Zechariah 9

God remembers his promises

Zechariah

Gordon Churchyard

Chapter 9

v1 What the *LORD says warns (about punishment) to the country of Hadrach. (The punishment) will start at Damascus. (This will happen) because the *LORD is looking at everybody, including the people of Israel.

v2 (He is looking) at Hamath too, which is near (Damascus). (He is) also (looking) at Tyre and Sidon, although there are very skilful people (in both places).

v3 Tyre has built for itself a *stronghold. Also, (Tyre) has made heaps of silver like dust and (as much) gold as there is dirt in the street.

v4 (But) look! The *Lord will take away their possessions and he will destroy their strength in the sea. And fire will burn Tyre completely.

v5 Ashkelon will see these events and its people will be afraid. And Gaza will have so much pain that its people cannot rest. Also, (people in) Ekron will lose hope. Gaza will lose her king and nobody will live in Ashkelon.

v6 Foreigners will live in Ashdod. Then I will destroy everything that the people in Philistia are proud of.

v7 And I will take the blood away from their mouths. And (I will take) the food that they should not eat from between their teeth. Even the people that remain will belong to our God. And they will become leaders in Judah. Also, Ekron will be like the *Jebusites.

v8 But I will defend my house against armies that attack it. An enemy will never defeat my people again, because now my eyes are watching (them).

Notes

Verse 1 Hadrach was a town north of Hamath (verse 2). Hadrach, Hamath and Damascus were cities in the country called Syria. Damascus was the capital city of Syria. Some Bible students think that the end of the verse should be this. ‘Everybody, including Israel, is looking at the *LORD.’ It is not possible to say who is correct. Our translation fits better with the beginning of the verse.

Verse 2 There is still a town at Hamath today. It is called Hama. Tyre and Sidon were towns on the Mediterranean coast. They were to the west of Syria.

Verse 3 Tyre was a great city. Part of it was on an island, about 1000 metres from the coast. They built a wall round it. It was about 1000 metres long, 10 metres wide and very high. Because nobody could get into Tyre, it was called a strong place, or a ‘*stronghold’. In verses 2 and 3, we learn that the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon had:

• wisdom They were very clever (verse 2).

• defence They built a *stronghold (verse 3).

• wealth They had as much silver and gold as there was dust and dirt (verse 3).

But these could not stop the *LORD from destroying them (verse 4).

Verse 4 Notice this: It is the *LORD who will destroy Tyre and Sidon, not an enemy army. So some Bible students do not think that this describes what Alexander the Great would do. Read the Special Note after the note on verse 8. ‘The *stronghold in the sea’ was the island part of Tyre.

Verse 5 Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron were cities where the people called *Philistines lived. In this verse, God speaks about these cities as if they were people.

The people in those cities will see what happens in Tyre and Sidon. Then, they will be afraid. Those cities were on the Mediterranean coast. There had been 5 of them, but an enemy destroyed Gath 200 years earlier, 2 Chronicles 26:6. So, at the time of Zechariah, there were only 4 Philistine cities. The other city was Ashdod, which is in verse 6.

Verse 6 Notice that something happens in the middle of this short verse. Suddenly, God says what he will do! He will destroy everything that is valuable to the people in Philistia. The word ‘foreigner’ may mean ‘bastard’. A bastard is the child of people that are not married. Alexander the Great was a bastard. Therefore, many Bible students think that these verses are about what he did to Tyre and Sidon. He was the only leader whose army entered the island of Tyre. And he defeated the city.

Verse 7 The people called *Philistines drank blood and they ate animals including dogs, pigs and mice. It was part of their religion (Isaiah 65:4; Isaiah 66:3; Isaiah 66:17). But God will take away these things. Then the *Philistines will be as God’s people. They will even become leaders in Judah. This surprised Zechariah and it made him use the word ‘even’! The *Philistines would be like the *Jebusites. King David allowed them to become part of Israel. He did this when he first defeated Jerusalem. He made it his capital city, 2 Samuel 5:6-9.

