Zechariah 14

Zechariah · Chapter 14

Zechariah 14:20

1Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.2For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.3Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.4And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.5And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.6And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:7But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.8And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.9And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.10All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses.11And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.12And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.13And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.14And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.15And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.16And 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.17And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.18And 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.19This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.20In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar.21Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
20In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar.On that day, HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the house of the LORD will be like the sprinkling bowls before the altar.In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLY UNTO JEHOVAH; and the pots in Jehovah’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

Zechariah 14 describes the day of the LORD, when the LORD fights for Jerusalem and becomes king over all the earth. This verse and the next close the book: even horse bells will carry the words once engraved on the high priest's gold plate, and ordinary pots will be like the altar's bowls. Everything in Jerusalem and Judah will be set apart to the LORD. Zechariah 14:1Zechariah 14:3Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:20Zechariah 14:21Exodus 39:30

SpeakingThe prophet Zechariah, son of Berechiah, delivers the LORD's message. Zechariah overview

ToThe people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon and were living around Jerusalem. Zechariah overview

Also involvedJerusalem and Judah, and the survivors from the nations who come up yearly to worship the King and keep the feast of tabernacles. Zechariah 14:16Zechariah 14:21

The words HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD were engraved on the gold plate of the high priest's crown. Here they appear on horse bells. The pots in the temple will be like the bowls before the altar, and every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy, fit for those who offer sacrifice to boil their meat in. The line between holy and common is removed because everything belongs to the LORD. Zechariah 14:20Zechariah 14:21Exodus 39:30Leviticus 8:9

The setting is Jerusalem and Judah, and especially the LORD's house, the temple, with its altar. Zechariah 14:20Zechariah 14:21Zechariah overview

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThe verse speaks of "that day," the coming day of the LORD in this chapter, when he is king over all the earth. The text gives no date for it. Zechariah 14:1Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:20

WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the whole book; his dated messages run from about 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly: most agree chapters 1-8 come from Zechariah in 520-518 BC, but many assign the undated chapters 9-14 to a later writer or writers, while others hold Zechariah wrote them all. Zechariah overview

HereThe verse shows what it means for the LORD to be king over all the earth. His holiness will reach even everyday things such as horse gear and cooking pots. Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:20Zechariah 14:21Zechariah overview

In the whole of ScriptureThe words engraved on the high priest's golden plate now mark common things. Isaiah uses the same phrase of Tyre's goods becoming "holiness to the LORD." The book's hope that God will dwell among his people ends with all of life set apart to him. Exodus 39:30Leviticus 8:9Isaiah 23:18Zechariah overview

For readersThe New Testament calls believers the holy temple of God and a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices. That fits this verse's picture: holiness is not kept for one place or person, but belongs to everything given to God. 1 Corinthians 3:161 Corinthians 3:171 Peter 2:5

Christians read this differently

The cited Scriptures do not say how this picture will be fulfilled. Some read it as a literal future time when the LORD reigns from Jerusalem and the nations keep the feast of tabernacles there (14:9, 14:16). Others read it as a picture fulfilled in God's people, who are now called his holy temple and priesthood (1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Peter 2:5). Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:161 Corinthians 3:161 Peter 2:5

  • holinessקֹ֫דֶשׁ
    Hebrew · qo.desh · H6944G

    The word means apartness or set-apartness, and it can describe God, places and things. Writing it on horse bells marks even these as set apart to the LORD, like the high priest's gold plate. Strong's H6944GExodus 39:30

  • bellsמְצִלָּה
    Hebrew · me.tsil.lah · H4698

    The word simply means bell, here hung on horses, a word the lexicon also uses for chariot horses. Ordinary animal gear will carry the same words once engraved on the high priest's gold plate. Strong's H4698Strong's H5483MZechariah 14:20Exodus 39:30

  • potsסִיר
    Hebrew · sir · H5518A

    The word covers both household pots and temple pots. Verse 21 widens it to every pot in Jerusalem and Judah, so common kitchen ware becomes holy. Strong's H5518AZechariah 14:21

  • bowlsמִזְרָק
    Hebrew · miz.raq · H4219

    These are bowls or basins for tossing a liquid, here the ones before the altar. The pots in the LORD's house will be like these altar vessels. Strong's H4219Zechariah 14:20

Takeaway

When the LORD is king over all, nothing stays merely common: horse bells and cooking pots alike bear HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD. God's holiness is meant to fill all of life, not one sacred corner of it. Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:20Zechariah 14:21Exodus 39:30

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

Behind this verse

The high priest's mitre
The high priest wore a mitre with a gold plate engraved "HOLINESS TO THE LORD." Zechariah sees a clean mitre set on Joshua's head, and later the same words on the bells of the horses. Exodus 28:36-38Zechariah 3:5Zechariah 14:20

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
  1. 539 BC
    WarBabylon 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

  2. 538 BC
    God'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

  3. c. 536 BC
    God'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

  4. 525 BC
    WarPersia 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

  5. 522-521 BC
    WarDarius 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

  6. 520 BC
    God'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

  7. c. 520-519 BC
    RulersDarius 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

  8. 515 BC
    BuildingThe 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

  9. 490-479 BC
    WarPersia'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

  10. 445 BC
    BuildingNehemiah 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

  11. 332 BC
    WarAlexander 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.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
on the dayבַּיּ֣וֹםbai-YOMH3117G
day

יוֹם (yom) : day/when/time/period 1) day, time, year 1a) day (as opposed to night) 1b) day (24 hour period) 1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1 1b2) as a division of time 1b2a) a working day, a day's journey 1c) days, lifetime (pl.) 1d) time, period (general) 1e) year 1f) temporal references 1f1) today 1f2) yesterday 1f3) tomorrow

the thatהַה֗וּאha-HU'H1931
he/she/it

הוּא (hu) pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article)

it will beיִֽהְיֶה֙yih-YEHH1961
to be

הָיָה (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) …

onעַל־'al-H5921A
upon

עַל (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) …

[the] bells ofמְצִלּ֣וֹתme-tzi-LOTH4698
bell

מְצִלָּה (me.tsil.lah) bell

the horse[s]הַסּ֔וּסha-SUSH5483M
horse

סוּס (sus) 1) horse 1a) chariot horses

holinessקֹ֖דֶשׁKO-deshH6944G
holiness

קֹ֫דֶשׁ (qo.desh) 1) apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness 1a) apartness, sacredness, holiness 1a1) of God 1a2) of places 1a3) of things 1b) set-apartness, separateness

to Yahwehלַֽיהוָ֑הla-YAH-wehH3068G
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (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)

and it will beוְהָיָ֤הve-ha-YAHH1961
to be

הָיָה (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 potsהַסִּירוֹת֙ha-si-rOtH5518A
pot

סִיר (sir) 1) pot 1a) pot (household utensil) 1b) pot (of temple)

in [the] house ofבְּבֵ֣יתbe-VEITH1004QNo entry
Yahwehיְהוָ֔הYAH-wehH3068G
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (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)

[will be] like the bowlsכַּמִּזְרָקִ֖יםka-miz-ra-KIMH4219
bowl

מִזְרָק (miz.raq) 1) bowl, basin 1a) bowl (for wine) 1b) basin (vessel for throwing or tossing a liquid)

to beforeלִפְנֵ֥יlif-NEIH6440G
face: before

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

the altarהַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃ha-miz-BE-achH4196
sacrifice

דְּבַח (de.vach) sacrifice Aramaic of miz.be.ach (מִזְבֵּחַ "altar" H4196)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.