# Zechariah 9 > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Zechariah_9 > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Zechariah_9.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zechariah_9 > Source revision: 1305325635 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Zechariah 9** is the ninth of the 14 [chapters](/source/Chapters_and_verses_of_the_Bible) in the [Book of Zechariah](/source/Book_of_Zechariah) in the [Hebrew Bible](/source/Hebrew_Bible) or the [Old Testament](/source/Old_Testament) of the [Christian](/source/Christianity) [Bible](/source/Bible).[1][2][3] This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet [Zechariah](/source/Zechariah_(Hebrew_prophet)). In the Hebrew Bible it is part of the [Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets](/source/Twelve_Minor_Prophets).[4] This chapter opens the so-called "Second Zechariah" portion, consisting of Zechariah 9–[14](/source/Zechariah_14),[5] which was composed "long after the previous portions of the book".[6] It concerns the advance of an enemy (cf. oracles in [Amos](/source/Book_of_Amos) and [Ezekiel](/source/Book_of_Ezekiel)), but God defends [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem) and promises that his king (verse 9) will triumphantly enter the city to bring peace among all nations.[7] This chapter also contains a continuation of the subject in the [seventh chapter](/source/Zechariah_7).[6][clarification needed] The oracle referring to the king's entry into Jerusalem ([verses 9](#Verse_9) and [10](#Verse_10)) is quoted in the [New Testament](/source/New_Testament) in the accounts of [Jesus](/source/Jesus)' [triumphal entry into Jerusalem](/source/Triumphal_entry_into_Jerusalem) ([Matthew 21](/source/Matthew_21), [John 12](/source/John_12)).[7][8] ## Text The original text was written in the [Hebrew language](/source/Biblical_Hebrew). [This chapter is divided into](/source/Chapters_and_verses_of_the_Bible) 17 verses. ### Textual witnesses Some early [manuscripts](/source/Biblical_manuscript) containing the text of this chapter in [Hebrew](/source/Biblical_Hebrew) are of the [Masoretic Text](/source/Masoretic_Text), which includes the [Codex Cairensis](/source/Codex_Cairensis) (from year 895), [the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets](/source/Codex_Babylonicus_Petropolitanus) (916), [Aleppo Codex](/source/Aleppo_Codex) (930),[a] and [Codex Leningradensis](/source/Leningrad_Codex) (1008).[9][10] There is also a translation into [Koine Greek](/source/Koine_Greek) known as the [Septuagint](/source/Septuagint), made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include [Codex Vaticanus](/source/Codex_Vaticanus) (**B**; \mathfrak{G}B; 4th century), [Codex Sinaiticus](/source/Codex_Sinaiticus) (**S**; [BHK](/source/Biblia_Hebraica_(Kittel)): \mathfrak{G}S; 4th century), [Codex Alexandrinus](/source/Codex_Alexandrinus) (**A**; \mathfrak{G}A; 5th century) and [Codex Marchalianus](/source/Codex_Marchalianus) (**Q**; \mathfrak{G}Q; 6th century).[11] Fragments containing parts of this chapter (a revision of the Septuagint) were found among the [Dead Sea Scrolls](/source/Dead_Sea_Scrolls), i.e., [Naḥal Ḥever 8Ḥev1 (8ḤevXIIgr)](/source/Greek_Minor_Prophets_Scroll_from_Nahal_Hever); late 1st century BCE) with extant verses 1–5.[12][13][14] ## Oracles on foreign nations (verses 1–8) This section contains some 'wisdom influence', such as the 'eye' motif (cf. , and [earlier in Zechariah](/source/Zechariah_4#Verse_10)), which 'binds the book together', in [verses 1](#Verse_1) and [8](#Verse_8), as well as many allusions to earlier [prophets](/source/Prophet) including [Amos](/source/Amos_(prophet)), [Ezekiel](/source/Ezekiel), and [Isaiah](/source/Isaiah).[15] There is a geographic movement from north to south as the word of the Lord moves from Syria or Aram (verse 1) to Jerusalem ("my house"; verse 8).[8] ### Verse 1 - *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.*[16] The opening words of this verse form a new heading consistent with the separation of chapters 9-14 from the previous chapters:[17] cf. the wording in the [New International Version](/source/New_International_Version): - *A prophecy.* - *The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak ...