Even Judah will fight against Jerusalem: There is disagreement going back to ancient times about the meaning of the preposition that Revised Standard Version translates against. The Septuagint and Syriac versions translate it as “in,” and many modern versions and commentators prefer a sense of place, “in” or “at.” The Vulgate translates it as “against,” and the Targum also understands the preposition in a hostile sense. Modern versions and commentators following this interpretation include Revised Version, Moffatt, Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version, G. A. Smith, Mitchell, Cashdan, and Mason. Advocates of the first view argue that the context does not suggest any likelihood of conflict between Judah and Jerusalem. Advocates of the second view point to the use of the same preposition with the same verb in the sense of “against” in verse 3, and to the mention of Judah opposing Jerusalem in 12.2-5 (see the notes on 12.2).
None of the available commentaries pay attention to the Hebrew particle gam at the beginning of the verse (Revised Standard Version even). Its presence here puts focus on the following noun Judah in a way that prepares the reader for a statement that is contrary to expectation. It seems therefore that the meaning against is more probable because it is surprising (though not unprecedented) for Judah to be involved in fighting against Jerusalem. However, if the text is punctuated as in Revised Standard Version, with this clause forming the concluding part of the sentence that began in verse 13, then the strife between Judah and Jerusalem can be seen as a result of the general panic and confusion. Contemporary English Version expresses this well with “until even the people of Judah turn against those in Jerusalem.” Compare Lacocque and New English Bible “Judah too shall join in the fray in Jerusalem.”
Since both translation options are fully valid, translators are advised to put one in their text and the other in a footnote. The preference of this Handbook is for against in the text and “in” or “at” in the footnote, as in Revised Version. Good News Translation “The men of Judah will fight to defend Jerusalem” does not seem to be justified.
The wealth of all the nations round about shall be collected: The picture here is that the LORD’s people, now victorious because of his intervention, will collect booty from their defeated enemies. This will include what was originally taken from them in verse 1, and will demonstrate that the situation described in verses 1-2 has been permanently reversed (compare Ezek 39.10). All the nations round about are the same people as those mentioned in verse 12. Their wealth is defined more fully in the following phrase as gold, silver, and garments in great abundance.
In some languages it will be helpful, or even necessary, to express the verb collected as an active form. Possible restructurings are “The people of Jerusalem will collect all the riches of the surrounding nations, vast amounts of gold, silver, and clothing” and “The victors will gather up all the wealth of the enemy nations around. This will include huge quantities of gold, silver, and clothes.”
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 .