The Meaning of Zechariah 14:21 Explained

Zechariah 14:21

KJV: Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

YLT: And every pot in Jerusalem, and in Judah, Have been holy to Jehovah of Hosts, And all those sacrificing have come in, And have taken of them, and boiled in them, And there is no merchant any more in the house of Jehovah of Hosts in that day!

Darby: And every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto Jehovah of hosts; and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein. And in that day there shall be no more a Canaanite in the house of Jehovah of hosts.

ASV: Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy unto Jehovah of hosts; and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and boil therein: and in that day there shall be no more a Canaanite in the house of Jehovah of hosts.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Yea, every pot  in Jerusalem  and in Judah  shall be holiness  unto the LORD  of hosts:  and all they that sacrifice  shall come  and take  of them, and seethe  therein: and in that day  there shall be no more the Canaanite  in the house  of the LORD  of hosts. 

What does Zechariah 14:21 Mean?

Verse Meaning

In fact, every cooking pot throughout the holy city would be set apart to honor Yahweh Almighty. People would even be able to use them to bring their sacrifices of worship to the Lord. Finally, there would be no more Canaanites in the temple of the Lord of hosts in that day. The Canaanites throughout Israel"s history represented people who were morally and spiritually unclean, reprehensible to Yahweh, and doomed to death (cf. Genesis 9:25; Isaiah 35:8; Ezekiel 43:7; Ezekiel 44:9; Revelation 21:27). Probably that is the significance of the name here, not just the ethnic Canaanites alone. There would be no more people like the Canaanites in the land because all would acknowledge Him as God and King.
"There will be holiness in public life ("the bells of the horses," Zechariah 14:20), in religious life ("the cooking pots in the LORD"s house," Zechariah 14:20), and in private life ("every pot in Jerusalem and Judah," Zechariah 14:21). Even common things become holy when they are used for God"s service. So it is with our lives." [1]

Context Summary

Zechariah 14:1-21 - "at Evening Time It Shall Be Light"
We can hardly doubt that in Zechariah 14:1-21, Zechariah is anticipating the same events as Ezekiel describes in Ezekiel 38:1-23; Ezekiel 39:1-29 of his remarkable book. At first the attack of the enemies of God's people will be entirely successful, then Jesus will appear to them and for them. There will be a literal fulfillment of Acts 1:11 and Isaiah 25:9-10. It was when his brethren were in their greatest straits that Joseph made himself known to them, and when the Jews are in dire extremity, they will hear Him say, "I am Jesus your Brother." See Genesis 45:1-15. Finally the long stormy days of Israel's history will be over forever, and "at evening time it shall be light." It is clear that Paul's vision in Romans 11:1-36 is to be gloriously realized [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 14

1  The destroyers of Jerusalem destroyed
3  The coming of Christ, and the graces of his kingdom
12  The plague of Jerusalem's enemies
16  The remnant shall turn to the Lord;
20  and their spoils shall be holy

What do the individual words in Zechariah 14:21 mean?

And Yes shall be every pot in Jerusalem and Judah holiness to Yahweh of hosts and shall come Everyone who sacrifices and take them and cook in them and no there shall be a Canaanite longer in the house of Yahweh of hosts in day that
וְ֠הָיָה כָּל־ סִ֨יר בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֜ם וּבִֽיהוּדָ֗ה קֹ֚דֶשׁ לַיהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת וּבָ֙אוּ֙ כָּל־ הַזֹּ֣בְחִ֔ים וְלָקְח֥וּ מֵהֶ֖ם וּבִשְּׁל֣וּ בָהֶ֑ם וְלֹא־ יִהְיֶ֨ה כְנַעֲנִ֥י ע֛וֹד בְּבֵית־ יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת בַּיּ֥וֹם הַהֽוּא

וְ֠הָיָה  And  Yes  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כָּל־  every 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
סִ֨יר  pot 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: סִיר 
Sense: pot.
בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֜ם  in  Jerusalem 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
וּבִֽיהוּדָ֗ה  and  Judah 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
קֹ֚דֶשׁ  holiness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness.
לַיהוָ֣ה  to  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָא֔וֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
וּבָ֙אוּ֙  and  shall  come 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
כָּל־  Everyone 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַזֹּ֣בְחִ֔ים  who  sacrifices 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: זָבַח  
Sense: to slaughter, kill, sacrifice, slaughter for sacrifice.
וְלָקְח֥וּ  and  take 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
וּבִשְּׁל֣וּ  and  cook 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: בָּשַׁל  
Sense: to boil, cook, bake, roast, ripen, grow ripe.
בָהֶ֑ם  in  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
וְלֹא־  and  no 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִהְיֶ֨ה  there  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כְנַעֲנִ֥י  a  Canaanite 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: כִּנְעָן 
Sense: descendant of inhabitant of Canaan n.
ע֛וֹד  longer 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
בְּבֵית־  in  the  house 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יְהוָ֥ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָא֖וֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
בַּיּ֥וֹם  in  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַהֽוּא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.