Zechariah 14:5

to the valley of the mountains Rather, by the valley of My mountains, i.e. a way of escape from the city shall be opened to you along the valley formed by My mountains, those mountains, that is, which I have just made for that very purpose, by cleaving the mount of Olives.

unto Azal Jerome and others render, very near, "usque ad proximum." If, however, Azal is a proper name, it denotes some then familiar locality, either at the eastern extremity of the newly-formed valley, or more probably at its western extremity, close to the walls of Jerusalem. In any case the meaning is that the way of escape shall be made easy.

the earthquake in the days of Uzziah There is no mention of this in the historical books. The references to it here and in Amos 1:1 show that it made a deep impression on the people and was long remembered. The story of Josephus (see Stanley, Jewish Church, ii. 439) connecting it with Uzziah's attempt to burn incense (2 Chronicles 26:19) is probably only an embellishment of this passage of Zechariah. Ewald puts the earthquake in "one of the first years of Uzziah."

all the saints Rather, holy ones, i.e. angels. Comp. Deuteronomy 33:2; Matthew 25:31; Judges 14.

with thee i.e. with the Lord, to whom the prophet turns in direct address. These abrupt changes of person are not uncommon in Hebrew. See chap. Zechariah 2:8, note.