King James Version
Zechariah 9
17 verses with commentary
Judgment on Israel's Enemies
The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof</strong>—this oracle begins with <em>massa</em> (מַשָּׂא, "burden"), a technical term for weighty prophetic proclamation, often of judgment. The phrase <strong>"in the land of Hadrach"</strong> identifies an Aramean region north of Damascus, likely the territory around the Orontes River valley...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 2 Ho 2:1-23. Application of the Symbols in the First Chapter.
Israel's spiritual fornication, and her threatened punishment: yet a promise of God's restored favor, when chastisements have produced their designed effect.
**1. Say ... unto ... brethren, Ammi, &c.--**that is, When the prediction (Ho 1:11) shall be accomplished, then ye will call one another, as brothers and sisters in...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 9
Daniel considers the time of the captivity. (Dn 9:1-3) His confession of sin, and prayer. (Dn 9:4-19) The revelation concerning the coming of the Messiah. (Dn 9:20-27)
**Verses 1-3** Daniel learned from the books of the prophets, especially from Jeremiah, that the desolation of Jerusalem would continue seventy years, which were drawing to a close. God's promises are to encourage ou...
Read full commentary →And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise</strong>—the oracle's geographic scope expands northward to Hamath and westward to the Phoenician coast. <strong>"Hamath also shall border thereby"</strong> means this Syrian city, even farther north than Damascus, falls within the judgment's boundary. Hamath (modern Hama) marked Israel's traditional northern bo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. Plead--**expostulate.
**mother--**that is, the nation collectively. The address is to "her children," that is, to the individual citizens of the state (compare Is 50:1).
**for she is not my wife--**She has deprived herself of her high privilege by spiritual adultery.
**out of her sight--**rather, "from her face." Her very countenance unblushingly betrayed her lust, as did also her expos...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 9
Daniel considers the time of the captivity. (Dn 9:1-3) His confession of sin, and prayer. (Dn 9:4-19) The revelation concerning the coming of the Messiah. (Dn 9:20-27)
**Verses 1-3** Daniel learned from the books of the prophets, especially from Jeremiah, that the desolation of Jerusalem would continue seventy years, which were drawing to a close. God's promises are to encourage ou...
Read full commentary →And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets</strong>—this verse catalogs Tyre's vaunted strengths: military fortifications and staggering wealth. The verb <strong>"did build"</strong> (<em>vativen</em>, וַתִּבֶן) emphasizes Tyre's self-reliance—she built for herself (<em>lah</em>, לָהּ). The city constructed elaborat...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. set her as in the day ... born--**(Eze 16:4; 23:25, 26, 28, 29). The day of her political "birth" was when God delivered her from the bondage of Egypt, and set up the theocracy.
**make her as a wilderness--**(Jr 6:8; Zep 2:13). Translate, "make her as the wilderness," namely, that in which she passed forty years on her way to her goodly possession of Canaan. With this agrees the mention of ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 9
Daniel considers the time of the captivity. (Dn 9:1-3) His confession of sin, and prayer. (Dn 9:4-19) The revelation concerning the coming of the Messiah. (Dn 9:20-27)
**Verses 1-3** Daniel learned from the books of the prophets, especially from Jeremiah, that the desolation of Jerusalem would continue seventy years, which were drawing to a close. God's promises are to encourage ou...
Read full commentary →Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire</strong>—the emphatic <strong>"Behold"</strong> (<em>hinneh</em>, הִנֵּה) demands attention to the shocking reversal. <strong>"The Lord"</strong> (<em>Adonai</em>, אֲדֹנָי) emphasizes divine sovereignty—no human agency accomplishes this, but God Himself acts. The verb <strong>"wi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. her children--**Not even her individual members shall escape the doom of the nation collectively, for they are individually guilty.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed</strong>—the prophetic gaze shifts south to the Philistine pentapolis. These ancient enemies of Israel will witness Tyre's fall and tremble, recognizing their own vulnerability. <strong>"Ashkelon shall see it, and fear"</strong> (<em>tire Ashkelon ve-tira</em>, תֵ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. I will go after--**The Hebrew expresses a settled determination.
**lovers--**the idols which Israel fancied to be the givers of all their goods, whereas God gave all these goods (Ho 2:8-13; compare Jr 44:17-19).
