Zechariah 14:8 NIV

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Zechariah 14:8-9

Zechariah 14:8-9. And it shall be in that day Spoken of Zechariah 14:6, when the light shall not be clear, nor dark, that is, during the whole of the forementioned period; living waters shall go out from Jerusalem The enlightening, quickening, and saving truths of Christianity, accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit, shall proceed from the church of Christ, the true spiritual Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea The eastern sea; and half of them toward the hinder sea ... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Zechariah 14:1-21

The Messiah’s kingdom (14:1-21)In the final section of his book, Zechariah outlines briefly the worldwide triumph of the Messiah. Since those for whom he writes are familiar only with the region around Palestine, he limits the geographical details to that area. Other pictures are likewise taken from the way of life familiar to the Jews.The scene opens with the enemies of God mistakenly thinking that at last they have conquered his people (Jerusalem). Confident that they have achieved victory,... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Zechariah 14:8

living waters = fresh, running, or perennial waters. These are the waters of Ezekiel 47:0 . former = eastern: i.e. the Dead Sea. hinder = western: i.e. Mediterranean Sea. summer . Not dried up by heat. winter. Not congealed by frost. read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Zechariah 14:8

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea: in summer and winter shall it be."Here we are on safe ground. Christ only is the source of "living water" as he himself stated in John 7:37-39, where the Holy Spirit which the Father would send was firmly identified as "the living water." That Spirit came on Pentecost, making "that day" here to be nothing other than the times of... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Zechariah 14:8

Zechariah 14:8. Living waters shall go out, &c.— Here again, real waters, not the figurative ones of baptism, or of the Christian doctrine, are meant; for these waters go out only to the east and to the west, whereas the evangelical waters went forth into all quarters of the world. Houbigant; who, instead of former sea, reads eastern sea; and instead of hinder sea,—the western sea. read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Zechariah 14:8

8. living waters— (Ezekiel 47:1; Joel 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. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Zechariah 14:1-8

The final deliverance of Israel and the return of Messiah 14:1-8 read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Zechariah 14:8

Also in that day life-giving water would flow rapidly out of Jerusalem, half of it flowing east into the Dead Sea and half west into the Mediterranean Sea. "Living water" is a metaphor that pictures water as a living thing flowing quickly and sparkling in its constant movement and shifting course (cf. Leviticus 14:5-6; Leviticus 14:50-52; Leviticus 15:13; Numbers 19:17). This water would flow all year round, even in the summer when most streams in Palestine dry up (cf. Psalms 46:4; Joel 3:18).... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 14:1-21

The Judgment of the Heathen. Exaltation of JerusalemThis chapter has the appearance of a late work. It has all the general characteristics of the style of literature known to students in the book of Enoch, and popular in the Jewish church about the beginning of the Christian era. The terrible punishment of the heathen (Zechariah 14:12), and the ceremonial purity of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:20-21), are typical of the narrower phases of late Judaism.1, 2. Jerusalem again assaulted and taken.3-7.... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Zechariah 14:8

(8) Living waters.—The symbol of Divine knowledge and spiritual vitality (Joel 3:18; Ezekiel 47:0).Former.—Or front, i.e., eastern (marg.)—meaning the Dead Sea.Hinder.—i.e., western, meaning the Mediterranean. These boundaries denote the whole of the Holy Land.In summer and in winter.—The stream shall be perennial, not drying up in summer, as the Eastern wadis do. read more