On that day, a fountain shall be opened. According to the plain meaning, since no spring water is presently found in Jerusalem, a fountain of living water will then be opened, reserved for the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for purification from sin: they will cleanse themselves in it, and it will provide the water of purification used with the ashes of the sin offering. Ezekiel already prophesied that he saw a great river flowing from the Holy of Holies and extending to the eastern and western seas. Zechariah likewise prophesies (below, verse 10), “On that day, living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half toward the eastern sea,” and so forth. This will occur after the final war of Gog and Magog, when the river’s flow will become exceedingly abundant. After Gog’s first war, however, which is discussed here, the waters will not yet spread outward but will be reserved exclusively for the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. We have already explained in the commentary on Ezekiel that this is also an allegory for the spreading waters of knowledge and the river of Torah and faith, which are compared to water. After the first war, these intellectual waters will begin to spread from the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, removing the sin of alien beliefs and purifying the impurity of ignorance, folly, corrupt doctrines, and every trace of idolatry, as explained immediately afterward. The words, “On that day, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land,” explain the nature of this fountain and its faithful waters, which flow from the wellsprings of wisdom and sacred knowledge. After the final war of Gog and Magog, these waters will spread outward, and “the earth shall be filled with knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea.” Concerning this he says, “On that day, living waters shall flow from Jerusalem,” and, “Hashem shall be King over all the earth.” This explains the meaning of the waters: everyone will recognize the Creator’s unity and the truth of the Divine. These are the same waters that Ezekiel saw in his vision, as I explained there.

And it shall come to pass on that day that I will cut off the names of the idols. Even their names will no longer be mentioned. “And also the prophets” refers to the prophets of Baal still found in India, China, and Japan, where people continue to worship idols. It also includes those who prophesy in the sense of preachers who deliver eloquent speeches in polished language to draw people toward false beliefs. He “will remove them from the land.” As Abarbanel wrote, prophets of the religion of the Quran were still found in the Land of Israel who would fall to the ground as though suffering seizures and utter prophecies in the name of their false prophet, under the influence of an impure spirit that rested upon them. At that time, Hashem will remove this spirit of falsehood.

And it shall come to pass that if anyone prophesies. At that time, they will no longer prophesy for two reasons: (1) They will find no one willing to believe them, for even their own parents will stab them because of their prophecy, knowing that they are false prophets; and secondly:

And it shall come to pass on that day that the prophets shall be ashamed. Each one will be ashamed of his vision, recognizing that it was a false and idolatrous vision produced by the imaginative faculty. “And they shall not wear a hairy mantle in order to deceive.” They will no longer wear the hairy mantle that served as the distinctive garment of prophets and ascetics, so that they may deny being prophets and claim that they never prophesied. The construction of the verse is:

In order to deny it, he will say, “I am not a prophet.” He will deny being a prophet and claim instead, “I am a man who works the soil,” and this is my occupation, “for a man acquired me from my youth.” One man purchased or hired me as a laborer to work his field. Thus, he will consider it more honorable to claim that he is a farmworker and another man’s purchased servant than to present himself as a prophet.

And he shall say to him. These false prophets would cut themselves with swords and spears and strike one another so that the spirit would rest upon them, as it is written, “They cut themselves with swords until blood poured over them.” When one of them denies having been a prophet, others will confront him with the scars that remain between his arms. He will deny this as well and claim that they are wounds he received in the house of his friends because he had failed to follow the proper path. In any event, he will make every effort to deny that he was ever a prophet, for this will have become a source of great disgrace and everlasting shame.

Awake, O sword. He further prophesied that in those days a sword would be aroused against the man who claims to be Hashem’s shepherd—that is, against the prophet of the Ishmaelites and those who believe in his religion, for he claimed that Hashem had sent him to shepherd the world—and against “the man” who is said to be “His companion,” Hashem’s associate and equal.

Strike the shepherd, and the flock shall be scattered. This refers to the Ishmaelites who believe in him. Concerning the man said to be His companion, He declares, “And I will turn My hand against the lowly ones.” These are the priests who follow him and afflict themselves in his honor by living as ascetics, as is well known.

And it shall come to pass throughout the entire land that two-thirds shall be cut off. A sword will then be aroused, each man against his neighbor, until only one-third remains. This third represents the true faith, which will endure together with those who believe in it.

And I will bring. Even the remaining third “I will bring through the fire” of affliction, to refine it from its impurities. “And I will refine them” to remove the impurities; He then adds, “and I will test them,” meaning that after refining them, He will test them again to determine whether they have been purified properly, “as gold is tested.” Gold is melted and refined more thoroughly than silver until only pure gold remains. That is, I will allow only the completely righteous to remain, until “he calls upon My name” in prayer “and I answer him” immediately. “I will say, ‘He is My people,’ and he will say, ‘Hashem is my God,’” for Hashem’s particular Providence and constant closeness will rest upon him.