Zechariah 10

Zechariah · Chapter 10

Zechariah 10:9

1Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.2For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.3Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.4Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.5And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.6And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them.7And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the LORD.8I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.9And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.10I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.11And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.12And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
9And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.Though I sow them among the nations, they will remember Me in distant lands; they and their children will live and return.And I will sow them among the peoples; and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and shall return.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

The LORD has just promised to gather and redeem his people (10:8). Here he pictures their scattering as sowing seed among the peoples: far away they will remember him, live with their children, and come back. The next verse names where they return from and to: out of Egypt and Assyria into Gilead and Lebanon. Zechariah 10:8Zechariah 10:9Zechariah 10:10

SpeakingThe LORD speaks, through the prophet Zechariah. The passage ends with "saith the LORD." Zechariah 10:12Zechariah overview

ToThe people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon. Zechariah overview

Also involvedThe house of Judah and the house of Joseph, also called Ephraim. God promises to bring them again and to have mercy on them. Zechariah 10:6Zechariah 10:7

God says he will plant his people among the nations like seed. In those distant lands they will call him to mind, survive with their children, and return. The scattering is pictured as a planting that leads to growth and homecoming, not as their end. Zechariah 10:9Strong's H2232Zechariah 10:8Zechariah 10:10

The people are sown among the nations in "far countries." They are brought back out of Egypt and Assyria into Gilead and Lebanon. The prophecy was given in Jerusalem among those who had returned. Zechariah 10:9Zechariah 10:10Zechariah overview

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsGod speaks of a sowing among the peoples that he "will" do, followed by remembering and return. The next verse promises to bring them out of Egypt and Assyria. The text does not give a date for these events. Zechariah 10:9Zechariah 10:10

WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the whole book, with dated messages from about 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly: most agree chapters 1-8 come from Zechariah in those years, but chapters 9-14, which include this verse, carry no dates, and many assign them to a later writer or writers. Zechariah overview

HereThe verse assures God's people that being spread among the nations will not erase them. Far from home they will remember the LORD and return. It explains how the gathering promised in 10:8 comes about. Zechariah 10:8Zechariah 10:9Zechariah 10:10

In the whole of ScriptureOther Scripture uses the same pattern. Jeremiah speaks of God sowing Israel and Judah with seed. Ezekiel says the exiles will remember God among the nations. Solomon prayed for captives who turn back to God in the land of their enemies. Zechariah's book is built on the same call: turn to the LORD, and he will turn to you. Jeremiah 31:27Ezekiel 6:91 Kings 8:471 Kings 8:48Zechariah overview

For readersGod can use even scattering and distance to grow his people and bring them back to himself. Remembering him far from home is the first step of returning. Zechariah 10:9Strong's H2232Ezekiel 6:91 Kings 8:48

  • sowזָרַע
    Hebrew · za.ra · H2232

    The word means to sow or scatter seed. So the scattering is pictured as a planting that grows, matching "they shall increase" in 10:8. Jeremiah 31:27 uses the same picture of God sowing Israel and Judah. Strong's H2232Zechariah 10:8Jeremiah 31:27

  • rememberזָכַר
    Hebrew · za.khar · H2142

    It means to remember, recall, or call to mind. Ezekiel 6:9 likewise says the scattered exiles "shall remember me among the nations" and loathe themselves for their evils. Strong's H2142Ezekiel 6:9

  • turn againשׁוּב
    Hebrew · shuv · H7725G

    The word means to return or come back. It can also mean to turn back to God, that is, to repent. The return to the land in 10:10 follows, and 1 Kings 8:48 uses the idea for captives who "return unto thee with all their heart." Strong's H7725GZechariah 10:101 Kings 8:48

  • far countriesמֶרְחָק
    Hebrew · mer.chaq · H4801

    It means a distant place or far country. This stresses that no distance puts the people beyond remembering God or coming home. Strong's H4801Zechariah 10:9

Takeaway

God plants his people like seed among the nations: far away they remember him, live on with their children, and return. Scattering is not the end of God's people but part of his plan to gather them. Zechariah 10:9Zechariah 10:8Strong's H2232Jeremiah 31:27

Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.

The world around the text

About 520-518 BC. King of Persia: Darius I (522-486 BC). Where Zechariah prophesied. A small, poor community was rebuilding the temple among the ruins of the city Babylon had burned.

Who ruled
  • King of PersiaDarius I522-486 BC

    Zechariah dates his messages by the years of Darius. Darius confirmed Cyrus's decree and ordered the temple work to go on at royal expense. Zechariah 1:1Zechariah 7:1Ezra 6:1-12Haggai 1:1Behistun Inscription

  • Governor of JudahZerubbabelc. 520 BC

    A descendant of David who led the rebuilding. "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it." Zechariah 4:6-10Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:8

  • High priestJoshua the high priestc. 520 BC

    Called Jeshua in Ezra. He stands in Zechariah's vision clothed in filthy garments, which are taken away, and later receives crowns as a sign. Zechariah 3:1-10Zechariah 6:11Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:2

  • Persian governor "on this side the river"Tattenaic. 520 BC

    The governor of the province west of the Euphrates. He asked who had allowed the building, wrote to Darius, and was told to let the work go on. Ezra 5:3-6Ezra 6:6-13

