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Zechariah 14:6-11, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Zechariah 14:6-11
The Unique Day, Living Waters, and Universal King
A day only the LORD knows: strange light, living waters, one king, a raised city
It shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark. The Hebrew of 14:6 is difficult: no light, cold, or congealed brightness are all proposed. It shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. The text itself says the conditions of the day are the LORD's to know.
Living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half toward the former sea and half toward the hinder sea, in summer and in winter. The LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. The land turns to a plain from Geba to Rimmon, and Jerusalem is lifted and inhabited in her place from Benjamin's gate to the corner gate, the tower of Hananeel to the king's winepresses. Men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
Life and kingship after catastrophe, not a forecast you can schedule
This is the positive center of chapter 14. After rape and flight, the book pictures perennial fresh water, undivided recognition of the LORD, transformed topography, and secure habitation. Ezekiel 47 and Joel illuminate living water. Revelation later reuses river, light, and city in a distinct Christian apocalypse. One LORD, and his name one, is universal confession, not a pronunciation code.
The unique day does not reveal a calendar date, astronomical event, climate forecast, earthquake prediction, or secret timeline. Living waters are not a product to sell, a substitute for medical care, or a healing guarantee. Universal kingship does not authorize theocracy, forced worship, or Christian empire.
How this should shape us
Let the sentence known to the LORD kill date-setting. Work for clean water, safe housing, and unforced worship as ordinary mercies. Do not sell miracle water, and do not turn kingship into a warrant to coerce.
Teach it back
Explain Zechariah 14:6-11 in your own words. Include its place in Zechariah's return-to-holiness movement, one material uncertainty, and one use the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: The light text, physical and symbolic geography, relation to Ezekiel, timing, and mode of fulfillment remain materially uncertain.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Zechariah 14:6-11, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, speaker changes, repeated formulas, names, and the base text behind translation discussion.
Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Zech.xml, 14:6-11
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual, literary, historical, and canonical-reception notes.
NET Bible Zechariah PDF, printed pp. 1800-1801, translation and notes on 14:6-11
Supports: Whole-book movement, Persian and later horizons, literary boundaries, composition, and material alternatives.
Mason, 'Zechariah,' Oxford Bible Commentary, printed pp. 614-615, discussion of 14:6-11
Supports: Compositional development, fast-to-feast movement, leadership expectations, messianism, and the book's role within the Twelve.
Boda, Exploring Zechariah, Volume 1, printed pp. 59-88, chapter 4 on royal, priestly, prophetic, and messianic expectations
Supports: Inner-biblical allusion, vision traditions, Persian and Babylon imagery, leadership, burden headings, and shepherd units.
Boda, Exploring Zechariah, Volume 2, printed pp. 135-196, chapters 8-11 on the burden headings, shepherds, law, prophets, and Zechariah 9-14
Supports: The relation between Zechariah 1-8 and 9-14, later conflict horizons, compositional alternatives, and limits on historical reconstruction.
Gonzalez, 'Zechariah 9-14,' JHS 13.9 (2013), journal pp. 5-21 on the distinct yet final-form relation of Zechariah 9-14 to 1-8, utopian-dystopian alternation, and historical limits
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Zechariah 14:6-11, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Zechariah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, speaker changes, repeated formulas, names, and the base text behind translation discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Zech.xml, 14:6-11
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Zechariah with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual, literary, historical, and canonical-reception notes.
Exact location: NET Bible Zechariah PDF, printed pp. 1800-1801, translation and notes on 14:6-11
Open source ↗modern critical commentary
Zechariah
Rex Mason
Oxford University Press, in The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001
Supports: Whole-book movement, Persian and later horizons, literary boundaries, composition, and material alternatives.
Exact location: Mason, 'Zechariah,' Oxford Bible Commentary, printed pp. 614-615, discussion of 14:6-11
Open source ↗open access scholarly monograph
Exploring Zechariah, Volume 1: The Development of Zechariah and Its Role within the Twelve
Mark J. Boda
SBL Press, Ancient Near East Monographs 16, 2017
Supports: Compositional development, fast-to-feast movement, leadership expectations, messianism, and the book's role within the Twelve.
Exact location: Boda, Exploring Zechariah, Volume 1, printed pp. 59-88, chapter 4 on royal, priestly, prophetic, and messianic expectations
Open source ↗open access scholarly monograph
Exploring Zechariah, Volume 2: The Development and Role of Biblical Traditions in Zechariah
Mark J. Boda
SBL Press, Ancient Near East Monographs 17, 2017
Supports: Inner-biblical allusion, vision traditions, Persian and Babylon imagery, leadership, burden headings, and shepherd units.
Exact location: Boda, Exploring Zechariah, Volume 2, printed pp. 135-196, chapters 8-11 on the burden headings, shepherds, law, prophets, and Zechariah 9-14
Open source ↗peer reviewed journal article
Zechariah 9-14 and the Continuation of Zechariah during the Ptolemaic Period
Hervé Gonzalez
Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 13, article 9, 2013
Supports: The relation between Zechariah 1-8 and 9-14, later conflict horizons, compositional alternatives, and limits on historical reconstruction.
Exact location: Gonzalez, 'Zechariah 9-14,' JHS 13.9 (2013), journal pp. 5-21 on the distinct yet final-form relation of Zechariah 9-14 to 1-8, utopian-dystopian alternation, and historical limits
Open source ↗