Zechariah 9:1-11

1 An oracle. The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrakh, And will rest upon Dammesek; For the eye of man And of all the tribes of Yisra'el is toward the LORD;

2 And Hamat, also, which borders on it; Tzor and Tzidon, because they are very wise.

3 Tzor built herself a stronghold, And heaped up silver like the dust, And fine gold like the mire of the streets.

4 Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, And he will strike her power in the sea; And she will be devoured with fire.

5 Ashkelon will see it, and fear; `Aza also, and will writhe in agony; As will `Ekron, for her expectation will be put to shame; And the king will perish from `Aza, And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.

6 Foriegners will dwell in Ashdod, And I will cut off the pride of the Pelishtim.

7 I will take away his blood out of his mouth, And his abominations from between his teeth; And he also will be a remnant for our God; And he will be as a chieftain in Yehudah, And `Ekron as a Yevusi.

8 I will encamp around my house against the army, That none pass through or return; And no oppressor will pass through them any more: For now I have seen with my eyes.

9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Tziyon! Shout, daughter of Yerushalayim! Behold, your king comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; Lowly, and riding on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 I will cut off the chariot from Efrayim, And the horse from Yerushalayim; And the battle bow will be cut off; And he will speak shalom to the nations: And his dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the eretz.

11 As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I have set free your prisoners from the pit in which is no water.

Zechariah 9:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ZECHARIAH 9

This chapter treats of the conversion of the Gentiles, before spoken of in general, now particularly named; of the coming of Christ into the world, and the advantages of it to his church; of the preaching of the Gospel by the apostles, and of their protection, encouragement, and success. The Gentiles converted are first the Syrians that dwelt in Hadrach, Damascus, and Hamath, the Lord's eye being upon them, Zec 9:1 next the Phoenicians, the inhabitants of Tyre and Zidon, who had a vain opinion of their wisdom, and trusted in their riches, Zec 9:2-4 and then the Philistines, the inhabitants of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod, guilty of pride, murder, idolatry, and other abominations, Zec 9:5-7 when the church and people of God should be safely protected, Zec 9:8 to whom, for their joy and comfort, is given forth a prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah; who is described by his character as a King, just, having salvation, lowly, and riding on an ass; by the peaceableness of his kingdom; by the various offices he executes; the prophetic office, speaking peace to the Heathen; the kingly office, his dominion being very large; and his priestly office, in the effusion of his blood, by which the covenant is confirmed, his people delivered out of distress, and encouraged to flee to him as their stronghold, where they find plenty and protection, Zec 9:9-12 next the apostles are represented as military men, accoutered with the bow and the sword of the mighty, Zec 9:13 whose success is owing to the Lord's appearance over them, and the efficacy of his grace and Spirit attending the word, Zec 9:14 who are protected and encouraged in it by the Lord, and honoured on account of it, Zec 9:15,16 and the chapter is concluded with an exclamation, wondering at the grace and glory of Christ, and expressing the satisfying provisions of his house, Zec 9:17.