Zechariah 14:6 · Bible study
Zechariah 14:6 Commentary: The Day Without Light, Cold, or Frost?
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study Zechariah 14:6: the day of the Lord with no light, only cold and frost. Discover the textual puzzle and the promise of light at evening.
Research Summary
- Meaning: On the unique day of the Lord, the normal order of light (and possibly the stars) ceases, replaced by darkness or frost, but evening brings light, judgment gives way to salvation.
- Key words: יְקָרוֹת (yaqarot, “splendid ones/moons”), וְקִפָּאוֹן (veqippa’on, “and frost”); the interplay of Kethib and Qere shapes interpretation.
- Main debate: Does the verse mean literal cold and frost (Qere, Septuagint) or the withdrawal of the heavenly lights (Kethib, Keil, Barnes), or a metaphorical mixture of light and darkness (Calvin, JFB)?
- Theological theme: The day of the Lord involves cosmic disruption, but God remains sovereign; the darkness is temporary and ends in the light of his presence.
- Best use: Preachings on the final judgment and hope; small-group study of apocalyptic prophecy; devotional reflection on trusting God through dark seasons.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost.
WEB World English Bible 2000
It will happen in that day that there will not be light, cold, or frost.
KJV King James Version 1769
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall not be light; the bright ones shall withdraw themselves:
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And it hath come to pass, in that day, The precious light is not, it is dense darkness,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] there shall not be light; the shining shall be obscured.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall be no light, but cold and frost.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y acontecerá que en ese día no habrá luz clara, ni oscura.
E será naquele dias, que não haverá luz clara, nem espessa escuridão.
En ce jour-là, il n’ y aura point de lumière;
Zu der Zeit wird kein Licht sein, sondern Kälte und Frost.
En het zal te dien dage geschieden, dat er niet zal zijn het kostelijke licht, en de dikke duisternis.
E in quel giorno avverrà che non vi sarà più luce; gli astri brillanti ritireranno il loro splendore.
I stanie się dnia onego, że nie będzie światłości drogiej, ani ciemności gęstej;
И будет в тот день: не станет света, светила удалятся.
那 日，必沒 有 光，三光必退縮。
And in that day there will be no heat or cold or ice;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Zechariah 14:6
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Zechariah 14:6 describes a unique day of the Lord in which normal light ceases. The main divide turns on the Hebrew words translated as “cold” or “frost.” Barnes and Keil & Delitzsch follow the written text (Kethib) and read “the splendid ones will congeal”, meaning the stars withdraw their brightness, as in Joel 3:15 and Isaiah 13:10. Early versions (Septuagint, Syriac) and the Qere (marginal reading) instead give “cold and frost,” a reading Gill applied to spiritual coldness in the last days. A third line, represented by Calvin and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, sees a mixture of light and darkness, not total darkness nor full light. All agree that the disruption points to judgment, yet the shared hope is verse 7: at evening time there will be light.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: High
Main views:
- Literal cold and frost: Qere reading; Septuagint, Vulgate, Luther; supported by the plain sense of the words 'cold and ice' (Gill, Matthew Henry apply it to spiritual coldness).
- Withdrawal of the splendid ones (stars): Kethib reading; Keil & Delitzsch, Barnes; cross-references to Joel 3:15, Isaiah 13:10, Matthew 24:29 about stars not giving light.
- Mixture of light and darkness: Calvin, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown; the idea of a day neither clear nor dark, an intermediate state of mercy and judgment.