*[18] The opening word "burden", meaning "oracle" or "prophecy",[19] appears in the same manner in [Zechariah 12:1](/source/Zechariah_12#Verse_1) and [Malachi 1:1](/source/Malachi_1:1). "[Hadrach](/source/Hadrach)" refers to a city-state in the northern region of [Syria](/source/Syria), stretching from south of [Aleppo](/source/Aleppo) to north of [Damascus](/source/Damascus).[8][20] The place is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible.[21] There are two typical readings of the second part of this verse: some texts, as above, refer to "the eyes of man", or of "all humanity",[22] which are turned towards the . Others refer to the eye as God's eye: - *For the Lord has an eye on mankind and on all the tribes of Israel*.[23] ### Verse 8 - *Then I will encamp at my house as a guard,* - *so that none shall march to and fro;* - *no oppressor shall again march over them,* - *for now I see with my own eyes.*[24] - "As a guard" ([ESV](/source/English_Standard_Version); [KJV](/source/King_James_Version): "because of the army"): from Hebrew: מצבה, a [hapax legomenon](/source/Hapax_legomenon); it can be read as מִצָּבָה (*mitsavah*), following [Masoretic Text](/source/Masoretic_Text), from נָצַב, *natsav*, "take a stand", or מַצֵּבָה (*matsevah*, "pillar"); bearing 'the idea of the Lord as a protector'.[25] ## King of peace (verses 9–10) This section describes "the king of peace", drawn partly from '[Jacob](/source/Jacob)'s blessing of [Judah](/source/Judah_(son_of_Jacob))' () and partly from . It is the first of several passages which Katrina Larkin refers to as "linking passages" which "bind chapters 9 to 14 together": see [Book of Zechariah#Chapters 9 to 14](/source/Book_of_Zechariah#Chapters_9_to_14).[15] ### Verse 9 - *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.*[26] - "Ass" (KJV; NRSV: "donkey") and "colt": point to one animal in the 'style of Hebrew parallelism' (cf. ; ), indicating 'peaceful intentions', in contrast to "horse" (or "war-horse") in [verse 10](#Verse_10).[8] The [New Testament](/source/New_Testament) authors saw this verse as a prophecy pointing to [Jesus](/source/Jesus)' [triumphal entry into Jerusalem](/source/Triumphal_entry_into_Jerusalem) on the day now known as [Palm Sunday](/source/Palm_Sunday), as quoted in and ).[27] ### Verse 10 - *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.*[28] - "The river": points to the [Euphrates](/source/Euphrates) in northern [Syria](/source/Syria).[29] ## God will save his people (verses 11–17) This part pictures God as a warrior who brings "ultimate victory to his oppressed people against the [Greeks](/source/Ancient_Greece)" (verse 13).[15] Some translations refer to [Javan](/source/Javan),[30] traditionally considered the ancestor of the Greeks. ## Musical adaptation Verses 9–10 (from the [King James Version](/source/King_James_Version)) are quoted in the English-language [oratorio](/source/Oratorio) "[Messiah](/source/Messiah_(Handel))" by [George Frideric Handel](/source/George_Frideric_Handel) (HWV 56).[31] ## See also - [Ashdod](/source/Ashdod) - [Ashkelon](/source/Ashkelon) - [Damascus](/source/Damascus) - [Ekron](/source/Ekron) - [Ephraim](/source/Ephraim) - [Gaza](/source/Gaza_City) - [Hadrach](/source/Hadrach) - [Hamath](/source/Hama) - [Jebusite](/source/Jebusite) - [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem) - [Jesus and Messianic prophecy](/source/Jesus_and_Messianic_prophecy) - [Philistine](/source/Philistine) - [Sidon](/source/Sidon) - [Triumphal entry into Jerusalem](/source/Triumphal_entry_into_Jerusalem) - [Tyre](/source/Tyre,_Lebanon) - [Zion](/source/Zion) - Related [Bible](/source/Bible) parts: [Isaiah 62](/source/Isaiah_62), [Matthew 21](/source/Matthew_21), [Mark 11](/source/Mark_11), [Luke 19](/source/Luke_19), [John 12](/source/John_12) ## Notes 1. The [Aleppo Codex](/source/Aleppo_Codex) now only contains Zechariah 9:17b–14:21.[32] ## References 1. Collins 2014, p. 428. 1. Hayes 2015, Chapter 23. 1. [Zechariah, Book of](http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/15199-zechariah-book-of). [Jewish Encyclopedia](/source/Jewish_Encyclopedia) 1. Mason 1993, pp. 826–28. 1. Coogan 2007, p. 1357 Hebrew Bible. 1. Robert Jamieson, Andrew Robert Fausset; David Brown. *[Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary](/source/Jamieson-Fausset-Brown_Bible_Commentary)*. 