John Calvin Commentary Zechariah 14:8

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea: in summer and in winter shall it be." — Zechariah 14:8 (ASV)

Here is added a more cheering prophecy—that the grace of God would still prevail. Whatever evils, troubles, dangers, fears, and diseases awaited the faithful, he still says that in such miseries they would still be made happy. And this should be carefully observed, for nothing can be more suitably found to alleviate our sorrows than to weigh God’s benefits on one side against the punishments and chastisements He brings on us on the other; for since God’s mercy and kindness always greatly outweigh them, we will surely be able to say with holy Job,

“If good things have we received from the Lord’s hand,
why should we refuse evil things?” (Job 2:10).

This, then, is what Zechariah sets before us—that though the Church may be harassed by many cares, subject to many fears, terrified by many dangers, and be, as it were, in trepidation, yet the grace of God, if rightly viewed, is sufficient to provide invaluable comfort, for go forth shall living waters from Jerusalem.

This prophecy undoubtedly refers to the kingdom of Christ, and this can be sufficiently proven by other passages. The Prophet, then, has until now spoken of the many afflictions which were near at hand, so that the Jews might not faint or entirely fail. But he now directs their minds to the kingdom of Christ, from where they were to look for not only deliverance from all evils but also the full restitution of the Church and, as it were, the renovation of the world.

There is undoubtedly an implied contrast here between living waters and those that soon dry up; hence he says that they would flow continually, summer and winter. Judea, we know, was prone to water shortages, and there were no significant water sources around Jerusalem except the spring of Siloam, which had abundant water and supplied the needs of the citizens. But the Prophet promises living waters, which would not be like occasional streams, but flow continually.

At the same time, he seems to regard something higher. Since by “living waters” he understands those that are spiritual, he compares these waters with all earthly streams, as though he had said, “The fountain from which the two streams arise is inexhaustible, so that its abundance will never fail but will send forth streams from one sea to the opposite sea and will water the farthest regions of the earth.”

Many understand the eastern sea to be the Lake Asphaltites (the Dead Sea), but it seems to me more probable that the Prophet speaks of the Persian Gulf. For if he had said that the waters would go forth to that lake, the distance would be very short; but he meant, on the contrary, to show that the volume of the waters would be so large and abundant that though they would pass through the whole earth, their flow would never cease. By the hinder sea he undoubtedly meant the Mediterranean.

The meaning of the whole is this: though the earth were previously dry, yet the abundance of waters would be so great as to be sufficient for all—not only, as in former times, for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but also for all the Jews, in whatever part of the country they might dwell.

Now, since the language is metaphorical, we must remember what I have recently said—that the spiritual grace of God is set forth here. Nor is it a new thing to apply the term “waters” to the Spirit of God:

“I will pour forth waters on the dry land
and rivers on the thirsty land” (Isaiah 44:3).

and again,

“I will give clean waters” (Ezekiel 36:25).

There is a twofold reason why Scripture gives the name “waters” to the Holy Spirit—because He performs the two functions of cleansing and watering. For we are like barren and dry land, unless the Lord by His Spirit from heaven gives us new vigor and conveys moisture to us.

Just as the earth derives moisture from heaven so that it may produce fruit, so also whatever vigor we may possess must be conferred on us by the hidden power of the Spirit. Since, then, Zechariah promises a fountain of living waters, he understands that God’s grace would be offered to all the Jews, so that they might drink and be satisfied, and no longer be exposed, as formerly, to water shortages.

If anyone objects and says that this interpretation seems forced, the answer is readily available, which is this: since it is certain that the prophet here speaks of the kingdom of Christ, this rule is to be remembered: whatever is foretold of Christ’s kingdom must correspond with its nature and character.

Since, then, the kingdom of Christ is spiritual, there is no doubt that when Scripture, as we have seen, promises a large harvest of grain and wine, an abundance of all good things, tranquility and peace, and bright days, it intends by all these things to set forth the character of Christ’s kingdom.

We therefore see what the prophet means by living waters; then, why he says that they would go forth to the east and to the west; and lastly, why he adds that they would flow in winter as well as in summer.