Zechariah 6:7
in Zechariah 6As the strong horses went out, they were eager to go and patrol the earth; and the LORD said, “Go and patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the strong went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.
KJV
And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.
⋯
This verse in Zechariah 6
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And the strong went forth and sought to go, that they might walk to and fro through the earth - The mention of their strength corresponds to the extent of the power and commission, for which they asked, to go to and fro, up and down, at their will, unhindered, through the whole earth. The Babylonian empire held Egypt only out of Asia; the Persian was conquered in its efforts against Europe, in Greece; Alexander’s was like a meteor, gleaming but breaking into the four: the Roman combined East and West and within large limits tranquilly.
This site's exposition
The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country
on Zechariah 6:6-8
The black horses go north, the white after them, the grisled south, and the bay range the whole earth on the angel's own command, get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. The north country is Babylon's own direction from Judah, and the angel's word that those going north have quieted my spirit there reads as judgment on Babylon satisfying the wrath the earlier chapters of the book have already announced against her, the empire's account closed.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Sought to go - Waited for a commission. He said - Christ who hath all power in heaven and on earth. Through the earth - Thro' the rest of the kingdoms of the world remote from Judea, but not remote from God's wise and sovereign providence.
If we go to and fro through the earth, we shall find the events of Providence neither all black nor all white, but ash-coloured, or gray, mixed of black and white. Such is the world we live in; that before us is unmixed. Here we are singing, at the same time, of mercy and judgment, and we must sing unto God of both ( Ps. ci.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And the bay went forth, and sought to go,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Hence they "walk to and fro through the earth," counterworking Satan's "going to and fro in the earth" (Job 1:7; 1Ti 4:1), in connection with the last awful development of the fourth world kingdom. Their "fleetness" is needed to counteract his restless activity; their red color implies the final great carnage (Eze 39:1-29;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And the bay went forth - The Seleucidae, who conquered Syria and the upper provinces, and who wished to extend their conquests, and “sought to go, that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth,” were of unbounded ambition, and sought universal empire; such as Antiochus the Great. “So they walked to and fro,” did extend their conquests; and harassed many countries by their vexatious and almost continual wars. Some think the Romans are meant, who carried their conquests hither and thither, just as the Divine providence permitted them.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָאֲמֻצִּ֣ים | vehaamutzim | and the strong [horses] | H554 → | |
| יָצְא֗וּ | yatzeu | they have gone out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| וַיְבַקְשׁוּ֙ | vayvakshu | and they have sought | H1245 → | 225 times |
| לָלֶ֙כֶת֙ | lalekhet | to go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| לְהִתְהַלֵּ֣ך | lehithalekh | to go about | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| בָּאָ֔רֶץ | baaretz | on the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וַיֹּ֕אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לְכ֖וּ | lekhu | go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| הִתְהַלְּכ֣וּ | hithalekhu | go about | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| בָאָ֑רֶץ | vaaretz | on the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וַתִּתְהַלַּ֖כְנָה | vatithalakhnah | and they went about | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ | baaretz | on the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
וְהָאֲמֻצִּ֣יםand the strong [horses]
vehaamutzimH554 →
יָצְא֗וּthey have gone out
yatzeuH3318 →1067 times
וַיְבַקְשׁוּ֙and they have sought
vayvakshuH1245 →225 times
לָלֶ֙כֶת֙to go
lalekhetH1980 →1546 times
לְהִתְהַלֵּ֣ךto go about
lehithalekhH1980 →1546 times
בָּאָ֔רֶץon the earth
baaretzH776 →2504 times
וַיֹּ֕אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לְכ֖וּgo
lekhuH1980 →1546 times
הִתְהַלְּכ֣וּgo about
hithalekhuH1980 →1546 times
בָאָ֑רֶץon the earth
vaaretzH776 →2504 times
וַתִּתְהַלַּ֖כְנָהand they went about
vatithalakhnahH1980 →1546 times
בָּאָֽרֶץ׃on the earth
baaretzH776 →2504 times
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
2 Chronicles 16:9For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in…
it leads to
- 1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
- Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.
- Jeremiah 16:17
For My eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from My face, and their guilt is not concealed from My eyes.
- Proverbs 5:21
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.
- Psalms 34:15
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.
- 1 Peter 3:12
Through
Daniel 7:24And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings.
it leads to
- Daniel 7:20
I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn whose appearance was more imposing than the others,…
- Daniel 11:36
Then the king will do as he pleases and will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will speak monstrous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the…
- Daniel 7:20
Through
Zechariah 1:10Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the LORD has sent to patrol the earth.”
it leads to
- Zechariah 1:11
And the riders answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is at rest and tranquil.”
- Zechariah 1:11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
About Zechariah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Carl Friedrich Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.