**bread and ... water--**the necessaries of life in food.
**wool ... flax--**clothing.
**oil ... drink--**perfumed unguents and palatable drinks: the luxuries of Hebrew life.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines</strong>—the judgment intensifies with ethnic and cultural humiliation. <strong>"A bastard shall dwell in Ashdod"</strong> (<em>ve-yashav mamzer be-Ashdod</em>, וְיָשַׁב מַמְזֵר בְּאַשְׁדּוֹד) describes illegitimate occupants replacing the native population. The term <em>mamzer</em> (מַמְזֵר) means "mongre...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-7. thorns ... wall--**(Job 19:8; La 3:7, 9). The hindrances which the captivity interposed between Israel and her idols. As she attributes all her temporal blessings to idols, I will reduce her to straits in which, when she in vain has sought help from false gods, she will at last seek Me as her only God and Husband, as at the first (Is 54:5; Jr 3:14; Eze 16:8).
**then--**before Israel's apo...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. blood: Heb. bloods
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth</strong>—this vivid imagery addresses pagan religious practices. <strong>"His blood out of his mouth"</strong> (<em>damo mi-piw</em>, דָּמוֹ מִפִּיו) likely refers to consuming blood in pagan rituals, forbidden to Israel (Leviticus 17:10-14; Acts 15:20). <strong>"His abominations from between his t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-7. thorns ... wall--**(Job 19:8; La 3:7, 9). The hindrances which the captivity interposed between Israel and her idols. As she attributes all her temporal blessings to idols, I will reduce her to straits in which, when she in vain has sought help from false gods, she will at last seek Me as her only God and Husband, as at the first (Is 54:5; Jr 3:14; Eze 16:8).
**then--**before Israel's apo...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth</strong>—after pronouncing judgment on surrounding nations, God promises protection for His people. <strong>"I will encamp about mine house"</strong> (<em>ve-chaniti le-veyti mitstsavah</em>, וְחָנִיתִי לְבֵיתִי מִצָּבָה) uses military imagery—God personally establishes...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. she did not know that I--**not the idols, as she thought: the "lovers" alluded to in Ho 2:5.
**which they prepared for Baal--**that is, of which they made images of Baal, or at least the plate covering of them (Ho 8:4). Baal was the Phoenician sun-god: answering to the female Astarte, the moon-goddess. The name of the idol is found in the Phoenician Hannibal, Hasdrubal. Israel borrowed it f...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →The Coming King
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. having: or, saving himself
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KJV Study Commentary
This Messianic prophecy, fulfilled in Jesus's triumphal entry (Matthew 21:1-11; John 12:12-15), presents a remarkable vision of Israel's coming King. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem" calls covenant people to exuberant celebration. The Hebrew verbs gili (rejoice) and hari'i (shout) express loud, jubilant acclaim—not quiet reverence but explosive joy at the King'...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. my corn ... my wool ... my flax--**in contrast to "my bread ... my wool ... my flax," (Ho 2:5). Compare also Ho 2:21-23, on God as the great First Cause giving these through secondary instruments in nature. "Return, and take away," is equivalent to, "I will take back again," namely, by sending storms, locusts, Assyrian enemies, &c. "Therefore," that is, because she did not acknowledge Me ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off</strong>—following verse 9's famous prophecy of Messiah entering Jerusalem on a donkey, verse 10 describes His reign's character. God will <strong>"cut off"</strong> (<em>hikhrati</em>, הִכְרַתִּי) instruments of war. <strong>"The chariot from Ephraim"</strong> (representing the n...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. lewdness--**rather, "the shame of her nakedness"; laying aside the figure, "I will expose her in her state, bereft of every necessary, before her lovers," that is, the idols (personified, as if they could see), who, nevertheless, can give her no help. "Discover" is appropriate to stripping off the self-flatteries of her hypocrisy.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. by: or, whose covenant is by blood
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water</strong>—this verse transitions from describing Messiah's reign (verses 9-10) to addressing covenant people's redemption. The opening <strong>"As for thee also"</strong> (<em>gam-at</em>, גַּם־אַתְּ) personalizes the promise, directly addressing Zion/Israel. God Himself speaks:...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. her feast days--**of Jeroboam's appointment, distinct from the Mosaic (1Ki 12:32). However, most of the Mosaic feasts, "new-moons" and "sabbaths" to Jehovah, remained, but to degenerate Israel worship was a weariness; they cared only for the carnal indulgence on them (Am 8:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee.</strong> This verse offers extraordinary comfort to exiled and afflicted Israel. The phrase "prisoners of hope" (<em>asirei hatikvah</em>, אֲסִירֵי הַתִּקְוָה) creates a powerful paradox—they are imprisoned yet possess hope. Unlike prisoners of despair, these captives retain con...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. my rewards--**my hire as a harlot (Is 23:17, 18).
