Zechariah · chapter 9 of 14
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Zechariah 9 opens the second part of the book with an oracle that sweeps through the cities of Syria, Phoenicia and Philistia and announces that the Lord will judge them and guard his house. It then calls Zion to rejoice because her king comes, righteous, victorious and humble, riding on a donkey, who will remove weapons and proclaim peace to the nations. The New Testament applies verse 9 to Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:5; John 12:15).
Chapters 9 to 14 make up the second part of Zechariah, a set of undated oracles written in a more poetic and less visual style than the visions. Scholars debate when and by whom they were written, but the book itself presents them as part of Zechariah's prophecy. This section is among the most quoted in the Gospels, and chapter 9 holds the image of the humble king who enters Jerusalem.
The chapter begins with an oracle of the word of the Lord against the land of Hadrach, with Damascus as its resting place, for the eyes of the Lord are on mankind and on all the tribes of Israel. It also reaches Hamath, Tyre and Sidon. Tyre built herself a rampart and heaped up silver like dust and gold like the dirt of the streets, but the Lord will strip her, strike her power into the sea and she will be devoured by fire. Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron will fear, and the Lord will cut off the pride of the Philistines; the remnant will belong to our God, like a clan in Judah. The Lord will encamp at his house as a guard, so that none passes through or returns, and no oppressor will again overrun them, for now he sees with his own eyes.
Then comes the best-known invitation: rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; shout aloud, daughter of Jerusalem. Your king is coming to you, righteous and bringing salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. The Lord will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be cut off. He will speak peace to the nations, and his rule will be from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Because of the blood of the covenant with you, the Lord has set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, prisoners of hope, and he will restore to you double. Judah will be his bow, Ephraim his arrow, and the Lord will appear over them; his arrow will go forth like lightning, he will sound the trumpet and march in the whirlwinds of the south. The Lord of hosts will protect them, and on that day he will save them as the flock of his people; they will be like jewels of a crown, sparkling over his land. How good and how beautiful! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord encamps by his house as a guard, so that no oppressor will again pass over his people. After judging the neighboring cities, God commits himself to protect his house.
The king who comes to Zion is righteous and brings salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey. The New Testament applies this verse to Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:5 and John 12:15): the king does not arrive with war horses but with humility.
The king removes the chariots and the horses and speaks peace to the nations; his rule is from sea to sea. His kingdom is not imposed by weapons but by peace, and it reaches all peoples.
The Lord calls the prisoners of hope to return to the stronghold and promises to restore double to them. It is an invitation to those who wait in the midst of difficulty: God restores what was lost.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Tyre, the Phoenician city. — Zechariah 9:3
Answer: Encamp as a guard so that no oppressor passes again. — Zechariah 9:8
Answer: Righteous and bringing salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. — Zechariah 9:9
Answer: The chariot, the war horse and the battle bow. — Zechariah 9:10
Answer: Prisoners of hope. — Zechariah 9:12
Answer: To a flock, and to jewels of a crown sparkling over his land. — Zechariah 9:16
Zechariah 9 presents a king unlike what we expect of a king. His power is expressed in righteousness, salvation and humility. In a class or small group you can ask what idea of power we have inherited from our culture and how it changes when we look at Jesus, who entered Jerusalem on a donkey.
The text also speaks to those who wait in the midst of difficulty: they are prisoners of hope, and the Lord promises to restore double. Waiting on God is not passivity but trust in the king who comes to save.
Zechariah 9 announces the humble king and the peace he will bring to the nations, and the Lord's protection over his people. Chapter 10 continues with the theme of the shepherd: the Lord rebukes false shepherds and promises to strengthen Judah and gather the scattered.
The Gospels show that Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey, and Matthew 21:5 and John 12:15 quote this verse to explain the act. Jesus presented himself as the promised king who comes in humility and brings peace, not war.
In Hebrew parallelism the same idea is repeated in two expressions: a donkey, and more precisely a colt, the foal of a donkey. Matthew 21:2-7 mentions a donkey and her colt. The animal is a symbol of peace, in contrast to the war horse.
It probably refers to the covenant at Sinai, sealed with blood (Exodus 24:8). The Lord recalls that covenant as the reason he frees his people. Christians connect the blood of the covenant with the work of Christ.