Zechariah 14:3
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. | Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. | Then shall Jehovah go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedZechariah 14 describes the day of the LORD, when all nations gather against Jerusalem and the city is taken (14:1-2). This verse is the turn: then the LORD himself goes out and fights those nations. The chapter goes on to show him standing on the mount of Olives and becoming king over all the earth (14:4, 14:9). Zechariah 14:1Zechariah 14:2Zechariah 14:3Zechariah 14:4Zechariah 14:9
SpeakingThe prophet Zechariah, son of Berechiah, gives the LORD's message. In the verse before, the LORD speaks in the first person: "I will gather all nations." Zechariah overviewZechariah 14:2
ToThe people of Judah and Jerusalem who had come back from exile in Babylon. Zechariah overview
Also involvedThe nations that come against Jerusalem are the ones the LORD fights. Jerusalem is the city they attack, where half the people go into captivity and the rest are left (14:2). Later the chapter says Jerusalem "shall be safely inhabited" (14:11). Zechariah 14:2Zechariah 14:3Zechariah 14:11Zechariah 14:12Zechariah 12:9
After Jerusalem falls to the gathered nations, the LORD goes out to war against them himself, "as when he fought in the day of battle." The chapter then describes a plague and a panic from the LORD that strike those armies (14:12-13). Zechariah 12:9 gives the same promise: "I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem." Zechariah 14:2Zechariah 14:3Zechariah 14:12Zechariah 14:13Zechariah 12:9
The battle centers on Jerusalem. The next verse places the LORD's feet on the mount of Olives, east of the city. The book was written in Jerusalem among the returned exiles. Zechariah 14:2Zechariah 14:4Zechariah overview
The eventsThe events belong to a future "day of the LORD" (14:1), spoken of as "that day" all through the chapter. The verse says the LORD will fight "as when he fought in the day of battle," but the text does not name which earlier battle it means. Zechariah 14:1Zechariah 14:3Zechariah 14:4Zechariah 14:6
WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the whole book, with dated messages from about 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly: most agree chapters 1-8 come from Zechariah then, but chapters 9-14 carry no dates, and many assign them to a later writer or writers, while others hold Zechariah wrote them all. Zechariah overview
HereThe verse shows that the turn for Jerusalem comes from the LORD's own action, not from its own strength, and later in the chapter the city is "safely inhabited" (14:11). It fits the book's theme that God's work is done "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit" (4:6). Zechariah 14:3Zechariah 14:11Zechariah overview
In the whole of ScriptureThis victory leads to the LORD being "king over all the earth" (14:9) and to the survivors of the nations coming to worship him (14:16). Other prophets speak the same way: God will undo all who afflict his people (Zephaniah 3:19), and he sets up a kingdom that breaks all other kingdoms and stands for ever (Daniel 2:44). Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:16Zephaniah 3:19Daniel 2:44
For readersThe LORD goes out against those who attack his people. Long before, he told Judah facing a great army, "the battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chronicles 20:15). Through Zechariah he said that whoever touches his people "toucheth the apple of his eye" (2:8). Zechariah 14:32 Chronicles 20:15Zechariah 2:8
Christians read this differently
The chapter places the LORD's feet on the mount of Olives and describes the mountain splitting, but no cited Scripture says when or how this is fulfilled. Some read it as a literal battle still to come, when the Lord returns to Jerusalem. Others read it as a picture, in the language of war, of God's final victory over all who oppose his people. Zechariah 14:3Zechariah 14:4Zechariah 14:9
- go forthיָצָא
The word means to go or come out, including going forth with a purpose. Here the LORD himself goes out to act, after the city has fallen (14:2). Strong's H3318GZechariah 14:2
- fightלָחַם
It means to fight, do battle, or make war. The LORD is not only a defender here but the one who wages the war against the nations. Strong's H3898AZechariah 14:3
- battleקְרָב
It means battle or war. The verse compares this fight to how the LORD fought "in the day of battle" before, though it does not name which battle. Strong's H7128Zechariah 14:3
Takeaway
When all seems lost for Jerusalem, the LORD himself goes out and fights the nations that attack it. This opens the way to a safely inhabited Jerusalem and the day when "the LORD shall be king over all the earth." Zechariah 14:2Zechariah 14:3Zechariah 14:9Zechariah 14:11
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.
Original Hebrew words
| English | Hebrew | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and he will go forth | וְיָצָ֣א | ve-ya-TZA' | H3318G | to come out: comeיָצָא (ya.tsa) : come/go_out/escape 1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart 1a2) to go forth (to a place) 1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something) 1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result) 1a5) to come out of 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out 1b2) to bring out of 1b3) to lead out 1b4) to deliver 1c) (Hophal) to be brought out or forth |
| Yahweh | יְהוָ֔ה | 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) |
| and he will fight | וְנִלְחַ֖ם | ve-nil-CHAM | H3898A | to fightלָחַם (la.cham) 1) to fight, do battle, make war 1a) (Qal) to fight, do battle 1b) (Niphal) to engage in battle, wage war |
| against the nations | בַּגּוֹיִ֣ם | ba-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.) |
| the those | הָהֵ֑ם | ha-HEM | H1992 | theyאִנּוּן (in.nun) these, those, they Aramaic of hem.mah (הֵ֫מָּה "they(masc.)" H1992) |
| like [the] day | כְּי֥וֹם | ke-YOM | H3117G | dayיוֹם (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 |
| fought he | הִֽלָּחֲמ֖ו | hi-la-cha-MO | H3898A | to fightלָחַם (la.cham) 1) to fight, do battle, make war 1a) (Qal) to fight, do battle 1b) (Niphal) to engage in battle, wage war |
| in a day of | בְּי֥וֹם | be-YOM | H3117G | dayיוֹם (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 |
| battle | קְרָֽב׃ | ke-RAV | H7128 | battleקְרָב (qe.rav) battle, war Aramaic equivalent: qe.rav (קְרָב "war" H7129) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.