Chapter 14 of Zecharya is a chapter dealing with the End of Days. We are skipping directly to it out of our usual order because it serves as a completion to the prophecy recorded in Yechezkel, chapters 38-39. Matters that were stated there briefly are elaborated upon here, so it is worthwhile to examine how they find expression in Zecharya's prophecy.
הִנֵּה יוֹם בָּא לַיהֹוָה וְחֻלַּק שְׁלָלֵךְ בְּקִרְבֵּךְ׃ - Behold, a day of Hashem is coming, when your spoil shall be divided in your midst.
What is the meaning of "and your spoil shall be divided in your midst"? Whose spoil will be divided? The Radak explains that this is addressed to Yerushalayim: the nations will divide the city's spoil within it, as stated further on, "and the houses shall be plundered." In other words, they will take spoil from the Jewish people and divide it among themselves. The Metzudat David explains the exact opposite: all the spoil that the Babylonians plundered from you long ago will return to you and be divided in your midst - what they took will be returned, and the division will take place among us.
Rashi explains simply that this does not refer to the old spoil at all, but rather to the contemporary spoil: Gog will come, and we will plunder his spoils. He will arrive with silver, gold, and sophisticated weaponry, and all this spoil will be divided in our midst and we will merit to acquire it.
The Malbim explains that this prophecy was said regarding the third time Gog will come. As we mentioned from the words of Chazal, Gog will come three times, and on the third occasion his advance will reach Yerushalayim itself, unlike the first two times when he will not reach Yerushalayim. "Behold, a day of Hashem is coming" - that special day marking the end of Gog's dominion. And according to the Malbim, "and your spoil shall be divided in your midst" means that Gog will come poised to divide the spoils of Yerushalayim, as he will ascend against Yerushalayim itself.
וְאָסַפְתִּי אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם לַמִּלְחָמָה וְנִלְכְּדָה הָעִיר וְנָשַׁסּוּ הַבָּתִּים וְהַנָּשִׁים תִּשָּׁכַבְנָה וְיָצָא חֲצִי הָעִיר בַּגּוֹלָה וְיֶתֶר הָעָם לֹא יִכָּרֵת מִן־הָעִיר׃ - For I will gather all the nations against Yerushalayim to battle, and the city shall be captured, and the houses plundered, and the women violated; and half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Here the prophet begins to describe what will take place in that era. In Yechezkel, the nations are listed by their specific names - Ashur, Put, Elam, Madai, Paras, Mitzrayim, and all their multitude - whereas here it is stated in general terms: "For I will gather all the nations against Yerushalayim to battle."
The Malbim explains: in the End of Days, the descendants of Edom will gather to wrest Yerushalayim from the hands of the Ishmaelites. This is truly astonishing. Anyone who observes where things are heading can see that, as a matter of time, Yerushalayim could fall into the hands of the Ishmaelites. In the past, the most severe accusation was to say of a public figure that he would divide Yerushalayim, an accusation that even Shimon Peres distanced himself from. Today, no one is willing to pledge that they will not negotiate over Yerushalayim; on the contrary, people speak openly about it. It is clear to all that this is only a matter of time.
Anyone reading such words a century ago would have found it completely fanciful. Where were there even Jews in the Land of Israel one or two hundred years ago? A small Jewish settlement in Meah Shearim. Yet within a century there are Jews in Yerushalayim, and sixty years after the founding of the State, people are already on the verge of handing Yerushalayim over. Yerushalayim became ours in 5727 (1967), and people are already talking about giving it back. And after Ishmaelite rule is established in Yerushalayim, the Edomites will come to take it from their hands.
"And the city shall be captured, and the houses plundered" - and "half of the city shall go out into exile" refers to those of the Jewish people who will be in Yerushalayim during that period of Ishmaelite rule; half of them will already have been exiled from there, unable or unwilling to live in Yerushalayim under Arab rule. But "the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city" - they will not have enough time to wipe out the populace entirely, because at this stage the Holy One, Blessed is He, enters the fray.
וְיָצָא יְהֹוָה וְנִלְחַם בַּגּוֹיִם הָהֵם כְּיוֹם הִלָּחֲמוֹ בְּיוֹם קְרָב׃ - "Then Hashem shall go forth and fight against those nations, as on the day He fought on the day of battle."
