Zechariah 9
9
Prophecies concerning the Nations
1A prophecy: The weighty message of Yahweh pertains to the region of Hadrach, # 9:1 This is the only reference in the Bible (a hapax legomenon) to the land of Hadrach. Although there are many opinions concerning the location of the land of Hadrach, it is believed to be Aram (Syria), the region around the city of Damascus, north of Israel. and it will come to rest upon Damascus. # 9:1 Literally “Damascus its resting place.” However, there is a masculine singular suffix on “resting place,” which points to the antecedent of the masculine “message [word].” The words for “region” and “Hadrach” are both Hebrew feminine words.
“Yahweh keeps an eye on every person # 9:1 Or literally “To Yahweh the eye of Adam [mankind]”—that is, “All people will look to Yahweh.”
and on all the tribes of Israel
2and even on Hamath, which borders Damascus,
and on Tyre and Sidon with all their great wisdom.
3The people of Tyre have built for themselves a fortress.
They have swept up piles of silver like dust
and gathered mounds of gold like the dirt of the streets.
4Behold! The Lord will take away all she has, # 9:4 Or “the Lord is going to take possession of her” (LXX, Vulgate).
burn her city to the ground,
and sink her warships into the sea. # 9:4 Or “he will hurl down her fortress into the sea.”
5Ashkelon will see it and be afraid;
Gaza will see it and writhe in agony.
Ekron will witness the loss of her hopes;
the king of Gaza will perish,
and Ashkelon will be deserted.
6Foreigners # 9:6 That is, a mixed population due to the colonization of the land. will live in Ashdod.
Yes, I will destroy the pride of the Philistine people.
7I will stop them from eating meat with its blood
and take the forbidden food from between their teeth.
But their remnant, too, will become a part of the people of God, # 9:7 God will give his unexpected and undeserved grace to gentiles and will include them as part of his people. This has happened through the blood of Jesus Christ, who has broken down every dividing wall between the races and ethnicities. See Eph. 2:11–19.
like a clan in Judah.
And the people of Ekron will also become a part of God’s people
as did the Jebusites. # 9:7 The Philistine city of Ekron is likely a metonymy for the Philistines in general. The Jebusites once held as their capital the city of Jerusalem, called Jebus before it was captured by David (see 2 Sam. 5:6–7; 1 Chron. 11:4–6). The Jebusites were not annihilated, but a remnant survived and was absorbed into the community of the people of God (see Josh. 15:63; Judg. 1:21; 1 Kings 9:20–21). Even the ancient enemies of Israel, the Philistines, will be granted grace to mingle with God’s people and become part of their communities. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
8I will stand guard before my temple
to defend it from all who march against it.
No oppressor will overrun them ever again,
for now, I am constantly on the alert.” # 9:8 See Deut. 11:12.
The King of Zion
9“My daughter Zion, let your heart and soul rejoice!
Rejoice, my daughter Jerusalem, and shout your cheerful praises!
Look! Your King comes to you.
He is righteous and fully qualified to save you. # 9:9 Or “he is righteous [fulfilled all the qualifications] and victorious [able to save].” See Isa. 32:1; 46:13; 51:5; Jer. 23:5.
Yet he comes to you so humbly, riding on a donkey;
sitting meekly on a colt, a young foal of a donkey. # 9:9 Rejecting the pomp and fanfare of most kings riding on a war horse (see Jer. 17:25; 22:4), King Jesus the Messiah fulfilled this prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, the traditional mount of princes (see Gen. 49:11; Judg. 5:10; 10:4; 12:14; Matt. 21:5; Mark 11:1–10; John 12:14–16).
10I, the Lord, will banish
war chariots and horses from Israel # 9:10 Or “Ephraim,” a metonymy for the entire Northern Kingdom of Israel. and Jerusalem.
I will break the bows used in war.
Your king will proclaim peace and well-being to the nations. # 9:10 See Isa. 2:4; Mic. 4:3–4.
His dominion will stretch from sea to sea, # 9:10 See Ps. 72:8.
from the river to the ends of the earth.
11As for you, Zion, because of my covenant with you sealed with blood,
I have set your captives free
from the waterless pit of their prison.” # 9:11 See Gen. 37:24.
Prisoners of Hope
12“Come running back home to your fortress, # 9:12 The Hebrew word for “fortress” is a hapax legomenon, and its meaning is uncertain. Others translate it “stronghold,” “citadel,” or “place of safety.” For the believer today, our fortress is the heart of God, where we are sheltered in his goodness and mercy.
you hope-filled prisoners!
This very day, I vow
I will restore to you double blessing for your trouble. # 9:12 See Isa. 40:2; 61:7; Hos. 2:15.
13My people will be my weapons,
for I have bent Judah as my bow
and made Ephraim my arrow.
I will awaken and stir up your sons, Zion,
against the sons of Greece.
I will use you like a warrior’s sword.”
14Then Yahweh will appear above them,
and his arrow will flash like lightning. # 9:14 See Ps. 18:14; Hab. 3:4, 11.
The Lord Yahweh will sound the shofar
and advance in the great storm of his power.
15And Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies, will be their shield.
Their slinging stones shall conquer and subdue the enemy,
spilling their blood like wine from an overfilled bowl,
like the blood that stains the corners of the altar.
16On that day, Yahweh their God
will rescue them and make a way.
For they are like a beloved flock of sheep to him,
yes, precious like the gemstones of a diadem
that will sparkle throughout # 9:16 Or “be lifted up over” or “be raised up over.” his land.
17How beautiful and splendid they will be!
Young men will flourish by eating the grain,
and the maidens by drinking the new wine. # 9:17 Grain and new wine can also be taken as metaphors. Grain is a picture of resurrection life that springs up from the ground. Joshua’s generation was given a new diet of eating the grain of the promised land (see Josh. 5:11–12). New wine is a consistent emblem of the new life of the Spirit that empowers us (see Matt. 9:17; Luke 5:37–38). Resurrection life and the empowerment of the Spirit become the source of our victorious life in Christ.
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Zechariah 9: TPT
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