On that day there will be no light; the luminaries will die out.
Parallel translations
- WEB It will happen in that day, that there will not be light, cold, or frost.
- KJV And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
- 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.
- 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 have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness.
- Ps 112:4Light dawns in the darkness for the upright, gracious, merciful, and righteous.
- Ps 97:10–11You who love Yahweh, hate evil. He preserves the souls of his saints. He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
- 2 Pet 1:19We have the more sure word of prophecy; and you do well that you heed it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the morning star arises in your hearts:
- Prov 4:18–19But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day.
- Isa 60:1–3“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and Yahweh’s glory has risen on you.
- Rev 11:15The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!”
- Hos 6:3Let us acknowledge Yahweh. Let us press on to know Yahweh. As surely as the sun rises, Yahweh will appear. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the earth.”
- Luke 1:78–79because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dawn from on high will visit us,
- John 1:5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.
- Isa 50:10Who 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.
- Rev 11:3I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
- Eph 5:8–14For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
- Jer 4:23I saw the earth, and, behold, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
- Col 1:12giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;
- Isa 13:10For 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.
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.