How will this war unfold? The Malbim explains that it will be just as we saw in Yechezkel 38: "And I will set Egypt against Egypt," every man's sword against his brother - the nations of Edom will fight against the nations of Yishmael, and they will slay one another.
"As on the day He fought on the day of battle (krav)" - the Malbim explains that there is a difference between krav (close combat) and milchamah (war). Krav comes from the root karov (near), a face-to-face clash where combatants close in upon each other. Milchamah is from a distance. And what does this signify regarding the Holy One, blessed be He? "From a distance" means operating through natural causes, where the Hand of Hashem is not visibly apparent. "From up close" means by way of an overt miracle, where one sees eye to eye how Hashem fights the nations. The Holy One, blessed be He, declares: My war against them will not be from afar through natural means, but from up close through open miracles. It will be a day of close combat rather than a conventional war, as we saw: "And I will plead against him with hailstones" and the like, all of which represent war waged through miraculous means.
Rashi cites the homiletic exposition of the Sages, as does the Targum: "As the day He waged battle at Yam Suf" - like the day Hashem waged battle at the Red Sea. Just as Hashem fought against Egypt at Yam Suf, so too will He fight against the nations on the day of Gog's arrival.
וְעָמְדוּ רַגְלָיו בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא עַל־הַר הַזֵּיתִים אֲשֶׁר עַל־פְּנֵי יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם מִקֶּדֶם וְנִבְקַע הַר הַזֵּיתִים מֵחֶצְיוֹ מִזְרָחָה וָיָמָּה גֵּיא גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד וּמָשׁ חֲצִי הָהָר צָפוֹנָה וְחֶצְיוֹ־נֶגְבָּה׃ - "And His feet shall stand on 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, a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south."
On that day, a miracle is destined to occur: the Mount of Olives will split. There will be a great earthquake in the land, as is also mentioned in the Book of Yechezkel, which will cause the entire Mount of Olives to cleave. The Mount of Olives lies east of Jerusalem, which is why the verse states, "which is before Jerusalem on the east." Metaphorically, the verse says that Hashem's "feet" will stand upon the mountain, as it were, and as a result, the mountain will divide, one section shifting to this side and one to the other - a complete cleavage. "And it shall move" means that it will detach and shift: half of the mountain to the north and half to the south, and in the middle, a valley, a vast gorge, will be formed.
It is told of one of the great Torah leaders - perhaps the Belzer Rebbe, though the exact attribution is uncertain - that he never wished to ascend the Mount of Olives. Why? Because he believed with complete and perfect faith in the coming of Mashiach, awaiting him at every single moment. He said: If Mashiach should arrive right now while we are on the Mount of Olives, and "His feet shall stand on that day" and the mountain splits open - it would be mortal danger! Therefore, he was unwilling to go up there. Consider the power of such faith, that the event is poised to happen right now, at every moment. An ordinary person says, "When Mashiach comes, with Hashem's help," and meanwhile carries on as usual. But he genuinely feared this possibility, because his faith was completely tangible.
The Malbim explains this matter according to its plain sense and resolves a contradiction through it. In Yechezkel 48, it is explained that the future Jerusalem will be located forty-five mil away from the site of the Beis HaMikdash (a mil being close to a kilometer, roughly 960 meters). On the other hand, Scripture states that Jerusalem will abide forever, implying that it will remain in its place. The resolution lies in our verses: the Mount of Olives, which is part of Jerusalem, will be displaced along with its entire surrounding area over a length and width of 5,000 reeds - which equal fifteen mil, the dimensions of Jerusalem in the Future to Come - and it will stand forty-five mil away from the northern half of the mountain. Upon it, the future Jerusalem seen by Yechezkel will be built and established. Thus, there is no contradiction: on the one hand Jerusalem will abide, but as it stands, it will be shifted and distance itself from the site of the Temple, and both statements are completely true.
וְנַסְתֶּם גֵּיא־הָרַי כִּי־יַגִּיעַ גֵּי־הָרִים אֶל־אָצַל וְנַסְתֶּם כַּאֲשֶׁר נַסְתֶּם מִפְּנֵי הָרַעַשׁ בִּימֵי עֻזִּיָּה מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וּבָא יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהַי כָּל־קְדֹשִׁים עִמָּךְ׃ - "And you shall flee to the valley of the mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal; and you shall flee as you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and Hashem my God shall come, and all the holy ones with You."