What was happening, 539 BC to 332 BC
  1. 539 BC
    WarBabylon falls to Cyrus

    Cyrus king of Persia took Babylon, ending the empire that had destroyed Jerusalem. Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Cyrus Cylinder

  2. 538 BC
    God's peopleThe first return

    Cyrus let the exiles go home to build the LORD's house. About fifty thousand returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Ezra 1:1-4Ezra 2:1-2Ezra 2:64-65

  3. c. 536 BC
    God's peopleThe foundation is laid, then the work stops

    The returned exiles laid the temple's foundation with shouting and weeping. Opposition from their neighbors stopped the work until the second year of Darius. Ezra 3:10-13Ezra 4:4-5Ezra 4:24

  4. 525 BC
    WarPersia conquers Egypt

    Cyrus's son Cambyses invaded and took Egypt, bringing the whole region from the Nile to the Indus under one king. Herodotus, Histories 3.1-16

  5. 522-521 BC
    WarDarius crushes the revolts

    When Darius took the throne, provinces across the empire rebelled, Babylon twice. By 520 he had put them all down. Compare the riders' report in Zechariah's first vision: "all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest." Behistun InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 3.150-159Zechariah 1:11

  6. 520 BC
    God's peopleHaggai and Zechariah stir the people to build

    In Darius's second year the two prophets urged the people to take up the temple work again, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua began to build. Ezra 5:1-2Haggai 1:1-15Zechariah 1:1

  7. c. 520-519 BC
    RulersDarius confirms Cyrus's decree

    Tattenai questioned the building. A search found Cyrus's decree at Achmetha, and Darius ordered the work to continue and be paid for from royal taxes. Ezra 5:3-6:12

  8. 515 BC
    BuildingThe second temple is finished

    The temple was finished on the third day of Adar in Darius's sixth year and dedicated with joy. Ezra 6:14-18Zechariah 4:9

  9. 490-479 BC
    WarPersia's wars with Greece

    Persia invaded Greece twice and was turned back at Marathon (490), Salamis (480) and Plataea (479). Greece, which Zechariah names in 9:13, was becoming Persia's great rival. Herodotus, Histories 6.102-117Herodotus, Histories 8.40-96Herodotus, Histories 9.1-89Zechariah 9:13

  10. 445 BC
    BuildingNehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem's walls

    Under the Persian king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah came from Shushan and rebuilt the walls in fifty-two days. Nehemiah 2:1-8Nehemiah 6:15

  11. 332 BC
    WarAlexander takes Tyre and Gaza

    Alexander the Great besieged island Tyre for seven months and then Gaza for two, on his way to Egypt. Zechariah 9 speaks of Tyre's "strong hold" and of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron and Ashdod. Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 2.15-27Zechariah 9:3-7

The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records (the Behistun Inscription, the Cyrus Cylinder, the Babylonian Chronicles) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and I will sow themוְאֶזְרָעֵם֙ve-'ez-ra-'EMH2232
to sow

זָרַע (za.ra) 1) to sow, scatter seed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to sow 1a2) producing, yielding seed 1b)(Niphal) 1b1) to be sown 1b2) to become pregnant, be made pregnant 1c) (Pual) to be sown 1d) (Hiphil) to produce seed, yield seed

among the peoplesבָּֽעַמִּ֔יםba-'a-MIMH5971A
people

עַם (am) : people/nation 1) nation, people 1a) people, nation 1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

and in the distant placesוּבַמֶּרְחַקִּ֖יםu-vam-mer-cha-KIMH4801
distance

מֶרְחָק (mer.chaq) distant place, distance, far country

they will remember meיִזְכְּר֑וּנִיyiz-ke-RU-niH2142
to remember

זָכַר (za.khar) 1) to remember, recall, call to mind 1a) (Qal) to remember, recall 1b) (Niphal) to be brought to remembrance, be remembered, be thought of, be brought to mind 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to cause to remember, remind 1c2) to cause to be remembered, keep in remembrance 1c3) to mention 1c4) to record 1c5) to make a memorial, make remembrance

and they will liveוְחָי֥וּve-cha-YUH2421
to live

חֲיָא (cha.ya) 1) to live 1a) (P'al) to live 1b) (Aphel) to let live, keep alive

withאֶת־'et-H0854
with

אֵת (et) 1) with, near, together with 1a) with, together with 1b) with (of relationship) 1c) near (of place) 1d) with (poss.) 1e) from...with, from (with other prep)

children theirבְּנֵיהֶ֖םbe-nei-HEMH1121A
son: child

בֵּן (ben) : child/son

and they will returnוָשָֽׁבוּ׃va-SHA-vuH7725G
to return: return

שׁוּב (shuv) : return 1) to return, turn back 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to turn back, return 1a1a) to turn back 1a1b) to return, come or go back 1a1c) to return unto, go back, come back 1a1d) of dying 1a1e) of human relations (fig) 1a1f) of spiritual relations (fig) 1a1f1) to turn back (from God), apostatise 1a1f2) to turn away (of God) 1a1f3) to turn back (to God), repent 1a1f4) turn back (from evil) 1a1g) of inanimate things 1a1h) in repetition 1b) (Polel) 1b1) to bring back 1b2) to restore, refresh, repair (fig) 1b3) to lead away (enticingly) 1b4) to show turning, apostatise 1c) (Pual) restored (participle) …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.