Zechariah 9

Zechariah · Chapter 9

Zechariah 9:5

1The 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.2And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.3And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.4Behold, the LORD will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.5Ashkelon 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.6And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.7And 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.8And 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.9Rejoice 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.10And 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.11As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.12Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;13When 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.14And 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.15The 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.16And 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.17For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
5Ashkelon 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.Ashkelon will see and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, as will Ekron, for her hope will wither. There will cease to be a king in Gaza, and Ashkelon will be uninhabited.Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also, and shall be sore pained; and Ekron, for her expectation shall be put to shame; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

This verse sits in a message of judgment that moves south from Damascus and Hamath through Tyre and Sidon to the Philistine cities. When the LORD burns rich, fortified Tyre, the Philistine cities of Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron see it and are terrified. What they had looked to for safety fails them, Gaza loses its king, and Ashkelon is left empty. Zechariah 9:1Zechariah 9:2Zechariah 9:3Zechariah 9:4Zechariah 9:5

SpeakingThe LORD speaks through the prophet Zechariah. The chapter opens as "the burden of the word of the LORD." Zechariah 9:1Zechariah overview

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

Also involvedThe Philistine cities of Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron, and with them Ashdod and "the pride of the Philistines" in the next verse. Zechariah 9:5Zechariah 9:6

The verse describes the reaction of three Philistine cities when they watch Tyre fall: fear, deep sorrow, and shame because their hope has collapsed. It then names two results: Gaza's king will perish, and Ashkelon will not be lived in. Zechariah 9:4Zechariah 9:5Strong's H4007Strong's H0954

Ashkelon was a Philistine city on the sea, southwest of Jerusalem. Gaza lay in the far southwest of the land, close to the Mediterranean, and Ekron was the most northerly of the five main Philistine cities, in the lowlands of Judah. Tyre, whose fall they watch, lay well to the north of all three. Strong's H0831Strong's H5804Strong's H6138AshkelonGazaEkronTyre

JUDAHMediterranean SeaEkronGazaTyreJerusalemSidonDamascusHamath 1Megiddo

The eventsThe verse is a prophecy of judgment still to come when it was spoken. The text does not say when it would be fulfilled. Earlier prophets gave similar warnings against the same cities. Zechariah 9:5Zephaniah 2:4Jeremiah 47:1Isaiah 14:29

WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the whole book, with dated messages from about 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly: chapters 9-14 carry no dates, and many scholars assign them to a later writer or writers, while others hold that Zechariah wrote them. Zechariah overview

HereThe verse shows that no neighbouring power can stand when the LORD acts. Even Tyre's wealth and stronghold could not protect it, so the cities that watched it fall lose their confidence. The judgment clears the way for God to guard his house, so that no oppressor passes through again. Zechariah 9:3Zechariah 9:4Zechariah 9:5Zechariah 9:8

In the whole of ScriptureThe judgment on Israel's enemies leads straight into the promise of Zion's king, who comes "lowly, and riding upon an ass" and speaks peace to the nations. Even a remnant of the Philistines will "be for our God," and Ekron will be like a Jebusite. Zephaniah also foretold that the coast and the houses of Ashkelon would become the home of Judah's remnant. Zechariah 9:7Zechariah 9:9Zechariah 9:10Zephaniah 2:7Zechariah overview

For readersPeople who put their hope in strong cities and great wealth will see that hope put to shame when God judges. Revelation 18 paints a similar scene, where kings and sailors watch a rich city burn and mourn because its riches came to nothing. Zechariah 9:3Zechariah 9:5Revelation 18:9Revelation 18:17

  • expectationמַבָּט
    Hebrew · mab.bat · H4007

    The word means an "object of hope or confidence." Ekron's shame is not only bad news. The very thing it trusted failed it, and in context that came as it watched strong Tyre fall. Strong's H4007Zechariah 9:3Zechariah 9:4

  • be ashamedבּוֹשׁ
    Hebrew · bush · H0954

    The word covers being put to shame, disconcerted or disappointed. Here it describes a hope that proves empty, not a feeling of personal guilt. Strong's H0954Zechariah 9:5

  • inhabitedיָשַׁב
    Hebrew · ya.shav · H3427

    The root means to dwell, remain or sit, and it can mean "to be inhabited." The verse says Ashkelon will not be lived in, which matches Zephaniah's word that Ashkelon would be "a desolation." Strong's H3427Zephaniah 2:4

Takeaway

When God brought down mighty Tyre, the cities that trusted in such strength were left afraid and ashamed. Hope placed in wealth and fortresses fails. God's purpose runs on to protecting his people and sending Zion's lowly King. Zechariah 9:3Zechariah 9:4Zechariah 9:5Zechariah 9:8Zechariah 9:9

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.

