Keraia
Zechariah 14

Zechariah 14:16

All Nations Will Worship the King · Zechariah 14:16–21
Read Zechariah 14

Translations

Modern
Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
Traditional
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Literal
And it will come to pass that everyone remaining from all the nations coming against Jerusalem will go up, year by year, to bow down to the King, YHWH of Hosts, and to keep the feast of Booths.
Latin
Et omnes qui reliqui fuerint de universis gentibus quæ venerunt contra Jerusalem, ascendent ab anno in annum ut adorent regem, Dominum exercituum, et celebrent festivitatem tabernaculorum.

Original

Hebrew
English
Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Notes

Zechariah 14:16

  • the nations … will go up … to worship the King: Another reversal will happen on the day of the Lord (compare Philippians 2:8–11).

  • The annual Feast of Tabernacles marked the start of the fall harvest season. It commemorated Israel’s time in the wilderness after leaving Egypt (see Exodus 23:14–19; Leviticus 23:33–43; Numbers 29:12–40; Deuteronomy 16:13–17). The festival gave the worshiping community a chance to thank God for his provision. It encouraged social concern for the disadvantaged and reliance on God as pilgrims in this world. Thanksgiving will define worship in the messianic era (see Isaiah 51:3; Jeremiah 33:11).

Zechariah 14:1–21

Zechariah ends with visions of judgment, salvation, and God's universal kingdom. In the future, Israel will face a siege and near destruction, but the Lord will intervene to save his people (Zechariah 14:3–4) and punish their enemies with a severe plague (14:12). Israel will be restored as God's people, and Jerusalem will become the center of civilization (Zechariah 14:16–17). God's rule will extend over the entire earth (Zechariah 14:9), and the natural world will change (14:6–10). God's holiness will be the defining feature of his rule over the earth (Zechariah 14:20–21).

Zechariah’s message calls God’s people to hope in the King of Israel, who has full power and authority.

Zechariah 12:1–14:21

The theme of Jerusalem versus the nations connects the four messages in Zechariah's second oracle. The nations gather against Jerusalem at both the start (Zechariah 12:1–9) and the end (14:1–15) of the oracle. The repeated phrase on that day points to the future day of the Lord.

This oracle shows both judgment and blessing for Jerusalem. The main focus is the cleansing of the people of Israel (Zechariah 13:1), ending with God's universal kingdom (14:16–21). These future visions encouraged the Judeans of Zechariah's time to stay faithful despite feeling unimportant and helpless.

Events

Parallels

Leviticus 23:33–44 Nehemiah 8:13–18

People

LORD: Names or title used to refer to God

Places

Jerusalem: The capital of Israel, a holy city for three religions

Glossary

Feasts and Festivals of Israel Gog Holy War Holy War Zechariah, Book of Zion

Topics

Church: Prophecies Concerning Prosperity of Feast of Tabernacles: Penalty for not Observing Gentiles: Prophecies of the Conversion of Jesus, the Christ: Prophecies Concerning Universality of the Kingdom of Millennium: General Scriptures Concerning Prophecies Concerning Israel: Prophecies Concerning of Blessing and Restoration The Millennium Worship: Commanded