John 12:15

Daughter of Zion (qugathr Siwn). Nominative form (instead of qugater) but vocative case. The quotation is from Zechariah 9:9 shortened. Thy King cometh (o basileu ercetai). Prophetic futuristic present. The ass was the animal ridden in peace as the horse was in war ( Judges 10:4 ; Judges 12:14 ; 2 Samuel 17:23 ; 2 Samuel 19:26 ). Zechariah pictures one coming in peace. So the people here regarded Jesus as the Prince of Peace in the triumphal entry. Sitting on an ass's colt (kaqhmeno epi pwlon onou). Matthew ( Matthew 21:6 ) does speak of both the ass and the colt having garments put on them, but he does not say that Jesus "sat upon" both animals at once, for epanw autwn (upon them) probably refers to the garments, not to the colts. When John wrote (end of the century), Jerusalem had fallen. Jesus will lament over Jerusalem ( Luke 19:41 ). So "Fear not" (mh pobou).