Zechariah 13:8

Zechariah 13:8

And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

a. NLT: Two-thirds of the people in the land will be cut off and die,” says the LORD. “But one-third will be left in the land. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith Jehovah, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: And it hath come to pass, In all the land, an affirmation of Jehovah, Two parts in it are cut off -- they expire, And the third is left in it. [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Classic Amplified: And in all the land, says the Lord, two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, but one-third shall be left alive. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Septuagint: And it shall come to pass, [that] in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts thereof shall be cut off and perish; but the third shall be left therein.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/ Writings: There will be in all the land, the word of HASHEM, two portions of the population will be cut off and perish, and the third will be left n it.  [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ldt.]

1. “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die…”

a. [And it] shall come to pass [Strong:  1961 hayah haw-yaw a primitive root (Compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-)self, require, X use.]

b. [that in] all [Strong: 3605 kol kole or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).]

c. [the] land [Strong: 776 'erets eh'-rets from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.]

d. saith [Strong: 5002 n'um neh-oom' from 5001; an oracle:--(hath) said, saith.]

e. [the] LORD [Strong: 3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw' from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

f. two [Strong: 8147 shnayim shen-ah'-yim dual of 8145; feminine shttayim {shet-tah'-yim}; two; also (as ordinal) twofold:--both, couple, double, second, twain, + twelfth, + twelve, + twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.]

g. parts [Strong: 6310 peh peh from 6284; the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether literal or figurative (particularly speech); specifically edge, portion or side; adverbially (with preposition) according to:--accord(-ing as, -ing to), after, appointment, assent, collar, command(-ment), X eat, edge, end, entry, + file, hole, X in, mind, mouth, part, portion, X (should) say(-ing), sentence, skirt, sound, speech, X spoken, talk, tenor, X to, + two-edged, wish, word.]

h. [therein shall be] cut off [Strong: 3772 karath kaw-rath' a primitive root; to cut (off, down or asunder); by implication, to destroy or consume; specifically, to covenant (i.e. make an alliance or bargain, originally by cutting flesh and passing between the pieces):--be chewed, be con-(feder-)ate, covenant, cut (down, off), destroy, fail, feller, be freed, hew (down), make a league ((covenant)), X lose, perish, X utterly, X want.

i. [and] die [Strong: 1478 gava` gaw-vah' a primitive root; to breathe out, i.e. (by implication) expire:--die, be dead, give up the ghost, perish.]

2. “...but the third shall be left therein.”

a. [but the] third [Strong: 7992 shliyshiy shel-ee-shee' ordinal from 7969; third; feminine a third (part); by extension, a third (day, year or time); specifically, a third-story cell):--third (part, rank, time), three (years old).]

b. [shall be] left [therein] [Strong: 3498 yathar yaw-thar' a primitive root; to jut over or exceed; by implication, to excel; (intransitively) to remain or be left; causatively, to leave, cause to abound, preserve:--excel, leave (a remnant), left behind, too much, make plenteous, preserve, (be, let) remain(-der, -ing, - nant), reserve, residue, rest.]

1). In this prophecy that is referring to the days immediately preceding the return of Christ, it declares that two thirds of the population of Israel will be killed. This is accomplished by the slaughter of the antichrist. It also says one third will be spared. In a a passage from Isaiah which also refers to the last days in Israel, Isaiah says this:

a). Isaiah 4:3-6    And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:

4:4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

4:5 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

4:6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

b). The phrase “he that is left in Zion and that remaineth in Jerusalem” is referring to this remnant that is not killed during the tribulation.