Bible Strands
Zechariah 14:13
On that day a great panic from the LORD will come upon them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of one will rise against the other.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Zechariah addresses Judah and the surrounding nations at the climax of the siege against Jerusalem. He describes the moment Yahweh intervenes to shatter the attacking coalition before the final plague and Judah's victory.
The words — The Hebrew phrase מְהוּמַת יְהוָה (meḥūmat YHWH) translates literally as "a panic of Yahweh." The verb וְהֶחֱזִיקוּ (wəheḥîzîqû) means "and they will take hold," describing the desperate, mutual seizure of hands.
The thread — The text echoes Judges 7:22 and Ezekiel 38:21, where Yahweh forces enemies to turn their weapons on each other. It parallels Zechariah 12:4, where Yahweh strikes every horse with panic and every rider with madness.
Why it lands — The text states that divine panic causes allies to seize and strike one another before any human action occurs. It asks the reader to recognize that the collapse of hostile coalitions originates from Yahweh's direct intervention, not human strategy.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.
Cross-references
- Judges 7:22 And when the three hundred rams’ horns sounded, the LORD set all the men in the camp against one another with their swords. The army fled to Beth-shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
- Ezekiel 38:21 And I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains, declares the Lord GOD, and every man’s sword will be against his brother.
- Zechariah 12:4 On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and every rider with madness. I will keep a watchful eye on the house of Judah, but I will strike with blindness all the horses of the nations.
- 1 Samuel 14:15 Then panic struck the Philistines in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even those in the outposts and raiding parties trembled. Indeed, the earth quaked, and panic spread from God.
- 2 Chronicles 20:22 The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.
- Zechariah 11:6 For I will no longer have compassion on the people of the land, declares the LORD, but behold, I will cause each man to fall into the hands of his neighbor and his king, who will devastate the land, and I will not deliver it from their hands.”
- Revelation 17:12 The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings along with the beast.