1871. 1. Mason 1993, p. 827. 1. Coogan 2007, p. 1364 Hebrew Bible. 1. Würthwein 1995, pp. 35–37. 1. Boda 2016, pp. 2–3. 1. Würthwein 1995, pp. 73–74. 1. [Dead sea scrolls](http://thewaytoyahuweh.com/research/dead-sea-scrolls/#zechariah), Zechariah, The way to Yahuweh. 1. Fitzmyer 2008, p. 128. 1. Boda 2016, p. 5. 1. Larkin 2007, p. 613. 1. : [KJV](/source/King_James_Version) 1. [Jerusalem Bible](/source/Jerusalem_Bible) (1966), "Introduction to the Prophets: Zechariah", p. 1139, London: Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday and Co. Inc. 1. : NIV 1. Note [a] on Zechariah 12:1 in NKJV 1. Note [b] on Zechariah 9:1 in [NET](/source/New_English_Translation) 1. [Perowne, T. T.](/source/T._T._Perowne) (1890), [Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges](https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/zechariah/9.htm) on Zechariah 9, accessed on 21 January 2025 1. : [International Standard Version](/source/International_Standard_Version) 1. : [English Standard Version](/source/English_Standard_Version) 1. [ESV](/source/English_Standard_Version) 1. Note [b] on Zechariah 9:8 in NET 1. [KJV](/source/King_James_Version) 1. Note [c] on Zechariah 9:9 in [NET Bible](/source/New_English_Translation). 1. KJV 1. Coogan 2007, p. 1365 Hebrew Bible. 1. : [Lexham English Bible](/source/Lexham_English_Bible) 1. Block, Daniel I. (2001). ["Handel's Messiah: Biblical and Theological Perspectives"](http://www.sbts.edu/documents/icw/messiah.pdf). *[Didaskalia](/source/Didaskalia_(journal))*. **12** (2). Retrieved 19 July 2011. 1. Boda 2016, p. 3. ## Sources - Boda, Mark J. (2016). [*The Book of Zechariah*](https://books.google.com/books?id=EwJRCwAAQBAJ). New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Harrison, R. K. & Hubbard, Jr, Robert L. (eds.). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0802823755. - Collins, John J. (2014). [*Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures*](https://books.google.com/books?id=fbsoBAAAQBAJ). Fortress Press. ISBN 9781451469233. - Coogan, Michael David (2007). [*The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version, Issue 48*](https://books.google.com/books?id=HmpMPgAACAAJ). Augmented 3rd ed. Coogan, Michael David; Brettler, Marc Zvi; Newsom, Carol Ann; Perkins, Pheme (eds.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195288810. - Fitzmyer, Joseph A. (2008). [*A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature*](https://books.google.com/books?id=TILXeWJ2eNAC). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 9780802862419. - Hayes, Christine (2015). [*Introduction to the Bible*](https://books.google.com/books?id=SKbkXYHxvlAC). Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300188271. - Larkin, Katrina J. A. (2007). ["37. Zechariah"](https://books.google.com/books?id=ZJdVkgEACAAJ). *The Oxford Bible Commentary*. first (paperback) ed. Barton, John & Muddiman, John (eds.). Oxford University Press. pp. 610–615. ISBN 978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019. - Mason, Rex (1993). ["Zechariah, The Book of."](https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780195046458). *The Oxford Companion to the Bible*. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195046458. - Würthwein, Ernst (1995). [*The Text of the Old Testament*](https://books.google.com/books?id=FSNKSBObCYwC). Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0-8028-0788-7. Retrieved January 26, 2019. ## External links ### Jewish - [Zechariah 9 Hebrew with Parallel English](http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2309.htm) - [Zechariah 9 Hebrew with Rashi's Commentary](http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16213) ### Christian - [Zechariah 9 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate](http://www.latinvulgate.com/lv/verse.aspx?t=0&b=43&c=9) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170202141743/http://www.latinvulgate.com/lv/verse.aspx?t=0&b=43&c=9) 2017-02-02 at the Wayback Machine --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Zechariah 9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zechariah_9) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zechariah_9?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.