Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament discusses no less than seven textual problems in this verse. Some of them are relatively minor, but several affect the meaning of the verse considerably. In this Handbook we present only a simplified summary of the issues.

The most important problem concerns a Hebrew word that occurs three times in the verse. In the traditional Hebrew text, it has each time the form nastem. This is a suffixed form of the root n-w-s, meaning “to flee.” The Septuagint, however, renders it every time as if the translators were reading a Hebrew word with the same consonants but different vowels, namely nistam. This is a prefixed form of the root s-t-m, meaning “to block up.” This form is also known in some branches of the Jewish scholarly tradition. Among other ancient versions, the Syriac and the Latin Vulgate follow the traditional Hebrew in every case, but the Aramaic Targum aligns itself with the Septuagint in the first case and with the Hebrew in the other two.

All three of these possibilities are represented among modern versions. Revised Standard Version stopped up … flee … fled follows the Aramaic, as do Moffatt and Biblen: Det Gamle og Det Nye Testamente. The Septuagint (“block up” three times) is followed by New American Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible/ Revised English Bible, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh. The Syriac and the Vulgate (“flee” three times) are followed by New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New International Version, Beck, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente. It is noteworthy that Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament also recommends following the traditional Masoretic Hebrew text as the Syriac and Vulgate do. Since the traditional Hebrew text makes acceptable sense, there need to be overwhelming arguments in favor of departing from it, and in our judgment these are lacking. Translators are therefore recommended to follow the Hebrew by understanding the meaning to be “flee” in all three places where the problem word occurs. They may well decide to put an alternative rendering in a footnote, as New International Version does. Other textual questions will be discussed below at the relevant points in the verse.

The valley of my mountains follows the traditional Hebrew text. Some versions such as New American Bible and New Revised Standard Version render “the valley of the LORD’s mountain” (similarly Contemporary English Version). This involves treating one letter of the Hebrew as if it were an abbreviation for the name YHWH. Either way, the valley referred to is the one newly formed by the splitting of the Mount of Olives as described in the previous verse. Thus Good News Translation translates simply “this valley” (compare Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), and many translators will find this a satisfactory model.

Shall be stopped up: As recommended in the discussion above, translators should follow the interpretation of New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and New International Version with “you will flee” or “you will escape.” When this is done, the valley becomes the route of the escape, as in New International Version “You will flee by my mountain valley.” Some commentators have asserted that it is inappropriate for the people of Jerusalem to flee now that the LORD has come to rescue them. Against this view it may be claimed that it is perfectly natural for them to flee toward their rescuer to gain his protection. Also, as Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament notes, it would be very odd for the new valley whose formation has just been described in considerable detail to be immediately blocked up.

For the valley of the mountains shall touch the side of it: It is not at all clear what this is supposed to mean; and again this Handbook cannot recommend that translators follow Revised Standard Version. Good News Translation seems unfortunately to have omitted the whole clause. The basic problem is a textual one, the problem word being that which Revised Standard Version renders the side of it. In the Septuagint the word is treated as a place name, and many modern versions also do this. Some keep the Hebrew form of the name, transliterating it as “Azel” (Moffatt, New International Version), “Azal” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation), or “Asal” (New English Bible/ Revised English Bible). Others prefer the Septuagint form of the name, and transliterate “Jasol” (Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible). The name itself does not occur elsewhere, so in one way the spelling hardly matters. However, a similar name occurs in Micah 1.11, where it is spelled “Beth-ezel” in Revised Standard Version. The Hebrew consonants are the same there as here, so translators should use a transliteration that is consistent in both places. New English Bible and Revised English Bible are inconsistent, so their spelling “Asal” is not to be recommended.

The best sense for this whole clause seems to be found in New Revised Standard Version “for the valley between the mountains shall reach to Azal.” Azal, though otherwise unknown, would have been some settlement to the east of Jerusalem, now reached easily through the new valley. Among other English versions, we may note that Jerusalem Bible mentions “the Vale of Hinnom” and “Goah.” These names arise from a conjectural alteration of the Hebrew text, and have been rightly abandoned by New Jerusalem Bible. Translators should ignore them. An alternative model for the first part of this verse is: “You will escape from this mountain through the valley that reaches to the village [or, town] of Azal.”

You shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: There was a major earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah, who reigned from approximately 781 B.C. to 740 B.C. This is mentioned in Amos 1.1, and may also be referred to in Isa 6.4. It appears to have made a very strong impression on the collective memory of the people. In you shall flee as you fled, the two occurrences of you refer to two different groups of people. The first refers to the people who lived at the same time as the prophet, and the second to their ancestors who were alive in Uzziah’s reign. Good News Translation makes this clear with “You will flee as your ancestors did” (similarly Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), and many translators will wish to do likewise. Most languages have a suitable term for earthquake, but where no such term exists, translators may say something like “when the ground shook violently.” In the days of Uzziah king of Judah may be rendered as “in the time when King Uzziah ruled over Judah.”

Then the LORD your God will come: As an Revised Standard Version footnote makes clear, the Hebrew has “my God” (compare 11.4). There is no strong reason to change this, and New Revised Standard Version goes back to the Hebrew with “the LORD my God.” In the same way “your God” in Jerusalem Bible has been replaced with “my God” in New Jerusalem Bible. Translators should render “my God” or “the God I worship.”

And all the holy ones with him: Again the Revised Standard Version footnote makes it clear that the Hebrew text is slightly different, reading “with you” (feminine singular). In this case all the ancient versions read “with him,” and all the available modern versions also do so. Both possibilities make sense, though with him makes sense more readily. As Meyers & Meyers argue, however, “with you” would refer to Jerusalem, which is feminine as in verse 1. The repetition of a reference to Jerusalem helps to round off the discourse unit that began in verse 1. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project also recommend following the Hebrew text rather than the ancient versions. In cases like this, translators in minority languages may decide that they should follow the example of the major language in their area.

The holy ones probably refers to angels, as in Dan 4.13; Dan 8.13. They form the heavenly army that protects the people of God. Translators may prefer to make the identity of the holy ones clearer by saying “the/his holy angels” (Moffatt, Contemporary English Version), or just “the/his angels” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1. Edition, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Since holy in this context means “belonging to God,” “angels” may also be rendered as “his heavenly servants.”

An alternative translation model for the whole verse is the following:

• You will flee through the valley between the LORD’s mountains, the valley that stretches as far as Azel. You will flee as your ancestors fled from the earthquake in the days when Uzziah was king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, all his holy angels with him [or, and all his angels will be with you].

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 .