What is the meaning of Zechariah 14:13? On that day The prophet pinpoints a specific, future moment—the climactic “Day of the LORD.” He has just described the Messiah’s feet standing on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4) and the LORD becoming “King over all the earth” (14:9). Other prophets echo the same appointed day: • “Multitudes… For the Day of the LORD is near” (Joel 3:14). • “The pride of man will be humbled… and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:17). The setting, then, is not a vague era but a literal, coming day when God personally intervenes in global affairs around Jerusalem. a great panic from the LORD will come upon them The turmoil is neither random nor merely psychological; it is divinely sent. Scripture repeatedly shows God throwing hostile armies into confusion: • “Panic struck the whole army… It was a panic sent by God” (1 Samuel 14:15). • “When Gideon’s three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set the men’s swords against one another” (Judges 7:22). • “The LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir… and they were defeated” (2 Chronicles 20:22–23). Zechariah assures us the same sovereign hand will unleash dread that unravels the final coalition attacking Jerusalem. so that each will seize the hand of another Here the panic becomes personal—soldiers grope for any steadying grip, yet even that grasp turns hostile. Similar scenes appear elsewhere: • “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian; brother will fight against brother” (Isaiah 19:2). • “I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains… Every man’s sword will be against his brother” (Ezekiel 38:21). The unity of the invading forces dissolves. In their God-induced terror they clutch at one another, only to become one another’s foes. and the hand of one will rise against the other The verse ends with outright mutual slaughter. Instead of striking God’s people, the enemies strike themselves, fulfilling earlier prophecies: • “In that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness” (Zechariah 12:4). • “I will overturn the throne of kingdoms and destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms” (Haggai 2:22). • At Armageddon “a great earthquake… and huge hailstones” add to the chaos as demonic alliances implode (Revelation 16:16–21). The picture is one of complete, self-inflicted defeat under God’s direct judgment. summary Zechariah 14:13 describes a literal future moment when God, defending Jerusalem, sends a divinely sourced panic on the attacking nations. That terror produces confusion, frantic grasping, and finally mutual bloodshed, leaving the enemies of the Messiah destroyed by their own hands. The verse underscores God’s absolute control over history and His unfailing commitment to protect His people and establish His kingdom. |
    |