Verse 8 This verse tells us that this section is *eschatological. In other words, it is about the time when Jesus will return to the earth as ruler. We know this because the *Romans attacked the *temple in A.D. 70. Then they defeated God’s people. A.D. means ‘years after Jesus came to the earth’. When Jesus returns to earth, nobody will defeat him or his people.

Special Note

We can look at the last 6 Chapter s of Zechariah in these ways:

1) They tell about the future history of the *Jews, including the time when Jesus would come to the earth.

2) They are *eschatological. They tell about the time when Jesus will return to the earth as ruler.

3) They probably include (1) and (2).

So Zechariah 9:1-8 may be about Alexander the Great. He was the King of Macedonia who destroyed Tyre in 333 *B.C. He did not destroy the *temple in Jerusalem, however. But these 8 verses are also a good section to start the main *eschatological part of Zechariah. Some of Chapter s 1-8 also have *eschatological parts.

Zechariah 9:1-8 tells us that:

• the land outside Judah will become God’s land;

• many people who are living in these countries will serve God.

A Bible student whose name is R. Mason wrote this. ‘If there is hope for the *Philistines, there is hope for all (people).’ (Cambridge New English Bible Commentary on Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, Cambridge University Press, 1977)

Something to do

1. Find a map. On it, look for the Philistine and Syrian cities in verses 1-6.

2. The *Roman word for Ashdod was Azotus. Read about the work of Philip in the cities of Gaza and Ashdod, Acts 8:26-40. Does this make you think of anything in Zechariah 9:1-8?

3. Pray that Jesus will soon return to the earth as its ruler. ‘Even so, come, *Lord Jesus’, Revelation 22:20.

v9 Be very happy, *Daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, *Daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king is coming to you. He is *righteous and he has *salvation. He is gentle and he is riding on a *donkey. (He is riding on) a young *donkey that is the *foal of a *donkey.

v10 And I will take away the *chariot(s) from Ephraim and the (war)-horses from Jerusalem. will destroy the battle-bow. And he will speak (about) peace to the nations. And he will rule from sea to sea. And (he will rule) from the river to the ends of the earth.

Notes

Verse 9 Read the note on Zechariah 2:10 for what ‘Daughter of’ means. Read also Zephaniah 3:14. Here are some verses from Genesis 49:

(v10) The *sceptre will not leave Judah until Shiloh comes. And there will always be a law-giver between his feet. And the people will gather (together) to him.

(v11) He will tie his young *donkey to a *vine and his *donkey’s *foal to a very good *vine.

He will wash his clothes in wine. (He will wash) his clothes in the blood of *grapes.

(v12) His eyes are darker than wine and his teeth are whiter than milk.

These verses are mysterious. Also, they excite Bible students! They are mysterious because we are not certain about their meaning. And they excite us because they tell us about a wonderful event in the future. Jacob spoke these words just before he died. Here are some notes on these verses:

• sceptre This is a special stick that is a sign of authority.

• Judah He was the fourth son of Jacob (and Leah), Genesis 29:35. The word ‘judah’ means ‘praise’. The kings of the country of Judah were from the family of Judah. Two exceptions are Saul and Ishbosheth, 2 Samuel 2:20.

• Shiloh Nobody knows what this word means. Some people think that it means ‘Prince of peace’. Many Bible students think that it is a name for the *Messiah. The *Greek word for *Messiah is Christ.

• law-giver He is someone with authority, like a king.

• between his feet This is a way to say the children, grandchildren and so on that come after him.

• the vine This is a small tree. *Grapes grow on it. The grape is a fruit that makes wine. If you can tie a horse to it, it must be a strong tree! That means that the land produces strong plants.

• wash in wine This means that the land will give very much fruit. People could wash in wine instead of water!

• blood of *grapes This is a way to say ‘wine’, in poetry.

