14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be {a} divided in the midst of thee. (a) He arms the godly against the great temptations that would come, before they enjoyed this prosperous estate promised under Christ, that when these dangers came, they might know that they were warned of them before. 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he {b} fought in the day of battle. (b) As your fathers and you have had experience both at the Red Sea, and at all other times. 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the {c} mount of Olives, which [is] before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst of it toward the east and toward the west, [and there shall be] a very great {d} valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. (c) By this manner of speech the Prophet shows God's power and care over his Church, and how he will as it were by a miracle save it. (d) So that out of all the parts of the world, they will see Jerusalem, which was before his with this mountain: and this he means of the spiritual Jerusalem the Church. 14:5 And ye shall flee [to] the {e} valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal: yea, ye shall flee, as ye fled from before the {f} earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD {g} my God shall come, [and] all the saints with thee. (e) He speaks of the hypocrites, who could not abide God's presence, but would flee into all places, where they might hide themselves among the mountains. (f) Read Am 1:1. (g) Because they did not credit the Prophet's words, he turns to God and comforts himself in that that he knew that these things would come, and says, You, O God, with your angels will come to perform this great thing. 14:7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, {h} not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, [that] at evening it shall be light. (h) Signifying, that there would be great troubles in the Church, and that the time of it is in the Lord's hands, yet at length (which is here meant by the evening) God would send comfort. 14:8 And it shall be in that day, [that] living {i} 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. (i) That is, the spiritual graces of God, which would always continue in most abundance. 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one {k} LORD, and his name one. (k) All idolatry and superstition will be abolished, and there will be one God, one faith, and one religion. 14:10 All the land shall be turned {l} 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 to the place of the first gate, to the corner gate, and [from] the tower of Hananeel to the king's winepresses. (l) This new Jerusalem will be seen through all the world, and will excel the first in excellency, wealth, and greatness. 14:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] {m} a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on {n} the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. (m) God will not only raise up war outside, but sedition at home to test them. (n) To hurt and oppress him. 14:14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the nations around shall be gathered together, {o} gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. (o) The enemies are rich, and therefore will not come to entreat, but to destroy and shed blood. 14:15 And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the donkey, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this {p} plague. (p) As the men would be destroyed, Zec 14:12. 14:18 And if the family of {q} Egypt shall not go up, and shall not come, that [have] no [rain]; there shall be the plague, with which the LORD will smite the nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. (q) By the Egyptians, who were the greatest enemies to true religion, he means all the Gentiles. 14:20 In that day there shall be upon the {r} bells of the horses, HOLINESS TO THE LORD; and the {s} pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. (r) Signifying to whatever service they were put now (whether to labour, or to serve in war), they were now holy, because the Lord had sanctified them. (s) The one as precious as the other, because they will be sanctified. 14:21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and boil in them: and in that day there shall be no more the {t} Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts. (t) But all will be pure and clean, and there will neither by hypocrites, nor any that will corrupt the true service of God. | |