The prophet describes a flight: everyone will flee to the valley created by the separation of the two parts of the mountain. "And the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal" - the valley will extend toward its southern side, toward Hebron, to a place named Azal, which according to Chazal was located 45 mil from present-day Jerusalem. Up to that point the mountain will collapse and the valley will extend, and there it will stop. And what will be there? There the Jerusalem of the future will be built. And this flight will be like the flight from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah.
Yet there is a fundamental difference. The earthquake in the days of Uzziah was an expression of wrath upon them, and tzara'at broke out on Uzziah's forehead because he went to burn incense, performing an act forbidden to anyone who is not a kohen. There, the earthquake was an act of fierce anger. In contrast, the future earthquake will be a positive one: "And Hashem my God shall come, and all the holy ones with You" - Hashem and all His holy ones will come with you to protect you and assist you, not to punish you.
And who are "all the holy ones with Him"? Radak explains that all the prophets who spoke of the future redemption will come, and Hashem will come with them, so that they may see with their own eyes, face to face, how their prophecies are fulfilled, and He will, as it were, say to them: Behold, what you spoke of in ancient times is now coming to pass. The Malbim, on the other hand, explains that Hashem will come with the angels, and these angels will serve as protection and assistance for the people of Israel.
The Malbim cites an alternative reading of the word venastem ("and you shall flee") - not from the root of flight (nus), but from the root of blockage or closure (satam). The valley in the middle of the mountain will open down to the abyss, from which the earthquake causing panic and terror will emanate, and afterward it will be blocked up. Through this closure, a valley plain will be formed there: what was open down to the depths will be stopped up and become level with the surface of the earth again, leaving only a valley. Radak explains differently: that the two mountains that detached and moved apart will be rejoined and reunited. Ordinarily in nature, an earthquake creates a fissure in the earth that remains, but here the chasm will close up, the mountains will reconnect and become elevated like Azal, where the high mountains stand, and through this the original state will be restored.
וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֹא־יִהְיֶה אוֹר יְקָרוֹת וְקִפָּאוֹן׃ - And it shall come to pass on that day that there shall not be light of brightness and murkiness.
Radak explains this allegorically: the light of that day will not be clear and brilliant - this is "light of brightness" (or yekarot) - nor will it be "murkiness" (kipa'on), meaning light filtered through clouds where the sun is not visible and the air feels frozen. It will be neither this kind of light nor that kind, but rather an intermediate light: neither entirely light nor entirely darkness. Rashi explains ve-kipa'on as meaning coagulated, dark, and thick like ice that has frozen and crusted over. And this is what the liturgical poet meant in the piyyut, "Bring near the day that is neither day nor night" - it refers to this very day.
The Malbim interprets these words as referring to the Future Era. After all, it is said: "The sun shall no longer be your light by day... but Hashem shall be an everlasting light to you" - Hashem will illuminate for us, not the sun. There will be no physical light at all, but purely spiritual light. This is the meaning of "there shall not be light of brightness and murkiness": neither sunlight, which is precious, bright light (or yakar), nor the light of the moon and stars, which is reflected, floating light (or kipa'on).
And what is kipa'on? In Aramaic, kefa means to float, as the Targum translates for "and the iron floated" - ve-kefa parzela. A "floating light" (or kipa'on) is light that has no intrinsic source of its own; rather, it strikes an object and the object reflects it elsewhere. The light is external to it and merely "floats" above that physical body. Such is the light of the moon and stars - a floating, reflected light. The sun, by contrast, is a "precious light" (or yekarot), illuminating of its own accord. The verse states that on that day there will be neither bright intrinsic light nor secondary floating light, but solely the light of the Holy One, Blessed be He; no physical light will exist at all, but only spiritual light.
וְהָיָה יוֹם־אֶחָד הוּא יִוָּדַע לַיהֹוָה לֹא־יוֹם וְלֹא־לָיְלָה וְהָיָה לְעֵת־עֶרֶב יִהְיֶה־אוֹר׃ - And it shall be one unique day that shall be known to Hashem, neither day nor night, and it shall come to pass that at evening time there shall be light.