Where

Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
it will seeתֵּרֶ֨אte-RE'H7200G
to see: see

רָאָה (ra.ah) : see/show 1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to see 1a2) to see, perceive 1a3) to see, have vision 1a4) to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out 1a5) to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish 1a6) to look at, gaze at 1a7) to provide, choose 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to appear, present oneself 1b2) to be seen 1b3) to be visible 1c) (Pual) to be seen 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to see, show 1d2) to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at 1e) (Hophal) …

Ashkelonאַשְׁקְל֜וֹן'ash-ke-LONH0831
Ashkelon

אַשְׁקְלוֹן (ash.qe.lon) Askelon or Ashkelon = "the fire of infamy: I shall be weighed" a maritime city of the Philistines, southwest of Jerusalem Also named: esh.qe.lo.ni (אֶשְׁקְלוֹנִי "Ashkelon" H0832)

so it may be afraidוְתִירָ֗אve-ti-RA'H3372G
to fear

יָרֵא (ya.re) : frightening(DANGER) 1) to fear, revere, be afraid 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to fear, be afraid 1a2) to stand in awe of, be awed 1a3) to fear, reverence, honour, respect 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared 1b2) to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe 1b3) to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe 1c) (Piel) to make afraid, terrify 2) (TWOT) to shoot, pour

and Gazaוְעַזָּה֙ve-'a-ZAHH5804
Gaza

עַזָּה (az.zah) § Azzah = "the strong" another name for 'Gaza', a city of the Philistines located in the extreme southwest of Palestine close to the Mediterranean

so it may be in anguishוְתָחִ֣ילve-ta-CHILH2342INo entry
exceedinglyמְאֹ֔דme-'ODH3966
much

מְאֹד (me.od) adv 1) exceedingly, much subst 2) might, force, abundance n m 3) muchness, force, abundance, exceedingly 3a) force, might 3b) exceedingly, greatly, very (idioms showing magnitude or degree) 3b1) exceedingly 3b2) up to abundance, to a great degree, exceedingly 3b3) with muchness, muchness

and Ekronוְעֶקְר֖וֹןve-'ek-RONH6138
Ekron

עֶקְרוֹן (eq.ron) Ekron = "emigration" or "torn up by the roots" the most northerly of the 5 principal cities of the Philistines; located in the lowlands of Judah and later given to Dan Also named: eq.ro.ni (עֶקְרוֹנִי "Ekron" H6139)

forכִּֽי־ki-H3588A
for

כִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

it will be ashamedהֹבִ֣ישׁho-VISHH0954
be ashamed

בּוֹשׁ (bush) 1) to put to shame, be ashamed, be disconcerted, be disappointed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to feel shame 1a2) to be ashamed, disconcerted, disappointed (by reason of) 1b) (Piel) to delay (in shame) 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to put to shame 1c2) to act shamefully 1c3) to be ashamed 1d) (Hithpolel) to be ashamed before one another

object of confidence itsמֶבָּטָ֑הּme-ba-TAHH4007
expectation

מַבָּט (mab.bat) expectation, object of hope or confidence

and he will perishוְאָ֤בַדve-'A-vadH0006
to perish

אָבַד (a.vad) 1) perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) perish, die, be exterminated 1a2) perish, vanish (fig.) 1a3) be lost, strayed 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to destroy, kill, cause to perish, to give up (as lost), exterminate 1b2) to blot out, do away with, cause to vanish, (fig.) 1b3) cause to stray, lose 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to destroy, put to death 1c1a) of divine judgment 1c2) object name of kings (fig.) Aramaic equivalent: a.vad (אֲבַד "to destroy" H0007)

a kingמֶ֙לֶךְ֙ME-lekhH4428G
king

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430)

from Gazaמֵֽעַזָּ֔הme-'a-ZAHH5804
Gaza

עַזָּה (az.zah) § Azzah = "the strong" another name for 'Gaza', a city of the Philistines located in the extreme southwest of Palestine close to the Mediterranean

and Ashkelonוְאַשְׁקְל֖וֹןve-'ash-ke-LONH0831
Ashkelon

אַשְׁקְלוֹן (ash.qe.lon) Askelon or Ashkelon = "the fire of infamy: I shall be weighed" a maritime city of the Philistines, southwest of Jerusalem Also named: esh.qe.lo.ni (אֶשְׁקְלוֹנִי "Ashkelon" H0832)

notלֹ֥אlo'H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

it will remainתֵשֵֽׁב׃te-SHEVH3427
to dwell

יָשַׁב (ya.shav) 1) to dwell, remain, sit, abide 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to sit, sit down 1a2) to be set 1a3) to remain, stay 1a4) to dwell, have one's abode 1b) (Niphal) to be inhabited 1c) (Piel) to set, place 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to sit 1d2) to cause to abide, set 1d3) to cause to dwell 1d4) to cause (cities) to be inhabited 1d5) to marry (give an dwelling to) 1e) (Hophal) 1e1) to be inhabited 1e2) to make to dwell Aramaic equivalent: ye.tiv (יְתִב "to dwell" H3488)

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