And on that day, says the LORD of hosts: On that day represents the longer Hebrew formula, as in 12.9, and indicates the beginning of a new paragraph. In this instance the formula is reinforced by neʾum YHWH tsevaʾot, which Revised Standard Version renders says the LORD of hosts (compare 12.4).
Says the LORD of hosts: In some languages it will be better style to place this clause at the beginning of the verse as follows: “The LORD Almighty says, ‘I will….’ ” For LORD of hosts, see Hag 1.2.
I will cut off the names of the idols from the land: To mention the name of an idol usually involved some allegiance to it. The LORD is saying that he will stop people even mentioning these names. The Hebrew is literally cut off the names, but in many languages this metaphor will not be meaningful, and translators will have to find another way to express its sense. Modern English versions offer a wide variety of options. Some use a different metaphor, such as “wipe out the names” (Moffatt), “root out…” (Jerusalem Bible), “erase…” (New English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “banish…” (New International Version). Others express the meaning in nonfigurative language, such as “destroy the names” (New American Bible), “remove…” (Good News Translation), or “get rid of every trace” (New Living Translation; compare Beck, Contemporary English Version). The names stand for the idols themselves and the characteristics attributed to them. To remove the names means to eliminate idol worship altogether. So Contemporary English Version says, “I will get rid of every idol in the country.”
The term used for idols is frequent in Hosea (4.17; 8.4; 13.2; 14.8). Indeed the whole idea of this verse is similar to Hos 2.17. From the land refers at this point to the territory of Judah, not to the whole world.
They shall be remembered no more: With nobody to remember them, that is, to worship them, the idols will cease to have any influence or power. In many languages the passive form is awkward or impossible, and translators will need to express this as an active clause, like Good News Translation “no one will remember them any more.”
And also I will remove from the land the prophets and the unclean spirit: In I will remove from the land, the verb is not figurative. Other renderings include “take away” (New American Bible), “get rid of” (Good News Translation), “do away with” (Contemporary English Version), and “expel” (Moffatt, Revised English Bible). The land is again the territory of Judah, not the whole earth. There has been some debate over whether the prophets refers only to false prophets or to all prophets. It hardly makes sense to suppose that a threat to remove all prophets would be found in the Bible in a book written by a prophet (see 1.1). We therefore conclude that in this context where the prophets are linked immediately with the unclean spirit, the reference is to false prophets. This understanding is expressed clearly in the ancient Greek and Syriac versions, and is also held in the Jewish tradition of interpretation. It is represented in several modern versions: New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh puts the word “prophets” in quotation marks to indicate that the people concerned are not really prophets; Good News Translation says “anyone who claims to be a prophet” (compare Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). However, as verse 3 shows, these prophets are claiming to be the true messengers of the LORD. So translators may say, for example, “anyone who falsely claims to speak for me,” “anyone who falsely claims to be my messenger,” or “false prophets.”
The phrase the unclean spirit is literally “the spirit of uncleanness” and is probably parallel in structure with the “spirit of compassion” in 12.10; that is to say, it is an impulse that leads people to perform unclean acts rather than a personal evil spirit that causes a person to become ritually unclean as often in the Gospels. See also the notes on 12.10. The Hebrew word for unclean refers to ritual uncleanness, and hence also to those actions offensive to God which cause ritual uncleanness.
In the context the prophets and the unclean spirit may be understood as a construction called a hendiadys, in which two expressions are used to represent a single idea. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has understood the Hebrew this way, and translates, “Also the prophets who are driven by an alien spirit must disappear from the land.” This may be a useful model in some languages. Another way to say this is “… those who claim to speak for the LORD, but are actually driven by an alien spirit.” Other modern versions treat the unclean spirit as an impulse separate from that which causes false prophecy, and say “the desire to worship idols” (Good News Translation), “your taste for idolatry” (Bible en français courant), or “the disgusting desire to worship idols” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).
Alternative translation models for this sentence are:
• I will also rid the country of those who falsely claim to speak in my name, but are actually driven by an alien spirit.
• I will rid the land of those who falsely claim to be my messengers and also all those people who have the disgusting desire to worship idols.
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 .