What is clear: The day is unique and known only to the Lord; normal daylight is absent, but evening brings light (verse 7), showing that God governs the transition from judgment to salvation.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Absence of light on the day of the Lord | Interpreters agree the phrase marks a unique divine intervention where normal daylight (or the light of heavenly bodies) is suspended. | Some (Barnes, Keil) see the withdrawal of stars (apocalyptic cosmic darkness); others (Calvin, JFB) hold a metaphorical gloom mixed with mercy; still others (Vulgate, Luther) read literal cold and frost. The Kethib/Qere tension drives the disagreement. |
| Identity of 'precious ones' vs. 'cold and frost' | The Hebrew text is obscure, and both readings have ancient support. All acknowledge a disruption of normal conditions. | Evangelical tradition (KJV, Calvin) favors a mixture of light and darkness. Critical scholarship (Keil, Hengstenberg) follows the Kethib to read 'splendid ones (stars) withdraw.' Liturgical and mystical readings have used the Septuagint's 'cold and frost' to speak of spiritual deadness. |
| Purpose of the day's darkness | The darkness serves as judgment and transition to the Lord's kingship (cf. verse 9). | Catholic and Protestant exegesis agree on judgment, but differ on whether the 'frost' represents a period of apostasy or a literal freezing of the earth. Pentecostal and charismatic readings sometimes apply the frost to a season of testing before revival. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Zechariah 14 is the prophet’s closing vision of the final conflict and deliverance of Jerusalem. Verses 1, 3 show all nations gathered against the city, its capture and the Lord’s intervention. Then in verses 4, 5 the Lord descends on the Mount of Olives, splitting it to create an escape valley. Against this backdrop of earthquake and theophany, verse 6 describes what happens to light itself. The expression “that day” runs through the chapter; it is the day of the Lord, a concept rooted in earlier prophets like Amos, Joel and Isaiah. In those texts the day brings both judgment and salvation. Zechariah intensifies the imagery: the withdrawal of light (or the onset of frost) signals a suspension of the created order. The Hebrew word “qippa’on” (frost) appears only here; its parallel “yaqarot” (precious/splendid ones) is used in Job 31:26 for the moon walking in splendour. The textual tension between the Kethib and Qere has shaped how each tradition reads the verse. The context pushes toward apocalyptic language: just as the mountains split and the land changes, so the heavens themselves falter. Yet this cosmic pause is temporary. Verse 7 immediately promises that at evening light will return, and verses 8, 9 then describe living waters flowing from Jerusalem and the Lord becoming king over all the earth. The strange darkness is a transition, not the end.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note a significant textual crux. The Kethib (written text) reads יקפאון (yiqpa’un, “they will congeal”) as a masculine verb agreeing with יקרות (yaqarot, “splendid ones”), giving “the splendid ones will congeal/withdraw.” The Qere (marginal reading) replaces the verb with the noun וקפאון (veqippa’on, “and frost”), creating the phrase “no light, cold and frost.” The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate adopt the Qere, while many modern commentators follow the Kethib. The difference is important: the Qere points to a physical cold, the Kethib to the dimming of the heavenly lights.
Reception History
Early Jewish and Christian versions (LXX, Syriac, Itala) read “cold and frost,” and the Vulgate followed that tradition. Jerome mentioned both possibilities. During the Reformation, Calvin and the Geneva Bible took the verse as describing a dark, gloomy day, neither full light nor complete darkness. The Authorized Version (KJV) kept the phrase “the light shall not be clear, nor dark.” Later critical scholarship, especially from the nineteenth century (Hengstenberg, Keil, Hofmann), argued from the Kethib that the “splendid ones” (stars) withdraw, aligning with the cosmic language of Joel and Revelation. In pastoral use, the verse has been a source of comfort: the darkest day of the Lord ends in evening light, and that light is Christ.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The day of the Lord brings disorientation. The absence of light and the presence of cold or withdrawn splendour leave everything unrecognisable. God’s intervention confuses the normal rhythms of life.
- The day is known only to the Lord. Its uniqueness (verse 7a) reminds us that God alone holds the schedule of judgment and redemption.
- The day ends with hope. Evening light arrives. The darkness is not permanent. The same God who shakes creation also renews it.
Five-point outline
- Judgment on the nations, the Lord fights against those who attacked Jerusalem (verses 2, 3).
- Cosmic disruption, the mountains split, the land heaves (verses 4, 5).
- Withdrawal of light, or the arrival of frost; the created order loses its stability (verse 6).
- A day hidden from us, not day nor night, known only to the Lord (verse 7a).
