Zechariah 14:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet, they scornfully rejected and killed those invited, ultimately taking the life of the son. And what does the parable reveal? ‘The king was angry, and sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and set their city on fire’ (Matthew 22:2-7). Similarly, a fate awaits the adversaries who oppose and cause destruction on the day of conflict. This illustrates extreme wrath and heavenly defeat when God delivers a retribution that matches the wickedness of those who rise against Him, for they crucified, as stated, the Prince of Life (Acts 3:15). It is only the nature of the Divine that possesses the ability to perform deeds that astonish; thus it is said, ‘they shall become his foot,’ referring evidently to Christ, on the day He stands on the Mount of Olives. It will experience four divisions, two to the east and west, or toward the sea, and the other two facing north and south. The very peaks shall rupture, causing the valleys to swell, subjected to a sudden quaking before Asahel. This refers to a village at the mountain’s edge and likens this profound earthquake to one that occurred during the era of Ozias or Azariah. When he ascended the royal throne in Jerusalem, as a member of the tribe of Judah, he unlawfully attempted to usurp the priestly office and was subsequently struck with leprosy, leading to a great shaking within Judah and Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 26:16-20). It is said that Mount Zion trembled to the point of splitting, and its summits were cast into adjacent valleys. The prophet seems to allude to the earthquake that accompanied the holy crucifixion, as underscored by the Gospel narrative. In these accounts, the prophet recalls the event, while the insightful Matthew succinctly relates, ‘And Jesus cried again with a great voice, and gave up the Spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from the top to the bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the departed saints arose’ (Matthew 27:50-52). To derive a spiritual understanding of these occurrences, we believe that the splitting of the rocks and the sealing of the ditches symbolize the hardening of the Jews' hearts and the transformation of idolaters toward righteousness. These individuals, who worshipped the creation instead of the Creator (Romans 1:25), possessed hearts of stone, rigid and devoid of life. However, God foretold through Ezekiel that He would remove their hearts of stone and replace them with hearts of flesh, so that they may know Him (Ezekiel 11:19). Thus, the hearts of the lost were softened as God opened them to embrace the message of salvation. Similarly, Jeremiah expresses, ‘Is not my word like a fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces’ (Jeremiah 23:29), reinforcing that ‘the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword’ (Hebrews 4:12). The shattering of the rocks, therefore, serves as a clear indicator of the lost transitioning to salvation, while the sealing of the ditches represents the hard-heartedness of the Jews. Divine Isaiah also speaks to this, saying, ‘And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will thresh from the river to the brook of Egypt’ (Isaiah 27:12), indicating a mental barricade throughout Judea, such that those who see shall not see, nor hear, nor understand (Matthew 13; see also Luke 8:10), for ‘a veil shall lie over their hearts,’ as written, when engaging with the Old Testament (2 Corinthians 3:15). The shaking of the earth signifies a transformation from one state to another, as expressed by the divine David: ‘He who sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth be moved’ (Psalm 98:3). We do not interpret this as a calling for heavenly to earthly fluctuations, which holds no purpose for us, but instead as a divine request for those filled with the Spirit to redirect the earth from idol worship toward the acknowledgement of the true and sovereign God, from the wisdom of the flesh toward a spiritually alive existence, ultimately shifting from earthly to heavenly. When it states that the graves of the dead were opened, it signifies that death itself was challenged, as Christ took on flesh for our sake, ‘that He might be Lord both of the dead and the living’ (Romans 14:9).

The Gospel reveals that no one has seen God except the Only Begotten Son, who has disclosed Him (John 1:18), and retains the truth that no one can behold God except the One who is from the Father (John 6:46).

In our understanding of divine anger, compassion, soul, and physical form, we find a similar approach to the phrase that the Lord will come forth and confront His enemies. This echoes what is said in Habakkuk: You have come forth for the salvation of Your people, for salvation with Your Anointed One (Hab. 3:13); as well as in Micah: The Lord shall come from His place and tread upon the heights of the earth, causing the mountains to crumble and the valleys to split (Micah 1:3-4); and also in Isaiah: The Lord of Hosts will come forth and shatter armies, igniting fervor and roaring against His adversaries (Isaiah 42:13). Thus, the Lord will emerge from His dwelling when He chooses to withdraw from His tranquility, revealing His gentleness and mercy towards repentant sinners. Though inherently gentle, He grieves over our failings—not for Himself, but for those who endure suffering. He has declared through the prophet, I am God and I do not change (Malachi 3:6), and to Him, it is attested, You are the same and unchanging (Psalms 101:28), and James states that there is no variation in Him (James 1:17). He now stands ready to battle, reminiscent of the day He defeated Pharaoh in the Red Sea, advocating for the Israelites (Exodus 14).

His feet will be upon those whom He has shown mercy, signifying that again it will be said, The Lord will sound the trumpet and move with fierce wrath (Zech. 9:14). He will not reveal Himself at twilight or in the dark of midday, as described during His encounter with Adam (Gen. 3:8). When He comes to a halt, He will not rest in a valley or low ground but will stand on a mountain filled not with barren trees but with fruitful olive trees, symbolizing enduring light, healing for the weak, and comfort for the weary. This Mount of Olives, where the Lord's feet will rest, lies to the east of Jerusalem, from which the Son of Righteousness rises; it is adorned with olive trees, of which it is proclaimed, Your children are like olive shoots surrounding your table (Psalms 127:3). The central part of the mountain will extend eastward, where the trees of the nations grow. One declares, I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God (Psalms 51:10). The other central section will stretch west and towards the sea, creating a vast valley referring to the circumcised people. To them, God has spoken through the prophet, What shameful deeds has my beloved committed in My temple? Can vows and sacred offerings remove your wickedness (Jer. 11:15), or can you find refuge in them? This beloved committed such treachery in God’s house that she crucified the Son of God, who declared: ‘The Lord has named you the olive tree, beautiful and fruitful, yet your branches have become unworthy, severed from the good root, so that we might be grafted in their place.'

Take note of the deeper meaning of these Scriptures: by referencing the earth to the west, which is quenched by bitter waves, it is emphasized that it is not simply in the sea, but in the very depths of the sea. Micah also conveys, I will cast its stones into the valley—certainly concerning Jerusalem—and will reveal its foundations (Micah 1:6). Given our limited understanding, we depict it as being set in the most arduous and darkest regions. Meanwhile, the Jews continue to interpret literally, proposing that the Lord stands upon the Mount of Olives, which they assert is split into two parts, with the eastern side opening towards the east and the western side towards the sea, while indicating that within the great abyss, one side leans northward and the other side southward.