Common misinterpretations view this verse as endorsing forced religious conversion or literal drought punishments in modern times against those not visiting Jerusalem, often to support political Zionism or interfaith intolerance; others dismiss it as mere ancient hyperbole irrelevant today, or allegorize 'no rain' exclusively as spiritual barrenness while ignoring the passage's concrete eschatological judgment on nations in the Day of the Lord context of Zechariah 14.
Zechariah 14:17
King James Version (1769)
17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
Zechariah 14:17 prophesies a future Messianic era when the Lord reigns as King over all nations from Jerusalem, requiring every family on earth to ascend for worship; refusal invites divine judgment in the form of no rain, symbolizing curse and famine, emphasizing God's ultimate sovereignty, the mandatory global acknowledgment of His rule, and the severe consequences of persistent rebellion against Him.