On that day: These words mark the beginning of a new discourse unit when they occur at the beginning of a sentence in Hebrew, as in 12.4, 6, 8, 11; 13.1; 14.20. Here they are not in fact at the beginning of the sentence, and do not indicate a new unit. Of the available versions, only King James Version and Revised Version follow the Hebrew word order. In many languages as in English, it may be more natural for a time expression to come at the beginning of the sentence. If so, then translators should consider some form of wording which is not identical with the wording they use in places where “On that day” does function as the marker of a new unit. Translators might say, for instance, “When that day [or, time, as in Bible en français courant and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente] comes” instead of “On that day.” It is better not to omit the phrase completely as Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Contemporary English Version do.
His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives: This statement is made about the LORD, and is one of the most striking places in the Old Testament where the LORD is spoken of as if he had body parts like a human being. His feet is a figure of speech called a synecdoche, in which a part stands for the whole: his feet represent the LORD himself in the act of standing. Translators should retain the figure if at all possible. In some cultures such language is offensive when used about God, and in cases like this, translators may give the meaning of the figure, namely, “he shall stand.” But if they feel obliged to do this, they should put the literal form of the Hebrew in a footnote.
The Mount of Olives is a ridge about four kilometers (two and a half miles) long, to the east of Jerusalem. It is higher than the city and completely blocks the view eastwards from the city. This is the only time the name Mount of Olives occurs in this form in the Old Testament. Its significance for the prophet probably lay in the fact that this was the place where Ezekiel saw the glory of the LORD stand when it was departing from the city (Ezek 11.23). When the glory of the LORD returned (Ezek 43.2), it also came from the east, but no mention is made of a mountain on that occasion. The Mount of Olives is also associated with the departure of King David from Jerusalem when he was fleeing from Absalom (2 Sam 15.30). In many languages the name Mount of Olives will be familiar from the New Testament. It may be translated as “the mountain where olive trees grow.”
Which lies before Jerusalem on the east: This clause explains the relationship of the Mount of Olives to the city for the benefit of readers who were not familiar with the geography of the Jerusalem area. In many languages a shorter form of expression will be sufficient, such as “to the east of Jerusalem” (Good News Translation) or “east of Jerusalem” (New International Version, Contemporary English Version).
The Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley: The effect of the LORD’s presence is here described in terms of the effect of a very powerful earthquake. This kind of comparison is found quite frequently in the Old Testament, for example in Jdg 5.5; Psa 97.5; Amos 9.5; Micah 1.3-4; Nahum 1.5. There is no existing valley such as that described here. Its creation is part of the change that will take place when the LORD finally intervenes in human history. In translating a very wide valley, translators should try to use a word that describes a broad and relatively flat-bottomed area between the mountains. The word “gorge” in Jerusalem Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh refers to a steep and usually narrow cleft, and is rather misleading. Split in two … may also be expressed as “divided down the middle, forming a wide valley that runs [or, goes] from east to west” (similarly Contemporary English Version).
So that one half of the Mount shall withdraw northward, and the other half southward: These clauses add further detail about the geographical changes that will take place when the LORD comes. In meaning they match fully with the previous clause. Withdraw means “move backwards,” that is, away from the newly formed valley. The mention of northward and southward means that with east and west above, all the four main points of the compass have been mentioned. In many languages the terms for these directions may be complex expressions, but translators need not worry about this, as some of the Hebrew words are also complex. The word for west, for instance, is related to the Mediterranean Sea, and of the two different words used for east, the second is directly related to the sunrise, and the first is related to the direction straight ahead, on the assumption that the speaker is facing the rising sun. See also the notes on verse 8.
The whole description in this verse has some points of resemblance with the description given by the Jewish writer Josephus in the late first century A.D. of the earthquake that took place in the days of King Uzziah, about 760-750 B.C. (compare Amos 1.1). It seems that there was a strong folk memory of this event (which is referred to in the next verse), but the changes pictured here are on a much vaster scale than what happened in Uzziah’s day.
In traditional Christian interpretation, this verse is often linked with the ascension of Jesus from the Mount of Olives and the promise of his return (Acts 1.9-12). There are various views about these events, and translators must be careful not to slant their rendering toward any particular interpretation, or even to a Christian interpretation rather than a Jewish one. For instance, it would be quite unacceptable to translate verses 3-4 here in such a way as to give the impression that “the LORD” or his feet were intended to refer to the LORD Jesus. This may eventually prove to be the case, but neither the translation nor any footnotes in a Bible to be published by the Bible Societies should state this directly. A fuller discussion of the events of the end time is the task of theologians and preachers but not of translators.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .