King James Bible
"To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Zechariah prophesies that the Messiah will illuminate those trapped in spiritual ignorance and sin. The imagery of sitting suggests a prolonged, helpless state, while light represents divine revelation and salvation breaking through humanity's moral blindness. This phrase intensifies the previous darkness metaphor, evoking the valley of death from Psalm 23 and depicting humanity under death's looming threat. It emphasizes both physical mortality and spiritual separation from God that the coming Savior will address. The light not only reveals but actively directs toward shalom—complete wholeness and reconciliation with God. This guidance transforms the passive sitting in darkness into active walking on a path characterized by restored relationship with the divine.