Zechariah 14:12 (ASV)

Passage

And this shall be the plague wherewith Jehovah will smite all the peoples that have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

Nearby Context

Zechariah 14:10 All the land shall be made like the Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and she shall be lifted up, and shall dwell in her place, from Benjamin`s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananel unto the king`s wine-presses.

Zechariah 14:11 And men shall dwell therein, and there shall be no more curse; but Jerusalem shall dwell safely.

Zechariah 14:12 And this shall be the plague wherewith Jehovah will smite all the peoples that have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

Zechariah 14:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from Jehovah shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor.

Zechariah 14:14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the nations round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "plague", "wherewith", "jehovah", "smite", "peoples", "warred", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "plague", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And men shall dwell therein and there..." into verse 13's "And it shall come to pass in...", so "shall" and "plague" belong inside that flow. In Zechariah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "plague" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.