Zechariah 14:18
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. | And if the people of Egypt will not go up and enter in, then the rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. | And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, neither shall it be upon them; there shall be the plague wherewith Jehovah will smite the nations that go not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedZechariah 14 looks ahead to the day when the LORD is king over all the earth and the survivors of the nations go up each year to Jerusalem to keep the feast of tabernacles. Verse 17 warns that nations who refuse will get no rain. Verse 18 deals with Egypt, a land not watered by rain, and says it will instead be struck by the plague the LORD sends on nations that will not come up. Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:16Zechariah 14:17Zechariah 14:18Deuteronomy 11:10Deuteronomy 11:11
SpeakingThe prophet Zechariah, speaking the LORD's word. The chapter is framed as what the LORD will do, with the LORD saying "I will gather all nations". Zechariah 14:2Zechariah overview
ToThe people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon, and their leaders. Zechariah overview
Also involvedThe "family of Egypt" and all the heathen, meaning the nations, who refuse to go up to Jerusalem to keep the feast of tabernacles. Zechariah 14:18Zechariah 14:19Strong's H4940Strong's H1471A
The verse sets a condition: if Egypt does not go up to worship, it will be struck with the plague the LORD sends on nations that refuse. The no-rain penalty of verse 17 would not fit Egypt, where fields were watered "with thy foot", unlike a land that "drinketh water of the rain of heaven". So the text names another penalty, and verse 19 calls it Egypt's punishment. Zechariah 14:17Zechariah 14:18Zechariah 14:19Deuteronomy 11:10Deuteronomy 11:11
The nations are to go up to Jerusalem, where the LORD is worshipped as King. Egypt is named as one of those nations. Zechariah 14:16Zechariah 14:17Zechariah 14:18EgyptZechariah overview
The eventsThe verse describes "that day", the day of the LORD, which was still future when the prophet spoke. The text gives no date for it. Zechariah 14:1Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:16
WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the whole book, with his dated messages from about 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly: most scholars place chapters 1-8 in 520-518 BC, but many assign the undated chapters 9-14 to a later writer or writers. Zechariah overview
HereThe verse shows that no nation can escape the call to worship the King. Even Egypt, which is not watered by rain, falls under judgment if it refuses. Zechariah 14:17Zechariah 14:18Zechariah 14:19Deuteronomy 11:10
In the whole of ScriptureThe book looks toward the day when "the LORD shall be king over all the earth" with one LORD and one name. In that day the very nations that came against Jerusalem come to worship him. Those who refuse face a plague from the LORD, the same word used for the judgment on Jerusalem's attackers. Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:12Zechariah 14:16Zechariah 14:18Zechariah 14:19Zechariah overview
For readersThe LORD's rule reaches every people, and he matches his dealings to each one's situation. No one is outside his claim to worship. Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:17Zechariah 14:18
Christians read this differently
No cited Scripture says whether this yearly feast for the nations is to be taken literally or as a picture. Some read it as a literal future kingdom in which nations travel to Jerusalem for the feast. Others read it as a picture, in Old Testament terms, of all nations worshipping the LORD as King. Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:16Zechariah 14:18
- plagueמַגֵּפָה
The word means a blow, slaughter, or plague sent as divine judgment. Verse 18 speaks of "the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite", the same wording 14:12 uses for the plague on Jerusalem's attackers, and 14:15 extends that plague to their animals. Strong's H4046Zechariah 14:12Zechariah 14:15Zechariah 14:18
- familyמִשְׁפָּחָה
The word means clan or family, and also a people or nation. "The family of Egypt" means Egypt as a whole people, matching "all the families of the earth" in 14:17. Strong's H4940Zechariah 14:17
- go upעָלָה
The word means to go up or ascend, and it is also used of coming up before God. Here it describes the pilgrimage up to Jerusalem to worship. Strong's H5927GZechariah 14:16
- feastחַג
The word means a festival or pilgrim-feast. The related verb H2287 means to keep a pilgrim-feast. The duty in view is a pilgrimage feast held "from year to year." Strong's H2282Strong's H2287Zechariah 14:16
Takeaway
Zechariah 14:18 shows that when the LORD is King over all the earth, every nation is called to worship him, even Egypt, which is not watered by rain. Refusal brings a fitting judgment: a plague in place of withheld rain. Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:17Zechariah 14:18Zechariah 14:19Deuteronomy 11:10Deuteronomy 11:11
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
- Egypt regionMapAbout 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 if | וְאִם־ | ve-'im- | H0518A | ifאִם (im) : if/whether_or/though 1) if 1a) conditional clauses 1a1) of possible situations 1a2) of impossible situations 1b) oath contexts 1b1) no, not 1c) if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or 1d) when, whenever 1e) since 1f) interrogative particle 1g) but rather |
| [the] clan of | מִשְׁפַּ֨חַת | mish-PA-chat | H4940 | familyמִשְׁפָּחָה (mish.pa.chah) 1) clan, family 1a) clan 1a1) family 1a2) tribe 1a3) people, nation 1b) guild 1c) species, kind 1d) aristocrats |
| Egypt | מִצְרַ֧יִם | mitz-RA-yim | H4714G | Egyptמָצוֹר (ma.tsor) "Matsor", a name for Egypt Another spelling of mits.ra.yim (מִצְרַ֫יִם "Egypt" H4714G) This name means siege, entrenchment |
| not | לֹֽא־ | lo'- | H3808 | notלֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809) |
| it will go up | תַעֲלֶ֛ה | ta-'a-LEH | 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 … |
| and not | וְלֹ֥א | ve-LO' | H3808 | notלֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809) |
| [is] going | בָאָ֖ה | va-'AH | 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 |
| and not | וְלֹ֣א | ve-LO' | H3808 | notלֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809) |
| on them | עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם | 'a-lei-HEM | 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) … |
| it will be | תִּֽהְיֶ֣ה | tih-YEH | 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) … |
| the plague | הַמַּגֵּפָ֗ה | ha-ma-ge-FAH | H4046 | plagueמַגֵּפָה (mag.ge.phah) 1) blow, slaughter, plague, pestilence, strike, smite 1a) blow (fatal stroke) 1b) slaughter (of battle) 1c) plague, pestilence (divine judgment) |
| which | אֲשֶׁ֨ר | 'a-SHER | H0834A | whichאֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when |
| he will strike | יִגֹּ֤ף | yi-GOF | H5062 | to strikeנָגַף (na.gaph) 1) to strike, smite 1a) (Qal) to strike, smite 1b) (Niphal) to be stricken, be smitten 1c) (Hithpael) to stumble |
| Yahweh | יְהוָה֙ | 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) |
| 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 | אֲשֶׁר֙ | 'a-SHER | H0834A | whichאֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when |
| not | לֹ֣א | lo' | H3808 | notלֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809) |
| they will go up | יַֽעֲל֔וּ | ya-'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 … |
| to celebrate a festival | לָחֹ֖ג | 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.