Zechariah 14:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The prophet Isaiah notes the anguish and torment of wild creatures, specifically stating, “In sorrow, and in affliction, are the lion and the lionesses: whence are the aspids, and the tribe of the Aspids of the soaring, who ride on asses, and on oxen their wealth.” He also recounts seeing “a rider on a donkey, and a rider on a camel.” Thus, he portrays the adversaries of the truth represented by the Gentile nations, who have historically combated earthly Jerusalem, serving as a metaphor to help us recognize both our visible and invisible foes. If one opts to interpret the characteristics of these animals as symbols of the enemies of the Church, this understanding is not without merit. Some may display reckless and brazen qualities reminiscent of horses, which justly exemplify passion and frenzy in relation to temptation, while others resemble horses in their untamed and fierce nature—traits often attributed to them by Greek poets. Yet others may appear like camels, embodying arrogance and folly, and some, akin to donkeys, exhibit profound ignorance, as donkeys are known for their laziness and lack of intelligence, symbolizing utter lack of reason. It is noteworthy that those who wage war against the Church are not compared to gentle and clean animals like sheep and oxen; rather, they are likened to unclean and brutish creatures, which even the Law given through Moses deemed unfit and impure.

Thus, revisiting our figurative interpretation, we assert that all the trials that previously beset the Church will be eliminated so that goodness may abound. The horse, once driven by lust and wallowing in the mire of sensuality (Jer. 5:8), when cleansed, will heed the call: Arise, let us depart (John 14:31), and: Arise, come, my friend (Song 2:10), as well as the Apostle's declaration: Awake, you who sleep, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon you (Eph. 5:14). When these once-fallen horses arise and prepare themselves for service to the Lord, they will call to God, Ascend upon your steeds, and your ascent is salvation (Hab. 3:8). By referring to horses, we indicate those who are barren and given over to lust, as the Psalmist cautions: Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding (Psalms 31:9). Just as those who seek to satisfy their desires are likened to horses, so too are those who may appear pure in body yet lack spiritual integrity, embodying lives driven not by the call to the Kingdom of Heaven but by human passions or the shifting tides. When these horses and these wayward souls turn to bear spiritual fruit and begin to bring forth spiritual offspring, they will recall Isaiah's words, Let not the eunuch say, “I am a dry tree,” for thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths and choose what pleases Me, I will give a memorial in My house and within My walls, a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off (Is. 66:3-4). Such horses of both genders served the kings of Israel, notably David, the forerunner of Christ (2 Sam. 13:29; 3 Sam. 1:44). Once we comprehend the nature of these rising and falling horses, we then turn our attention to camels—an animal that chews the cud but does not have split hooves (Lev. 11:4). Here the camel symbolizes all sinners burdened by the weight of great transgressions; they misguidedly believe themselves to be the keepers of Scriptures yet lack the spiritual insight to comprehend their depths. More specifically, the camel may represent the people of Judah, who, while they meditate on the law of God and seemingly recite it, fail to separate the letter from the spirit and the shadow from the truth. They carry the burden of the law and hear from the prophet, Woe to you, O sinful nation, laden with iniquity (Isaiah 1:4). The proverb speaks similarly of the camel, suggesting that one who disregards his father’s instructions devises evil (Proverbs 15:5, 32; Proverbs 10:17). Moving from the camel, we arrive at the donkey, which once wandered untamed and unclean, having many masters but ultimately stumbling, yet it rose quickly to carry the Lord and entered the holy city of Jerusalem, where it was celebrated by a throng of faithful children (Matt. 21; John 12). Concerning this donkey, it is noted that the Savior bound it to a vine (Gen. 49:11), about which is written: You brought a vine out of Egypt and cast out the nations and planted it (Ps. 79:9). The vinedresser himself speaks to the vine, proclaiming: I planted you as a fruitful vine (Jeremiah 2:21). The other livestock and creatures mentioned by the prophet should be interpreted in accordance with their nature. Such a perspective aligns far better with the time of the Son of God than the trivial explanations concocted by the people of Judah regarding this prophecy.