Zechariah 14:12

12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord shall strike all nations that have fought against Jerusalem: the flesh of every one shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

Zechariah 14:12 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 14:12

And this shall be the plagues
This respects one or more, or all, of the seven plagues, which will be inflicted on the antichristian states, mentioned in ( Revelation 15:1-16:21 ) :

wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought
against Jerusalem;
who have been the enemies and persecutors of his church; and with which plague or plagues they shall be utterly consumed and destroyed:

their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet;
antichrist will be consumed with the breath of Christ's mouth; the flesh of the whore of Rome, which is her substance, shall be eaten and devoured by the kings of the earth; and her destruction will be in a moment, suddenly, and at unawares, as is here suggested; see ( 2 Thessalonians 2:8 ) ( Revelation 17:16 ) ( Revelation 18:8 Revelation 18:10 ) :

and their eyes shall consume away in their holes;
the right eye of the idol shepherd shall be utterly dried up, and the kingdom of the beast will be full of darkness, ( Zechariah 11:17 ) ( Revelation 16:10 ) :

and their tongues shall consume away in their mouth;
with which antichrist and his followers have blasphemed the name of God, his tabernacle, and his saints; and which they will gnaw for pain, when the plagues of God are inflicted on them, ( Revelation 13:5 Revelation 13:6 ) ( 16:9-11 ) .

Zechariah 14:12 In-Context

10 And all the land shall return even to the desert, from the hill to Remmon to the south of Jerusalem: and she shall be exalted, and shall dwell in her own place, from the gate of Benjamin even to the place of the former gate, and even to the gate of the corners: and from the tower of Hananeel even to the king’s winepresses.
11 And people shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more an anathema: but Jerusalem shall sit secure.
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord shall strike all nations that have fought against Jerusalem: the flesh of every one shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 In that day there shall be a great tumult from the Lord among them: and a man shall take the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall be clasped upon his neighbour’s hand.
14 And even Juda shall fight against Jerusalem: and the riches of all nations round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and garments in great abundance.
The Douay-Rheims Bible is in the public domain.