Zechariah 9:4-14

4 Lo! the Lord shall wield it, and shall smite in the sea the strength thereof, and it shall be devoured by fire. (Lo! the Lord shall possess it, and shall strike down its strength into the sea, and the city itself shall be devoured by fire.)

5 Ashkelon shall see, and shall dread; and Gaza, and shall sorrow full much; and Ekron, for the hope thereof is confounded; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited; (Ashkelon shall see it, and shall have great fear; and Gaza, and it shall have great sorrow; and Ekron too, for its hope is confounded, or what it trusted in hath perished; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited;)

6 and a parter shall sit in Ashdod, and I shall destroy the pride of Philistines. (and those who be parted, or who be half-breeds, shall live in Ashdod, and I shall destroy the pride of the Philistines.)

7 And I shall take away the blood of him from the mouth of him, and the abominations of him from the middle of the teeth of him, and he also shall be left to our God; and he shall be as a duke in Judah, and Ekron as Jebusite. (And I shall take away the blood-filled sacrifice from their mouths, and the abominations from the midst of their teeth, and they shall belong to our God; and they shall be like a family in Judah, and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites.)

8 And I shall compass mine house of these that hold knighthood to me, and go, and turn again; and an exactor, or unjust asker, shall no more pass on them, for now I saw with mine eyes. (And I shall surround my House with those of my host, or of my army, yea, they who go, and return, at my command; and no more shall an oppressor overrun them, for now I have seen their suffering with my own eyes.)

9 Thou daughter of Zion, make joy withoutforth enough; sing, thou daughter of Jerusalem; lo! thy king shall come to thee, he (is) just, and (a) saviour; he (is) poor, and ascending on a she ass, and on a colt/on a foal, the son of a she ass. (O daughter of Zion, make full out joy, or rejoice; sing, O daughter of Jerusalem; lo! thy King shall come to thee, he is just, and a saviour/he is just, and the victor; he is poor, and riding on a she donkey, and on a colt, or on a foal, the son of a she donkey.)

10 And I shall lose the four-horsed cart of Ephraim, and an horse of Jerusalem, and the bow of battle shall be destroyed; and he shall speak peace to heathen men, and the power of him shall be from sea till to sea, and from floods, till to the ends of [the] earth. (And he shall destroy the four-horsed carts, or the chariots, of Ephraim, and the horses of Jerusalem, and the bows for battle shall be destroyed; and he shall speak peace to the heathen, and his power shall be from sea unto sea, and from the Euphrates River, unto the ends of the earth.)

11 And thou in the blood of thy testament sentest out thy bound men from the lake in which is no water. (And by the blood of my covenant with thee, I sent out thy bound men from the pit in which there was no water.)

12 Ye bound of hope, be turned again to (the) stronghold; and today I tell, and I shall yield to thee double things, (Ye prisoners of hope, return to the stronghold, or to the fortress; for today I declare that I shall give thee double for all thy trouble,)

13 for I shall stretch forth to me Judah as a bow, I filled the land of Ephraim. And I shall raise thy sons, thou Zion, on thy sons, thou land of Greeks, and I shall set thee as the sword of strong men. (for I shall stretch forth Judah unto me like a bow, and I have filled the land of Ephraim with arrows. And I shall raise up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and I shall make thee like the sword of the strong.)

14 And the Lord God shall be seen on them, and the dart of him shall go out as lightning. And the Lord God shall sing in a trump, and shall go in whirlwind of the south; (And the Lord God shall be seen above them, and his darts, or his arrows, shall go out like the lightning. And the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and then shall go forth in the whirlwinds of the south;)

Zechariah 9:4-14 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.