זכריה, פרק י״ג, פסוק ב׳

The future era promises a profound spiritual cleansing of the world, a time when falsehood and impurity will be entirely uprooted from human consciousness. During this period, the love for God will become so absolute that it will eclipse even the deepest family bonds. Fathers will be so devoted to truth that they would be willing to strike down their own sons if they were to prophesy falsely [אבן עזרא].

As part of this purification, God promises to completely destroy all idols, uprooting false worship from its very foundation. This eradication applies to ancient idols from the era of the First Temple as well as those worshipped in the present [רד״ק]. These false gods are inherently linked to sadness, bringing only sorrow to their followers who cry out to them in times of distress but receive no answer [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The destruction of these idols will be absolute. In the past, even people who did not engage in idol worship were familiar with their names. In the future, however, all belief in them will cease entirely. Their names will lose all meaning and be completely erased from human memory, a reality emphasized to highlight the thoroughness of this cleansing [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת דוד].

Alongside the destruction of idols, God will also remove prophets from the world. The primary approach among commentators is that this refers specifically to false prophets. This includes the prophets of Baal, preachers who lure people into empty beliefs, and false prophets of other religions who draw on impure spiritual forces [מלבי״ם]. However, another perspective suggests that this removal hints at a broader change, where the power of prophecy as a whole, including true prophecy, will no longer be active in the world [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Finally, this era will see the elimination of the spirit of impurity. The primary approach among commentators is that this refers to the human inclination toward evil. These spiritual shifts are deeply connected. Once God removes the desire for evil from the earth, the world will be filled with clarity and knowledge. People will instantly recognize falsehood, causing the very phenomenon of false prophets to fade away naturally [מצודת דוד].