Commentary - Zechariah 14:12-15

Bird's-eye view

In this striking and visceral portion of Zechariah’s prophecy, we are confronted with the raw language of covenantal judgment. Yahweh describes a grotesque plague that will strike down the nations who have arrayed themselves against Jerusalem. This is not arbitrary violence; it is the just and fitting curse of a holy God against those who have made war on His people and His city. The imagery is potent: flesh, eyes, and tongues rotting away while men are still on their feet. This is followed by a description of mass confusion and internal strife, a divinely sent panic that causes the enemies of God to turn on one another. Judah itself is drawn into this climactic battle, and the end result is the plundering of the nations and the consolidation of their wealth in Jerusalem. The plague is then explicitly extended to the beasts of burden in the enemy camps, showing the comprehensive nature of this holy war judgment.

The interpretive key to this passage, as with all Old Testament prophecy, is to read it through a Christological and New Covenant lens. While the language is that of physical warfare and decay, its ultimate fulfillment is found in the spiritual realities inaugurated by Christ. This passage points forward to the great judgment that fell upon the apostate Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the "great day of the Lord" that dismantled the old covenant order. It also describes the ongoing spiritual victory of the Church over her enemies through the proclamation of the gospel. The gospel is a savor of life unto life for those who believe, but it is a savor of death unto death for those who persist in rebellion. This passage gives us a graphic depiction of what that spiritual "rotting" looks like for those who stand against the advance of Christ's kingdom.

Outline

Context In Zechariah

This passage comes at the climax of the second great oracle that concludes the book of Zechariah (chapters 12-14). The entire section describes the "day of the Lord," a time of immense conflict and ultimate salvation for God's people. Chapter 12 details Jerusalem's miraculous deliverance. Chapter 13 speaks of a fountain for cleansing from sin and the striking of the Shepherd. Chapter 14 opens with the gathering of all nations against Jerusalem for battle, the capture of the city, and then the dramatic appearance of Yahweh Himself, whose feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. This divine intervention turns the tide of the battle. The verses immediately preceding our text describe this theophany, which results in topographical changes and the establishment of "living waters" flowing from Jerusalem. Our passage, then, details the specific means by which Yahweh will defeat these assembled nations. It is the execution of the sentence against those who have dared to attack the city where God has placed His name.

Key Issues

The Holy War of the Gospel

Modern Christians are often uncomfortable with the raw, violent imagery we find in passages like this. We are tempted to skip over them, or to relegate them to a primitive Old Testament dispensation that has nothing to do with us. But this is a profound mistake. The New Covenant does not do away with the concept of holy war; it fulfills and transforms it. The curses of the new covenant are far more severe than the curses of the old, precisely because the blessings are infinitely greater (Heb. 10:29).

The war we fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers (Eph. 6:12). Our weapons are not carnal, but they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4). The gospel itself is the great weapon of our holy war. When it is preached, it brings light, life, and healing to those who receive it. But for those who reject it, it brings a sentence of judgment. It exposes their spiritual decay. Their rebellion against God is a spiritual plague, and the gospel makes its effects manifest. Their eyes, which refuse to see the truth of Christ, spiritually rot in their sockets. Their tongues, which refuse to confess Him as Lord, spiritually rot in their mouths. Their whole being, which stands in opposition to the King, spiritually rots even as they stand on their feet. Zechariah's prophecy is a Technicolor illustration of the spiritual consequences of rejecting the Messiah. The judgment on Jerusalem in A.D. 70 was the historical outworking of this principle on that covenant-breaking generation, but the principle itself is timeless.