All through the *Old Testament, *prophets said that a special king (or *messiah) would come. Examples are Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:1-5; Micah 5:2-4; Psalms 72:1-11; Psalms 89:38-45. The passage from Genesis 49:10-12 refers to this king. And Zechariah wrote, ‘Your king is coming to you.’ Who is the king, and when will he come?

Who is the king? The answer is in the *New Testament, in the *Gospels of Matthew (21:1), Mark (11:1) and Luke (19:29). They describe Jesus as he came in to Jerusalem. He was riding on the *foal of a *donkey. Matthew mentions two *donkeys!

When will he come? He came to Jerusalem 2000 years ago, but he will come again. That is when there will be peace in all the world. Therefore, this section of Zechariah tells us about Jesus when he came the first time. It also tells us about when he will come again.

The *Hebrew Bible says, ‘He is *righteous, (and he) has *salvation. (He) is gentle and he is riding on a *donkey.’ The words ‘has *salvation’ are a puzzle to Bible students. Some say that it means that he can save other people. This is true. He can save people and he does save them. But other Bible students say that the *Hebrew word means that somebody saved him. If so, then God saved him and sent him to Jerusalem. This could refer to the times when people tried to kill Jesus. But God made him safe until Jesus came to Jerusalem on a young *donkey. Look at Something to do number 1 below. Certainly, God saved him when he raised Jesus from the dead. The other words are:

• righteous This means very, very good. Only God is really *righteous. Therefore, this means that Jesus is God.

• gentle Some translations have ‘poor’. But ‘gentle’ reminds us of Isaiah’s picture of the *Messiah, God’s servant, in Isaiah 42:1-4. See also Matthew’s description in Matthew 11:29.

• riding on a donkey … the foal of a donkey. A foal is a young animal and a donkey is like a small horse. Kings of Israel rode on donkeys, but Alexander the Great rode a big horse. Perhaps this verse tells us that Jesus is not like Alexander. Matthew seems to say that Jesus rode on a *donkey and its *foal. But Mark and Luke write about only one animal! We should probably translate Matthew’s ‘*donkey and young *donkey’ as ‘*donkey, even a young *donkey’. The same word means both ‘and’ and ‘even’ in the *Hebrew language.

Verse 10 The Old *Greek Bible has ‘he will take away’. Several English translations follow this. But if the *Hebrew Bible is right, then God does some things. He saves the *Messiah from his enemies and he raises him from the dead. And the *Messiah himself does other things. He rides into Jerusalem on a *donkey. If he wrote today, Zechariah would probably not write about horses, *chariots and bows and arrows. He would probably write about tanks, war-planes, bombs and guns instead!

From ‘sea to sea’ means from the Red Sea (near Egypt) or the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. From ‘the river to the ends of the earth’ means from somewhere south of Jerusalem to the River Euphrates in the east. Zechariah probably meant the whole of the land where the *Jews should have lived. This is in Exodus 23:31; Numbers 34:1-15 and Ezekiel 47:15-21. They never lived in all this land. But this was what they hoped for. In the end, Jesus will return to the earth. Then God’s people will live where God wants them to live.

Something to do

1. Read these verses. Somebody tried to kill Jesus, but God saved him: Matthew 2:6-18; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 4:9-12; Luke 4:29-30; John 5:18; John 8:59; John 10:31. Now read verse 9 in our translation again. Does it describe the life of Jesus?

2. Pray for peace on earth, especially that the Prince of peace (Shiloh?) will return soon to the earth.

v11 As for you (*Daughter of Zion), because of the blood of your *covenant I will (do this. I will) take your prisoners out of the *pit where there is no water.

v12 Return to the *stronghold, you prisoners that have hope. Even now, I tell you that I will give back to you double. (You will receive twice as much as you lost.)

v13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bow. I will use Ephraim (as arrows). I will use your sons, Zion, against your sons, Javan. And I will make you like the sword of a great soldier.

v14 Then the *LORD will appear over them. And his arrow will flash like lightning. And the *Lord, (who is) *LORD, will blow on the *horn. And he will march with the storms of Teman.

v15 Then the *LORD of Everything will protect (his) people. And they will destroy (their enemies). They will walk on the stones (that the enemy) fires at them. And they will drink and they will make a noise like drunks. They will be full like a bowl at the corners of the *altar.

v16 And the *LORD their God will make them safe on that day. (They will be) like the *flock of his people. Also, they will shine in his country like *jewels in a crown.

v17 Yes! They will be attractive and beautiful! Grain will make the young men grow well. And new wine will make the young women (grow well).