Radak explains "one day" as a day uniquely set apart for Hashem, on which the Holy One, Blessed be He, will perform unique acts of might and wonders. And what does "neither day nor night" mean? This is a metaphor: day symbolizes relief and night symbolizes distress, and this day will be neither entirely distress nor entirely relief. However, "at evening time there shall be light" - toward the end of the day, relief will arrive. For after half of the city goes out into exile, "Hashem will go forth and fight against those nations," and salvation will come toward the end of the day; but throughout that entire day, it will be neither day nor night, neither entirely distress nor entirely relief.
The Malbim continues his previous explanation here. Because this light is not physical light but Divine light, that day will not be divided into day and night, into morning, afternoon, and evening, for this division stems only from the sun rising here and setting there. "It shall be known to Hashem" means that Hashem will become known and revealed through that light. Therefore it will be "one day" that is entirely day, and in the light of the Holy One, blessed be He, we will see light. Consequently, there will be no reality of sunset, and therefore "neither day nor night," for night stems from the setting of the sun, and day and night are determined by sunrise and sunset.
On a deeper level, the Malbim explains, Scripture comes to express that the illumination and flow of bounty emanating from the heavenly luminaries will, as it were, be nullified, and the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory and essence, will bestow upon us an unchanging spiritual bounty. Such an influx means there will be no more troubles and no state of sunset, for sunset symbolizes decline. There are times when the Jewish people are at their sunrise and times when they are at their sunset, but on that day there will be no more sunset for the Jewish people; rather, the Jewish people will always shine and always remain at their high spiritual level. Beyond the literal aspect that that day will be, as it were, one long day, spiritually too, everything will be light: success, blessing, and prosperity for the Jewish people, without any cloud darkening their state - which represents darkness, night, and exile.
וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יֵצְאוּ מַיִם־חַיִּים מִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם חֶצְיָם אֶל־הַיָּם הַקַּדְמוֹנִי וְחֶצְיָם אֶל־הַיָּם הָאַחֲרוֹן בַּקַּיִץ וּבָחֹרֶף יִהְיֶה׃ - And on that day it shall come to pass that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; in summer and in winter it shall be.
On that day, when the Mount of Olives splits, living waters will flow forth from Jerusalem. Initially, the spring will open only in Jerusalem, but after the final war the waters will multiply until they reach the eastern sea and the western sea. One must contemplate what an immense quantity of water is described here. This is the simple meaning of the verse, and it will be fulfilled literally.
The Ibn Ezra states: This is a sign for the future, and for this reason the mountain is split, so that living waters will emerge from between its halves through the valley, and the mountain will no longer obstruct because it will split. And the Ibn Ezra adds, refuting those who claimed even in his day that we had already passed the war of Gog and Magog: Let them show us the flowing river that reaches the sea - reaching the Mediterranean and the ocean! Where is the spring of water that split open? As long as you have not seen it as described by the prophet, it is a sign that that day has not yet arrived.
The Malbim states that the words are literal, actual water, and what is meant by "in summer and in winter it shall be" is that they will never cease. He further adds that on a deeper level, the waters hint at the knowledge of Hashem, may He be blessed, as it says, "as the waters cover the sea": on that day knowledge will proliferate - knowledge of God, not secular sciences - spirituality will increase, and Divine comprehension will expand.
וְהָיָה יְהֹוָה לְמֶלֶךְ עַל־כָּל־הָאָרֶץ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יְהֹוָה אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד׃ - And Hashem shall be King over all the earth; on that day Hashem shall be one and His name one.
Out of this proliferation of knowledge, all the nations will abandon their gods, and Hashem will be King over all the earth. They will no longer say there is this god and that god. And what is the meaning of "and His name one"? Rashi explains that His name will be mentioned by everyone. The Radak explains that they will not mention the name of any other deity in the world, only His name alone, and this is called "one name" - that everyone mentions the very same name.
The Malbim explains that this refers to the Tetragrammaton, Shem Havayah, which in the Future to Come will be pronounced as it is written. Today, we do not pronounce it as it is written, but rather as Adonut, but on that day the utilized name will be Shem Havayah alone. And what is the difference between Shem Havayah and Shaddai, El, Elokim, Tzevaot, Ehyeh? Shem Havayah is the essential Name, His essence, may He be blessed; whereas all other names, as explained in the sacred books, are descriptive names, which are not His Name in His essence but rather describe His actions: Shaddai - He who said to His world, "Enough"; Ehyeh - the name of redemption, for He is destined to redeem Israel; Tzevaot - that all His hosts are with Him; Elokim - that He controls all forces of nature, being the Master of strength and all powers; and so forth. The Kuzari also elaborates on this matter. And since in the Future to Come there will be no differentiated modes of Divine providence - judgment, kindness, strict justice, mercy - but rather one unified, constant providence of unending kindness and mercy, consequently Hashem will be one and His name one, and there will be no further descriptive titles through which people might say, "Now His guidance is such, and now His guidance is such."
