) to be brought, brought in 1c2) to be introduced, be put |
| on | עַל־ | 'al- | H5921A | uponעַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) … |
| Jerusalem | יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם | ye-ru-sha-LIM | H3389 | Arielאֲרִיאֵל (a.ri.el) Ariel = "lion of God" or "lioness of God" Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389) |
| and they will go up | וְעָל֞וּ | ve-'a-LU | H5927G | to ascend: riseעָלָה (a.lah) : rise/go 1) to go up, ascend, climb 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go up, ascend 1a2) to meet, visit, follow, depart, withdraw, retreat 1a3) to go up, come up (of animals) 1a4) to spring up, grow, shoot forth (of vegetation) 1a5) to go up, go up over, rise (of natural phenomenon) 1a6) to come up (before God) 1a7) to go up, go up over, extend (of boundary) 1a8) to excel, be superior to 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be taken up, be brought up, be taken away 1b2) to take oneself away 1b3) to be exalted 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to bring up, cause to ascend or climb, cause to go up 1c2) to bring up, bring against, take away … |
| as often as | מִדֵּ֧י | mi-DEI | H1767 | sufficiencyדַּי (day) 1) sufficiency, enough 1a) enough 1b) for, according to the abundance of, out of the abundance of, as often as |
| a year | שָׁנָ֣ה | sha-NAH | H8141 | yearשְׁנָה (she.nah) year Aramaic of sha.neh (שָׁנָה "year" H8141) |
| in a year | בְשָׁנָ֗ה | ve-sha-NAH | H8141 | yearשְׁנָה (she.nah) year Aramaic of sha.neh (שָׁנָה "year" H8141) |
| to bow down | לְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֹת֙ | le-hish-ta-cha-VOT | H7812 | to bowשָׁחָה (sha.chah) 1) to bow down 1a) (Qal) to bow down 1b)(Hiphil) to depress (fig) 1c) (Hithpael) 1c1) to bow down, prostrate oneself 1c1a) before superior in homage 1c1b) before God in worship 1c1c) before false gods 1c1d) before angel |
| to [the] king | לְמֶ֙לֶךְ֙ | le-ME-lekh | H4428G | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430) |
| Yahweh | יְהוָ֣ה | YAH-weh | H3068G | Lordאֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G) |
| of hosts | צְבָא֔וֹת | tze-va-'ot | H6635B | Hostsצָבָא (tsa.va) The Hosts (of the Lord) Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G) |
| and to celebrate a festival | וְלָחֹ֖ג | ve-la-CHOG | H2287 | to celebrateחָגַג (cha.gag) 1) to hold a feast, hold a festival, make pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim-feast, celebrate, dance, stagger 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to keep a pilgrim-feast 1a2) to reel |
| [the] festival of | חַ֥ג | chag | H2282 | feastחַג (chag) 1) festival, feast, festival-gathering, pilgrim-feast 1a) feast 1b) festival sacrifice |
| the Tabernacles | הַסֻּכּֽוֹת׃ | ha-su-KOT | H5521 | boothסֻכָּה (suk.kah) 1) thicket, covert, booth 1a) thicket 1b) booth (rude or temporary shelter) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.