Notes

Verse 11 God will do something because of the *covenant. This was an agreement between God and his people. They agreed to love and obey him. He promised to look after them. They killed and burned animals to make the *covenant official. This is called the ‘blood of your *covenant’ here. It started with Abraham, Genesis 15:9-11. It continued with Moses, Exodus 24:5-8. Then it happened every day in the *temple in Jerusalem, Exodus 29:38-46. In the *New Testament, Jesus used the phrase ‘blood of the *covenant’ to describe his death, Mark 14:24. Christians remember this ‘blood of the *covenant’ in the *Lord’s Supper, called *Holy Communion or Mass by many Christians. The word ‘testament’ also means ‘*covenant’. So our Bibles have an Old *Covenant and a New *Covenant. God will take the prisoners away from the prison. The prison here is a deep hole in the ground. It is a sign of their place of *exile. These prisoners may be the people that have not yet returned to Jerusalem.

Verse 12 In Isaiah 22:10, the walls of Jerusalem are ‘the *stronghold’. God calls his people back to this *stronghold, to Jerusalem. The hope was probably for the king of verses 9-10. ‘Double’ may mean:

• They would have twice as much joy as the *sorrow that they suffered. *Sorrow means to feel very unhappy.

• They would receive the double share that the oldest child would receive, Deuteronomy 21:17.

• Twice as many people would live in Judah.

Verse 13 Here God says that his people are like weapons of war! Weapons is another word for arms. They are fighting the sons of Javan. This means people from Javan. But where is Javan? It has two possible meanings:

• Greece Therefore, some Bible students think that it is about wars with Greece, 2 or 3 centuries after Zechariah died.

• Distant parts of the world, as in Genesis 10:1-5 and Isaiah 66:19. Therefore some Bible students say that it has an *eschatological meaning.

Notice that Judah and Ephraim do not fight. God uses them to help him control the whole world. Ephraim is another name for Israel.

Verse 14 This is the language of theophany. Theophany means to see God when he does something on the earth. There are examples of this in 2 Samuel 22:8-18, Psalms 29 and Habakkuk 3:3; Habakkuk 3:11. Here God is in a great storm. The *horn is ‘shofar’ in the *Hebrew language. It is the *horn of an animal. (A horn is something that grows on an animal’s head.) A *horn made a noise when someone blew into it. Perhaps here it is a sign of *thunder. *Thunder is the noise that comes with lightning. Teman was south of Jerusalem. It was a desert place where there were many storms.

Verse 15 Here, Zechariah describes the battle as if it were a great party. God’s people would defeat the enemy. God’s people would kill their enemies as easily as if they were eating food. The noise like drunk people does not mean that they are drunk. It means that their shouts are very loud. And there is no wine. But the blood of the enemy soldiers looks like wine. God’s people are full, like a bowl that is full of wine to pour on the *altar in the *temple. This means that the battle will be a terrible punishment for God’s enemies. See Revelation chapter 16.

Verses 16-17 A *flock of animals is a group of animals. God’s people are called his *flock. They are so precious to him, that they are like *jewels in a crown. A *jewel is a precious stone, such as a diamond. New wine means fresh fruit juice.

Special note

Like other sections of Zechariah Chapter s 9-14, here is a section that can have a meaning in history. It can also have second meaning when Jesus returns to the earth. Both meanings tell us that God keeps his promises. He does what his *covenant promises to do. He will protect his people at all times.

