Albert Barnes Commentary Zechariah 14:17

"And it shall be, that whoso of [all] the families of the earth goeth not up unto Jerusalem to worship the King, Jehovah of hosts, upon them there shall be no rain." — Zechariah 14:17 (ASV)

Whoever will not go up - Cyril: “To those who ‘do not go up,’” he threatens the same punishment as persecutors would endure. For enemies, and those who will not love, will have the same lot. This is, I think, what Christ Himself said, ‘Whoso is not with Me is against Me, and whoso gathereth not with Me scattereth’ (Luke 11:23).”

Upon them there will be no rain - Rain was the most essential of God’s temporal gifts for the temporal well-being of His people. Moses pointed this out, as his people were entering the promised land, with the recent memory of Egypt’s independence from rain in Egypt itself, and that this gift depended on obedience. “The land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, whence, ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs” (Deuteronomy 11:10–11): but a “land of hills and valleys, it drinketh water of the rain of heaven; a land which the Lord thy God careth for; the eyes of the Lord are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. And it shall be, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments - I will give you the rain of your land in its season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn and thy wine and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.”

But the threat for disobedience corresponded with this. Moses continues, “Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside and serve other gods - and the Lord’s wrath be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit, and ye perish quickly from off the good land, which the Lord giveth you” (Deuteronomy 16-17); and, “Thy heaven, that is over thee, shall be brass, and the earth, that is under thee, shall be iron; the Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust” (Deuteronomy 28:23–24).

Amos speaks of the withdrawal of rain as one of God’s chastisements (Amos 4:7; see vol. i. p. 28): the distress in the time of Ahab is pictured in the history of the woman of Sarepta (1 Kings 17:9–16), and Ahab’s directions to Obadiah (1 Kings 18:5).

But it is also the symbol of spiritual blessings; both are united by Hosea (Hosea 6:3) and Joel (Joel 2:23).

Joel and Amos also speak of spiritual blessings exclusively under the figure of temporal abundance (Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13).

In Isaiah it is simply a symbol: “Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together” (Isaiah 45:8. See also Isaiah 5:6, and for both together, Isaiah 30:23).