**lovers--**idols.
**destroy ... vines ... make ... forest--**(Is 5:6; 7:23, 24). Fulfilled in the overthrow of Israel by Assyria (Ho 9:4, 5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim</strong>—God personifies Judah and Ephraim (Israel's northern tribes) as His weapons of war. Judah is the bent bow, Ephraim the arrow—together representing reunified Israel as God's instrument. <strong>And raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece</strong> (וַהֲקִימֹתִי בָנַיִךְ צִיּוֹן עַל־בָּנַיִךְ יָוָן)—this is Zec...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. days of Baalim--**the days consecrated to the Baals, or various images of Baal in different cities, whence the names Baal-gad, Baal-hermon, &c.
**decked herself with ... earrings--**rather, "nose-rings" (Is 3:21; Eze 16:12, Margin), with which harlots decked themselves to attract admirers: answering to the ornaments in which the Israelites decked themselves on the idols' feasts.
**fo...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD shall be seen over them</strong> (וַיהוָה עֲלֵיהֶם יֵרָאֶה)—divine theophany, God's visible presence in battle, recalls His appearance at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:24) and in Judges. <strong>And his arrow shall go forth as the lightning</strong>—God's arrows represent swift, irresistible judgment against Israel's enemies. The imagery shifts: previously Israel was God's bow (v. 13...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. Therefore--**rather, "Nevertheless" [Henderson]. English Version gives a more lovely idea of God. That which would provoke all others to unappeasable wrath, Israel's perversity and consequent punishment, is made a reason why God should at last have mercy on her. As the "therefore" (Ho 2:9) expresses Israel's punishment as the consequence of Israel's guilt, so "therefore" here, as in Ho 2:6, ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar. with: or, the stones of the sling be: or, fill both the bowls, etc
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD of hosts shall defend them</strong> (יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת יָגֵן עֲלֵיהֶם)—<em>Yahweh Tzva'ot</em>, 'LORD of armies,' emphasizes God's military might. <strong>And they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones</strong>—Israel will overcome enemies using seemingly primitive weapons (slings), demonstrating that victory comes from God, not superior armaments (cf. David versus Goliath, 1 S...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. from thence--**returning from the wilderness. God gives Israel a fresh grant of Canaan, which she had forfeited; so of her vineyards, &c. (Ho 2:9, 12).
**Achor--**that is, "trouble." As formerly Israel, after their tedious journey through the wilderness, met with the trouble resulting from Achan's crime in this valley, on the very threshold of Canaan, and yet that trouble was presently...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people</strong> (וְהוֹשִׁיעָם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כְּצֹאן עַמּוֹ)—shepherd imagery pervades Scripture; here God acts as shepherd-deliverer, fulfilling covenant promises. <strong>For they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land</strong>—the metaphor shifts dramatically from s...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. Ishi ... no more Baali--**"my Husband ... no more my Lord." Affection is the prominent idea in "Husband"; rule, in "Lord." The chief reason for the substitution of Husband for Lord appears in Ho 2:17; namely, Baali, the Hebrew for my Lord, had been perverted to express the images of Baal, whose name ought not to be taken on their lips (Ex 23:13; Zec 13:2).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids. cheerful: or, grow, or, speak
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty!</strong> (כִּי מַה־טּוּבוֹ וּמַה־יָפְיוֹ)—dual exclamation emphasizes God's <em>tuv</em> (goodness, moral excellence) and <em>yofi</em> (beauty, aesthetic perfection). Biblical Hebrew rarely uses such extravagant praise, making this verse's double superlative noteworthy. God isn't merely functional (providing salvation); He is sup...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. Baalim--**plural, expressing the various images of Baal, which, according to the places of their erection, received various names, Baal-gad, Baal-ammon, &c.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-19** In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be truste...
Read full commentary →