But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.

ZECHARIAH 14:7KJV
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Zechariah 14:7 (KJV)

What does Zechariah 14:7 mean?

Zechariah 14:7 describes a unique day, known only to the LORD, when the normal pattern of day and night will not apply, and light will appear at evening time. This verse points to a time of extraordinary change, breaking the usual order people expect.

The prophet Zechariah is speaking to the people of Jerusalem about a future day of the LORD—a time when God will act in a way that everyone will recognize as different from ordinary days. The verse emphasizes that this day belongs to God alone, and its details are not fully known to people. The promise that there will be light at evening suggests hope and reversal, even when darkness would normally fall.

The Hebrew behind Zechariah 14:7

  • "one" (אֶחָד, ’echad): This word means "unique" or "singular." Here, it highlights that this day is unlike any other, set apart from all normal days.
  • "known" (יָדַע, yada‘): This means "to be known" or "recognized." The verse says this day is known to the LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH), stressing that only God understands its full meaning and timing.
  • "evening" (עֶרֶב, ‘erev) and "light" (אוֹר, ’or): Normally, evening brings darkness, but here, the verse says there will be light at that time, showing a reversal of what people expect.

Why Zechariah 14:7 matters

  • Zechariah 14:7 clears up the idea that the "day of the LORD" is just another day; it is described as utterly unique and outside normal experience.
  • The verse emphasizes that God alone knows the details of this day, reminding readers that some things about the future are not for people to predict or control.
  • By promising light at evening, Zechariah 14:7 connects to the larger theme of hope and restoration in the chapter, showing that God can bring light even when darkness seems certain.

Where else these words appear

“light” Hebrew H216 · used in 112 verses

  • Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
  • Job 36:30 Behold, he spreadeth his light upon it, and covereth the bottom of the sea.
  • Isaiah 5:30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

“evening” Hebrew H6153 · used in 130 verses

  • Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
  • Leviticus 15:18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.
  • 1 Kings 10:15 Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.