- Evening light, judgment gives way to the dawn of everlasting day (verse 7b).
Illustration hooks
- A power outage on a freezing winter night. You wait, not knowing when the lights will come back, but you trust the utility. Then the lights flicker back on, and warmth returns.
- An eclipse that turns day into twilight for a few minutes. The world grows cold and quiet, then the sun reappears. It is disorienting, but it passes.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is this darkness literal or symbolic? Does it mean God is angry or that he is making everything new?
- If the day is known only to the Lord, how should we live while we wait?
- What does the frost or cold say about our spiritual condition? Could it be a warning about growing cold in love (Matthew 24:12)?
Leading a Discussion
This passage is dense with apocalyptic imagery. Your group will benefit from focusing on what the text reveals about God's sovereignty and the shape of final deliverance. Let the discussion move from what the verse says to what it means for trust and hope today.
Discussion questions
- Read Zechariah 14:1, 5. What do you think the prophet is describing? How does verse 6 fit into that scene?
- The Hebrew behind “cold or frost” is debated. Some read “the splendid ones (stars) will congeal.” What difference does that make for understanding the day of the Lord?
- Why do you think the day is described as “not day nor night” and “known to the Lord”? What does that say about our knowledge of God’s timing?
- Verse 7 promises light at evening. How does that change the way you read the darkness in verse 6?
- This chapter moves from battle and cosmic chaos to living waters and the Lord as king. What does that progression tell you about God’s ultimate purpose?
- Imagine you are living in Jerusalem when this prophecy was first heard. How would verse 6 have felt to those who had already suffered invasion?
- In what ways do you experience “not day nor night” seasons in your own life? How does the hope of evening light encourage you?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 97:10 | You who love Yahweh, hate evil! He preserves the souls of his saints. He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. |
| Psalms 97:11 | Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. |
| Psalms 112:4 | Light dawns in the darkness for the upright, gracious, merciful, and righteous. |
| Proverbs 4:18 | But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light that shines more and more until the perfect day. |
| Proverbs 4:19 | The way of the wicked is like darkness. They don’t know what they stumble over. |
| Isaiah 13:10 | For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going out, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. |
| Isaiah 50:10 | Who among you fears Yahweh and obeys the voice of his servant? He who walks in darkness and has no light, let him trust in Yahweh’s name, and rely on his God. |
| Isaiah 60:1 | “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and Yahweh’s glory has risen on you! |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the phrase meaning neither clear light nor dark describes a balance between justice and mercy. He says mercy will ultimately overcome judgment. There will be distress but also greater joy and prosperity.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes reads the phrase as a description of the Day of Judgment when all earthly light fades before God. He draws on the original sense that the bright heavenly bodies contract and withdraw their shining, a pattern echoed throughout Scripture whenever the Lord appears in glory.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that on that day the Lord will bring about a new morning after the darkness ends. This new day will last forever.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Geneva Bible Notes says there will be no bright light on that day. Only darkness will exist.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill describes a specific in-between period before Christ's reign, neither the clear light of earlier gospel days nor the full darkness of pagan times. He calls it a twilight age marked by lukewarmness and coldness in spiritual matters, both in doctrine and in believers' experience. An alternate reading even speaks of frost, signaling a chilling of love.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes the Hebrew word for clear means precious rather than cold. Calvin sees it as thick mist making day and night hard to tell.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that the light vanishing on that day is not about cold and ice but about the stars, called "the glorious ones," losing their brightness. This day is unlike any other, known only to the Lord, because the normal order of day and night is reversed: at evening time, light dawns instead of darkness.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the descriptions of rivers flowing from Jerusalem and the land being leveled as symbols not of a literal future event but of God protecting his people through difficult times. He believes these visions represent the Church facing trials from its enemies.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that God allows both judgment and mercy to exist together in this passage. He sees God using opposition to bring about purification for the people.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the "neither clear nor dark" description as a picture of God's mixed dealings with His church's enemies. Even while God fights against them, some mercy tempers the judgment, and some judgment accompanies even the mercy given.