Zechariah 10:4
in Zechariah 10The cornerstone will come from Judah, the tent peg from him, as well as the battle bow and every ruler together.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
From him shall come forth the corner-stone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together.
KJV
Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.
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This verse in Zechariah 10
Commentary
8 notes on this verseOut of him came forth the corner - This is spoken of the tribe of Judah: all strength, counsel, and excellence came from that tribe. The corner stone, the ornament and completion of the building; the nail, by which the tents were fastened, and on which they hung their clothes, armor, etc., the battlebow, the choicest archers. Every oppressor together - Those heroes and generals, by whom, under God, their foes should be totally routed. Newcome translates, “Every ruler together.” Perhaps all this is spoken of the Messiah.
This site's exposition
Out of him came forth the corner
Four titles come out of Judah in one verse: the corner, the nail, the battle bow, and every ruler together, each an image of strength or stability drawn from building and warfare. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown and the older commentators read corner and nail as messianic, the same cornerstone language of Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 28:16 and the same peg image Isaiah uses of Eliakim, both later applied to Christ as the one on whom everything else hangs. The battle bow completes the picture with a warrior's weapon, so the verse gathers ruler, foundation, and champion into a single figure without naming him.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 3 and following) My anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the goats; for the Lord of hosts will visit his flock, the house of Judah, and make them like his majestic horse in battle. From him comes the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the bow of battle; from him every oppressor comes forth together, and they shall be like mighty warriors trampling the mud of the streets in battle. They will fight, for the Lord is with them.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Out of him came forth the corner,....
They are encouraged to expect strength and success from him in all their struggles with the enemies of their church and state, and to hope that the issue would be glorious at last,
12 And I will strengthen them in the L ORD ; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the L ORD . Here are divers precious promises made to the people of God, which look further than to the state of the Jews in the latter days of their church, and have certain reference to the spiritual Israel of God, the gospel-church, and all true believers.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Out of him--Judah is to be no more subject to foreigners, but from itself shall come its rulers. the corner--stone, Messiah (Isa 28:16). "Corners" simply express governors (1Sa 14:38, Margin; The Maccabees, Judah's governors and deliverers from Antiochus the oppressor, are primarily meant; but Messiah is the Antitype.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Out of him came forth - Or rather, “From him is the corner,” as Jeremiah, “Their nobles shall be from themselves, and their governor shall go forth from the midst of them” Jer 30:21. Her strength, though given by God, was to be inherent in her, though from her too was to come He who was to be “the head-corned-stone,” the sure Foundation and Crowner of the whole building. From thee the nail - An emblem of fixedness in itself, (as Isaiah says, “I will fasten him a nail to a sure place” Isa 22:23) and of security given to others dependent on Him, as Isaiah says further, “And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, from the vessels of cups to the vessels of flagons” Isa 22:24; all, of much or little account, the least and the greatest. Osorius: “Christ is the cornerstone; Christ is the nail fixed in the wall, whereby all vessels are supported. The word of Christ is the bow, whence the arrows rend the king’s enemies.” From it every exactor shall go forth together - God had promised Zec 9:8 that no “oppressor,” or “exactor Isa 14:2, shall pass through them anymore.” He seems to repeat it here. “From thee shall go forth every oppressor together; go forth,” not to return: as lsaiah had said, “Thy children shall make haste to return; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee” Isa 49:17. “From it, its cornerstone; from it, the sure nail; from it, the battle bow; from it,” he no longer unites closely with it, that which should be from it, or of it, but - “from it shall go forth every oppressor together;” one and all, as we say; a confused pele-mele body, as Isaiah, “all that are found of thee are bound together” Isa 22:3; “together shall they all perish” Isa 31:3; or, in separate clauses, “they are all of them put to shame; together they shall go into confusion” Isa 45:16.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
My wrath is kindled against the shepherds Against the kings of Greece.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מִמֶּ֤נּוּ | mimenu | from it | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| פִנָּה֙ | finah | a corner | H6438 → | |
| מִמֶּ֣נּוּ | mimenu | from it | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| יָתֵ֔ד | yated | a peg | H3489 → | |
| מִמֶּ֖נּוּ | mimenu | from it | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| קֶ֣שֶׁת | keshet | a bow of | H7198 → | 76 times |
| מִלְחָמָ֑ה | milchamah | war | H4421 → | 320 times |
| מִמֶּ֛נּוּ | mimenu | from it | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| יֵצֵ֥א | yetze' | he will come forth | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| כָל־ | khol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| נוֹגֵ֖שׂ | noges | ruler | H5065 → | |
| יַחְדָּֽו׃ | yachdav | together | H3162 → |
מִמֶּ֤נּוּfrom it
mimenuH4480 →1188 times
פִנָּה֙a corner
finahH6438 →
מִמֶּ֣נּוּfrom it
mimenuH4480 →1188 times
יָתֵ֔דa peg
yatedH3489 →
מִמֶּ֖נּוּfrom it
mimenuH4480 →1188 times
קֶ֣שֶׁתa bow of
keshetH7198 →76 times
מִלְחָמָ֑הwar
milchamahH4421 →320 times
מִמֶּ֛נּוּfrom it
mimenuH4480 →1188 times
יֵצֵ֥אhe will come forth
yetze'H3318 →1067 times
כָל־every
khol-H3605 →5413 times
נוֹגֵ֖שׂruler
nogesH5065 →
יַחְדָּֽו׃together
yachdavH3162 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Numbers 24:17I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come forth from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab and…
it leads to
- Revelation 22:16
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
- Luke 1:32–33
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,
- Genesis 49:10
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
- Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
- Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign…
- Revelation 22:16
Through
Ezra 9:8But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from the LORD our God to preserve for us a remnant and to give us a stake in His holy place. Even in our bondage,…
it leads to
- Psalms 13:3
Consider me and respond, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death,
- Romans 11:5–6
In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
- Psalms 13:3
Through
Zechariah 9:8But I will camp around My house because of an army, because of those who march to and fro, and never again will an oppressor overrun My people, for now I keep watch with…
it leads to
- Isaiah 54:14
In righteousness you will be established, far from oppression, for you will have no fear. Terror will be far removed, for it will not come near you.
- Isaiah 54:14
About Zechariah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets; Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Zechariah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.