Something to do

1. Study the words ‘blood of the *covenant’, or similar words, in these passages: Exodus 24:8; Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; John 6:53-56; 1 Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 10:4; Hebrews 10:19-22.

2. Start to make a list of Zechariah’s *prophecies in the life of Jesus. Put it in the form of a *table like this one:

What Zechariah wrote	Where he wrote it	Where it is in the *Gospels
The king would ride on a *donkey

Keep the list. Add to it when you find other examples.

lord ~ someone in authority; ‘my lord’ means ‘sir’. With a capital L, a name for God.
LORD ~ the covenant name for God that his servants use.
covenant ~ an agreement. God’s covenant with his people was a special agreement.
stronghold ~ a very strong place.
lord ~ someone in authority; ‘my lord’ means ‘sir’. With a capital L, a name for God.
LORD ~ the covenant name for God that his servants use.
covenant ~ an agreement. God’s covenant with his people was a special agreement.
Jebusites ~ the people who used to live in Jerusalem before King David made it his city.
Philistines ~ people who were enemies of Israel’s people.
eschatological ~ about what will happen when Jesus returns to earth at the end of time. Eschatology is the study of this.
Roman ~ a person from Rome. Rome was a powerful city; it had a strong army.
temple ~ a special house for God (in Jerusalem) or a house for false gods (in places like Babylon).
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Daughter ~ ‘Daughter of Babylon’ means ‘people who live in Babylon’ and so on.
righteous ~ very, very good; only God is really righteous.
salvation ~ safety, the Christian meaning is ‘safety after we die’.
donkey ~ an animal like a small horse; people ride on them.
foal ~ a young animal, especially a young donkey.
donkey ~ an animal like a small horse; people ride on them.
chariot ~ a special cart that soldiers used. Horses pulled chariots.
sceptre ~ a special stick that is a sign of authority.
vine ~ a plant that grows fruit called grapes. People make wine from grapes.
grape ~ a fruit that you can make wine from.
grape ~ a fruit that you can make wine from.
messiah ~ leader; with capital M a name for Christ. Christ is the Greek word for messiah.
Greek ~ the language that people speak in Greece.
Greek ~ the language that people speak in Greece.
grape ~ a fruit that you can make wine from.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before Jesus came.
prophet ~ someone who tells people what God is saying.
messiah ~ leader; with capital M a name for Christ. Christ is the Greek word for messiah.
Greek ~ the language that people speak in Greece.'New Testament ~ the second part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after Jesus came.
Gospel ~ one of the four books at the beginning of the New Testament - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

New Testament ~ the second part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after Jesus came.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
covenant ~ an agreement. God’s covenant with his people was a special agreement.
pit ~ a deep hole in the ground. It may be a prison.
horn ~ a bone with a sharp point on it that grows on the heads of goats, sheep and other animals. People blew into horns to make a loud noise.
altar ~ a special table where the priests burned gifts to God in the temple.
temple ~ a special house for God (in Jerusalem) or a house for false gods (in places like Babylon).
flock ~ a group of animals or birds; God’s people are like a flock, because he calls them his sheep.
jewels ~ valuable stones like diamonds.
holy ~ very, very good; only God is really holy. ‘Holy ones’ is sometimes a name for angels.
angel ~ a servant of God from heaven; usually we cannot see them.
heaven ~ a name for the home of God; it can also mean the sky.
covenant ~ an agreement. God’s covenant with his people was a special agreement.
exile ~ away from home; or, a person that lives away from home. ‘In exile’ means away from home.
sorrow ~ what you feel when you are very unhappy.
sorrow ~ what you feel when you are very unhappy.
thunder ~ the noise that comes with lightning in a storm.
thunder ~ the noise that comes with lightning in a storm.
prophecy ~ words that a prophet speaks.
prophet ~ someone who tells people what God is saying.
table ~ a number of boxes to show information clearly.