Verse by Verse Commentary

12 Now this will be the plague with which Yahweh will plague all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth.

The prophet begins with the sentence. The crime is clear: going to war against Jerusalem, the city of God. The punishment is a divinely sent plague. But what a plague. This is not a slow, wasting disease. It is a sudden, catastrophic decomposition. The picture is of a man in the prime of his strength, standing ready for battle, who is instantaneously struck by this divine judgment. His body fails him completely. The very instruments of his rebellion are targeted. The flesh that carries him into battle dissolves. The eyes that look with hatred upon God's people dissolve. The tongue that utters blasphemies and threats dissolves. This is a picture of utter and complete ruin. It is the de-creation of the rebel. For the covenant-breaking Jews of the first century, who made war against the true Jerusalem, the Church of Jesus Christ, this found a literal and horrific fulfillment in the miseries of the siege of A.D. 70, as described by Josephus. For all who oppose the gospel, it is a picture of the spiritual state of the damned, a living death, a conscious decay.

13 And it will be in that day, that abundant confusion from Yahweh will fall on them; and they will take hold of one another’s hand, and the hand of one will go up against the hand of another.

Alongside the plague of physical decay comes a plague of social decay. God sends an "abundant confusion" upon them. The Hebrew word here implies a panic, a tumult, a state of utter disarray. This is a common theme in Old Testament holy war passages, where God defeats His enemies by turning them against each other (Judg. 7:22; 1 Sam. 14:20). The very alliances they formed to oppose God are turned into instruments of their own destruction. The hand that was extended in league with a fellow rebel now becomes a weapon against him. This is what sin does. It atomizes and destroys all fellowship. When men reject the true God, they cannot long remain at peace with one another. Their shared rebellion is not a strong enough glue to hold them together. God simply gives them over to the logical consequences of their sin, and they devour one another.

14 And Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance.

Judah, representing God's faithful covenant people, joins the fray. They are not passive spectators but active participants in this divine victory. And the result of the battle is the transfer of wealth. The riches of the pagan nations who came to plunder Jerusalem are themselves plundered. This is the principle of covenantal reversal. Those who set out to enrich themselves by opposing God will find themselves stripped bare, and their ill-gotten gains will be consecrated to the service of the King. This is not a promise of material riches for every individual believer, but rather a prophecy of the way the gospel would triumph in the world. As the nations are discipled, their resources, their cultures, their wealth, and their talents are brought into the service of Christ's kingdom. The wealth of the nations is ultimately destined to adorn the New Jerusalem (Isa. 60:5; Rev. 21:24).

15 And in the same way, the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey, and all the cattle that will be in those camps will be like this plague.

The judgment is comprehensive. It extends not just to the human warriors but to all their instruments of warfare and sustenance. The animals in their camps suffer the same rotting plague. This serves two purposes. First, it demonstrates the totality of the curse. When God pronounces a ban of destruction (herem), it affects everything associated with the enemy. Nothing is to be spared. Second, it highlights the folly of trusting in worldly power. The nations trusted in their horses and chariots, their strength and supply lines. God shows that He can unmake it all with a word. The strength of the horse and the endurance of the camel are nothing before the God who spoke them into existence. This is a total rout, a complete dismantling of the entire military-industrial complex of the ungodly.

Application

This passage, for all its graphic violence, is a deep well of encouragement for the saints. We live in a world that has arrayed itself against our King. The nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain. From our perspective, the enemy's camp looks formidable. They have the wealth, the political power, the cultural institutions. They have horses and mules and camels in abundance. And we can be tempted to fear.

But Zechariah reminds us of the end of the story. Those who make war against Christ and His Church are destined for a plague. Their worldview is rotting while they stand on their feet. Their philosophies are full of confusion, leading them to turn on and devour one another. Their eyes cannot see truth, and their tongues cannot speak it. This is not something we have to wait for; it is happening now. The gospel is advancing, and as it does, it exposes the bankruptcy and decay of every system that opposes it.

Our task is not to cower in fear, but to fight. We fight, as Judah did, alongside our King. But we fight with the weapons He has given us: the proclamation of the truth, lives of faithful obedience, and prayer. As we do, we are participating in the great plundering of the nations. Every soul converted, every institution reformed, every realm of life brought under the dominion of Christ is another piece of treasure gathered for the King's house. The enemies of God are a fearsome sight, but they are walking dead men. Their entire enterprise is under the curse of this divine plague, and it is only a matter of time before they collapse into the dust.