Zechariah 14:8 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Zechariah 14:8
And it shall be in that day, that living 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.
a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
summer
בַּקַּ֥יִץba.Ka.yitz
H7019
harvest (as the crop) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
winter
וּבָחֹ֖רֶףu.va.Cho.ref
H2779
properly · conjunction + preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Revelation 22:1-2 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of…
John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have as…
Revelation 7:16-17 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Joel 3:18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers o…
Isaiah 49:10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the spr…
Isaiah 41:17-18 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel w…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Zechariah 14:8-15
Here are, I. Blessings promised to Jerusalem, the gospel-Jerusalem, in the day of the Messiah, and to all the earth, by virtue of the blessings poured out on Jerusalem, especially to the land of Israel.
1. Jerusalem shall be a spring of living waters to the world; it was made so when there the Spirit was poured out upon the apostles, and thence the word of the Lord diffused itself to the nations about (Zac 14:8): Living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; for there they began, and thence those set out who were to preach repentance and remission of sins unto all nations, Luk 24:47. Note, Where the gospel goes, and the graces of God's Spirit go along with it, there living waters go; those stre…
living waters-- (Eze 47:1; Joe 3:18).
former sea--that is, the front, or east, which Orientalists face in taking the points of the compass; the Dead Sea.
hinder sea--the west or Mediterranean.
summer . . . winter--neither dried up by heat, nor frozen by cold; ever flowing.
Adam Clarke on Zechariah 14:8
Living waters shall go out - There shall be a wide diffusion of Divine knowledge, and of the plan of human salvation, which shall go out by apostles and preachers, first from Jerusalem, then to Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, the isles of the sea, Britain, etc.
The former sea, and - the hinder sea - The Dead Sea and the Mediterranean; see on Joe 2:20 (note). These are metaphors.
In summer - In time of drought; or in the countries where there was no knowledge of God, there shall these waters flow. The stream shall never cease; it shall run in summer as well as winter. These are living waters - perennial, incessant, and waters that shall preserve life. See Joh 7:37.
John Gill on Zechariah 14:8
And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem,.... When it shall be light; and this is one of the things which will make it so; for by "living waters" are meant the Gospel, and the doctrines of it; compared to running "waters" for the sound of them, which will then go into all the earth; for the swiftness in which they shall proceed; for their rapidity and force in bearing all before them; for the great spread of them; and for their virtue and efficacy in cooling those who are inflamed with the fiery law; refreshing thirsty souls; purifying the hearts and lives of sinners, and making those that are barren fruitful: and to "living" waters, because they are the me…
The Church Fathers
On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. After this, from Jerusalem the law of salvation will come. Indeed, as the Lord says, salvation is from the Jews, and it will spread among the neighbor nations. Two seas are proposed as a symbol of the nations: the eastern sea, which Scripture calls Sea of Salt, and the western sea, which is the Great Sea. Again, in a different manner, the prophet calls the eastern sea the people living in the region of light; while by the western sea he indicates the people of Judea, who would not be deprived of the light of the gospel, if they did not want to be. In fact, even though these people are signified through the image of the sunset and the night, nevertheless the living waters of the divine precepts of Christ would not be prevented from constantly flowing to irrigate their hearts, if only they wanted them to come back to their heart. And it shall continue in summer as in winter, as in the ancient times. That is, in the same order and with the same happiness they will flow to the nations who believe as they flowed to our ancestors.
(Verse 8.) And it shall be in that day, living waters shall come 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. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth.\n\nLXX: In that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the first sea and half of them toward the last sea; in summer and in spring it shall be so; and the Lord shall be king over all the earth.\n\nAt that time (for this refers to the day that is known to the Lord alone, in which there will be no succession of light and darkness; but there will be perpetual light, as it is written in the Apocalypse: And the city shall have no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the Lord God giveth it light (Rev. 21:23))), living waters shall come forth from Jerusalem, of which we have discussed previously, presenting the testimony of Ezekiel, of which half shall go toward the eastern sea, which the Greek books call the Asphaltic Lake, commonly known as the Dead Sea, because nothing can live in its waters. And the middle part leads to the farthest sea, which leads to Egypt, and it makes the shores of Palestine. In summer, he says, and in winter it will be so, that these waters which flow out from Jerusalem will not be frozen by the winter's cold, nor will they be dried up by the excessive heat of summer: although they have changed the springtime of winter, which does not fit the distinction of summer. And when the life-giving waters have entered both seas, and have softened the bitter waters with a sweet river: then the Lord will be king over all the earth. The water that comes forth from Jerusalem, that is, from the Church, indicates the teaching of the Savior: For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3); according to what is written elsewhere: The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (Ibid., 11:9). The middle part of these waters shall go to the Eastern Sea, to the people of the Circumcision, who were chosen in the apostles and through the apostles; and the middle part to the Western Sea, so that those who sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob may come from the East and the West. Certainly, let us understand the ancient Testament and the new Testament as the Eastern Sea and the Western…
Dictionary and topics
Sea, The · Seas mentioned in scripture: Mediterranean or great sea — Seas mentioned in scripture: Mediterranean or great sea
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Zechariah 14:8
8. And it shall be in that day, that living 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.
8. Et accidet die illo, Exibunt aquae vivae e Ierusalem; medium earum ad mare Orientale, et medium earum ad mare novissimum, (vel, posterius,) aestate et hyeme erunt.
Here is subjoined a more cheering prophecy, -- that the grace of God would yet prevail. Whatever evils, and troubles, and dangers, and fears, and diseases awaited the faithful, he yet says that in such miseries they would still be made happy. And this ought to be carefully observed, for nothing can be more suitably found…
Zac 14:8. "And it will come to pass in that day, that living waters will go out from Jerusalem; by half into the eastern sea, and by half into the western sea: in summer and in winter will it be. Zac 14:9. And Jehovah will be King over all the land; in that day will Jehovah be one, and His name one. Zac 14:10. The whole land will turn as the plain from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem; and this will be high, and dwell in its place, from the gate of Benjamin to the place of the first gate, to the corner gate, and from the tower of Chananeel to the king's wine-presses. Zac 14:11. And men will dwell therein, and there will be no more curse (ban); and Jerusalem will dwell securely." The living…
The life-giving waters . . . from Jerusalem symbolize God’s life-giving presence among his people (see Ezek 47:1-12; Joel 3:18; John 7:37-39; Rev 22:1-2). • half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean: Divine blessings will extend both east and west, flowing continuously. They will never stop bringing healing (see Isa 30:23-26).
Rashi on Zechariah 14:8
And it shall come to pass on that day when the Mount of Olives will split from east to west.
spring water shall come forth from Jerusalem and flow to the east by way of the crevice to... the eastern sea which is to the east of the world; and half of it will turn to the west, to the western sea. This is the spring concerning which Joel (4:18) prophesied: “And a spring shall emanate from the house of the Lord.” That is the spring concerning which Ezekiel (47:3) prophesied: “And he measured a thousand cubits and he made me pass through the water.”
