The Meaning of Zechariah 14:8 Explained

Zechariah 14:8

KJV: And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

YLT: And it hath come to pass, in that day, Go forth do living waters from Jerusalem, Half of them unto the eastern sea, And half of them unto the western sea, In summer and in winter it is.

Darby: 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 hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

ASV: 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 in winter shall it be.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it shall be in that day,  [that] living  waters  shall go out  from Jerusalem;  half  of them toward the former  sea,  and half  of them toward the hinder  sea:  in summer  and in winter  shall it be. 

What does Zechariah 14:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

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. Psalm 46:4; Joel 3:18). The Israelites divided their year into two seasons instead of four: summer and winter (cf. Genesis 8:22; Psalm 74:17; Isaiah 18:6). [1] Probably the water will be literal, but it certainly has symbolic significance as well (cf. Psalm 46:4; Psalm 65:9; Isaiah 8:6; Jeremiah 2:13; Ezekiel 47:1-12; John 4:10-14; John 7:38; Revelation 22:1-2).
"There is no reason to take this [2] in any but a literal way, unless one is prepared to deny a literal coming of YHWH as well." [3]

Context Summary

Zechariah 14:6-9 - A Day Of Testing
This Fountain was opened, when the soldier pierced the Savior's side. But it is not enough for God to forgive; He must deal drastically with the waywardness of his people. And so thorough would be the work, that parents would rather their son should die than assume for filthy lucre and without the divine call, the lucrative profession of a prophet. A township would arise against a man suspected of being a prophet, who, in his terror, would pretend that he was a tiller of the ground. And if they discovered marks in his body which indicated that he had been previously branded as a false prophet, he would rather assert that his friends had been the cause of his affliction, than that he had any sympathy with the prophetic office.
Note that remarkable anticipation, Zechariah 13:7-9. See Matthew 26:31. Jesus knew that He was the Father's fellow. He thought it not robbery to be equal with God. "We will come unto Him, and make our abode with Him." But He is also the Man. By the grace of the One Man, we may reign in life, Romans 5:17.
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 14:8 mean?

And it shall be in day that [That] shall flow waters living from Jerusalem Half of them toward the sea eastern and half of them the sea western in both summer and winter it shall occur
וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יֵצְא֤וּ מַֽיִם־ חַיִּים֙ מִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם חֶצְיָ֗ם אֶל־ הַיָּם֙ הַקַּדְמוֹנִ֔י וְחֶצְיָ֖ם הַיָּ֣ם הָאַחֲר֑וֹן בַּקַּ֥יִץ וּבָחֹ֖רֶף יִֽהְיֶֽה

וְהָיָ֣ה ׀  And  it  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.
בַּיּ֣וֹם  in  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַה֗וּא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
יֵצְא֤וּ  [That]  shall  flow 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
מַֽיִם־  waters 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
חַיִּים֙  living 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
מִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם  from  Jerusalem 
Parse: Preposition-m, 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.
חֶצְיָ֗ם  Half  of  them 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: חֲצִי 
Sense: half.
אֶל־  toward 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַיָּם֙  the  sea 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
הַקַּדְמוֹנִ֔י  eastern 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: קַדְמֹנִי  
Sense: former, ancient, eastern.
וְחֶצְיָ֖ם  and  half  of  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: חֲצִי 
Sense: half.
הַיָּ֣ם  the  sea 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
הָאַחֲר֑וֹן  western 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: אַחֲרֹון  
Sense: behind, following, subsequent, western.
בַּקַּ֥יִץ  in  both  summer 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קַיִץ  
Sense: summer, summer-fruit.
וּבָחֹ֖רֶף  and  winter 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹרֶף  
Sense: harvest time, autumn.
יִֽהְיֶֽה  it  shall  occur 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.