· Translation: KJV

Zechariah 14:13It will happen in that day, that a great panic from Yahweh will be among them; and they will lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand will rise up against the hand of his neighbor.

The setting

Jerusalem, Israel, ~518 BC. Zechariah continues his vision of the final battle where God causes mass confusion among Jerusalem's attackers...

The emotion here: disturbed by the vision of total social breakdown he's witnessing

The original word

mehumah (מְהוּמָה) — divine panic, supernatural confusion that causes allies to attack each other

Why it matters

This echoes historical battles where God confused Israel's enemies, like Gideon's victory

Read with care

What most readers miss in Zechariah 14:13

The panic comes 'from Yahweh' — this isn't human hysteria but supernatural confusion sent by God

Common misconceptionPeople think this describes regular war panic, but it's supernatural confusion where God makes enemies unable to distinguish friend from foe — divine intervention, not battle stress.

Bible Genome reading

Zechariah 14:13 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerZechariah
EraPost-Exile
Primary emotionanxious
Literary typeprophecy
MarkPromise of God
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability30%
Memorability60%
Crisis relevance70%
Standalone40%
Themes:chaosdivine confusion

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Zechariah 14

Zechariah 14:13 comes from the book of Zechariah, written during the Post-Exile period. These words are attributed to Zechariah. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include chaos, divine confusion. Notable phrases: great panic; lay hold. This verse contains a promise of God. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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