יִסּוֹב כָּל־הָאָרֶץ כָּעֲרָבָה מִגֶּבַע לְרִמּוֹן נֶגֶב יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם וְרָאֲמָה וְיָשְׁבָה תַחְתֶּיהָ לְמִשַּׁעַר בִּנְיָמִן עַד־מְקוֹם שַׁעַר הָרִאשׁוֹן עַד־שַׁעַר הַפִּנִּים וּמִגְדַּל חֲנַנְאֵל עַד יִקְבֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - All the land will turn like the plain from Geva to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and she will be elevated and dwell in her place, from the Gate of Binyamin to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Chananel to the king's winepresses.
The Malbim explains: After the Mount of Olives splits in two, the valley between them will become like a plain, a level area, stretching from Geva, which is south of Jerusalem, to Rimmon, and there the new Jerusalem will be established. "And she will be elevated [ve-ra'amah]" - this refers to Jerusalem itself, from the root ram, exalted (with a silent aleph, though it is pronounced). Old Jerusalem, which is the Jerusalem of today, will be where the Beis HaMikdash stands and remains in its place, while the new Jerusalem will be the residential city; and both will be exalted and lofty. "And dwell in her place" - Old Jerusalem will remain in its place, and from there the new Jerusalem will extend out to a distance of 45 mil, an immense and vast expanse. This is what the verse enumerates: "from the Gate of Binyamin to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Chananel to the king's winepresses" - all the way to there the new Jerusalem will extend. The mountains will recede, and this entire plain will stretch out to the edge of the mountain, becoming Jerusalem.
Radak explains that "all the land will turn like the plain" means that the entire site of Jerusalem is destined to be elevated. Although Jerusalem is already high today - when driving there, one must pass the Castel and climb up, simple as that - in the future, the entire region will be higher, and the whole plain will be lifted up. Through this, the prophecy will be fulfilled: "The mountain of the House of Hashem shall be established at the head of the mountains, and exalted above the hills": the Mountain of Hashem will be elevated above all the hills around it and higher than everything - in addition to its spiritual greatness, physical greatness as well, being elevated and physically higher than all the rest.
וְיָשְׁבוּ בָהּ וְחֵרֶם לֹא יִהְיֶה־עוֹד וְיָשְׁבָה יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם לָבֶטַח׃ - And people will dwell in it, and there will be no more destruction, and Jerusalem will dwell securely.
"And people will dwell in it" - they will merit to live in Jerusalem forever. "And there will be no more destruction" - there will never again be a situation like that of the First and Second Temples, where Jerusalem was ruined and the city was handed over to destruction. Rather, she will dwell securely, without wars, "and Jerusalem will dwell securely." From this point forward, the prophet describes what will happen to the nations who embarked on this reckless adventure of coming to wage war against Jerusalem.
Chapter 14 in Zechariah completes the prophecy of Gog and Magog found in Yechezkel 38-39. In this third assault, Gog will advance all the way to Jerusalem itself, the descendants of Edom will come to take it from the hands of the Ishmaelites, the city will be captured, and half the populace will go into exile - yet the rest of the people will not be cut off, for then Hashem will go forth and fight those nations directly, through open miracles, as He fought at the Red Sea. The Mount of Olives will split, forming a great valley, and the future Jerusalem will be built at a distance of 45 mil from the site of the Beis HaMikdash - harmonizing Yechezkel's prophecy with the promise that Jerusalem will dwell in her place. On that day, there will no longer be mere physical light, neither the blazing brilliance of the sun nor the cold dimness of the moon, but only the light of Hashem, one continuous day with no sunset and no decline for the Jewish people. Living waters will flow from Jerusalem to both seas, alluding to the proliferation of the knowledge of God throughout the world, and through this, Hashem will be King over all the earth, Hashem one and His Name one, under a single guidance of loving-kindness and mercy. Jerusalem will be elevated and expand, dwelling securely forever, without ruin and without destruction.