And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
Parallel translations
- WEB It will happen in that day, that there will not be light, cold, or frost.
- BSB On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost.
- NKJV It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish.
- NASB On that day there will be no light; the luminaries will die out.
- NLT On that day the sources of light will no longer shine,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
On that day there will be no ordinary light, cold, or frost—the normal order of things is altered. It matters because God's climactic day transcends the present created rhythms.
Overview
The verse describes a disruption of the familiar cycle of light and temperature, marking 'that day' as utterly unique. The Hebrew is difficult and translations vary, but the sense is of an extraordinary, God-determined condition unlike normal experience. It prepares for the next verse's promise of unfading light, picturing the new order God will establish.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- John 12:46I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
- Ps 112:4Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
- Ps 97:10–11Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
- 2 Pet 1:19We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
- Prov 4:18–19But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
- Isa 60:1–3Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
- Rev 11:15And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
- Hos 6:3Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
- Luke 1:78–79Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
- John 1:5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
- Isa 50:10Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.
- Rev 11:3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
- Eph 5:8–14For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
- Jer 4:23I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
- Col 1:12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
- Isa 13:10For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Branch who is both priest and king, the shepherd struck and the flock scattered, the king coming humble on a donkey, the one they pierced, the fountain opened for sin — Zechariah is dense with Christ.
How Zechariah 14:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.