Zechariah 9:10
in Zechariah 9And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be broken. Then He will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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 nations: and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Zechariah 9
Commentary
10 notes on this verseAnd I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim,.... That is, the military one; signifying that wars shall cease, Psa 46:9, and the horse from Jerusalem; the warlike one; see Mic 5:
This site's exposition
I will cut off the chariot
on Zechariah 9:10-12
The King's program: chariot cut off from Ephraim, horse from Jerusalem, the battle bow broken, and he shall speak peace unto the heathen, with dominion from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth, Psalm 72's measure quoted almost word for word, which the bench names. By the blood of thy covenant the prisoners are sent out of the waterless pit, the phrase the Lord's own cup-words stand near (this is my blood of the new testament), a nearness the older writers preach and the note assigns to them by name. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope is the oracle's coined title for the exiles, hope itself their chain and their fortress, and double rendered for all the trouble.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
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.
For peace and tranquillity of the soul is above all glory of any house; for peace passeth all understanding. This is that peace above all peace which shall be granted after the third shaking of the heaven, the sea, the earth and the dry land, when He shall destroy all Principalities and Powers. For heaven and earth shall pass away, and all the fashion of this world; and every man shall rise up against his brother with the sword, that is, with the word piercing the marrow of the soul, that whatever opposes itself, the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem may be cut off, as Zechariah says. And thus there will be peace over all, the passions of the body offering no resistance, and the unbelieving mind no obstacle, that Christ may be all in all, offering in subjection to the Father the hearts of all men.
Be glad, therefore, O Jerusalem, since of such a kind is a king appointed for you by God, and he has come to you, capable of saving his own on account of the divine influence accruing to him and justly inflicting total punishment on the …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
I will cut off - When the Messiah comes and sets up his kingdom, he will need no external force. Neither chariot, bow nor sword, brought salvation to him, neither shall they be mentioned in the day of his conquest.
The preachers of the gospel shall carry it from one country, one island, to another, till some of the remotest corners of the world are enlightened and reduced by it. Here is an account of the great benefit procured for mankind by the Messiah, which is redemption from extreme misery, typified by the deliverance of the Jews out of their captivity in Babylon (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem - No wars shall be employed to spread the kingdom of the Messiah; for it shall be founded and established, “not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts,” Zec 4:6.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
"Sea . . . sea," are the Red Sea and Mediterranean. The "river" is the Euphrates. Jerusalem and the Holy Land, extended to the limits promised to Abraham, are to be the center of His future dominion; whence it will extend to the remotest parts of the earth.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And I will cut off the chariot - The horse is the symbol of worldly power, as the ass is of meekness. “Some,” says the Psalmist, “put their trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” Psa 20:7. “A horse is but a vain thing to save a man” Psa 33:17. “He delighteth not in the strength of a horse” Psa 147:10). In scarcely any place in Holy Scripture is the horse spoken of in relation to man, except as the instrument of war. It represents human might, which is either to be consecrated to the Lord, or destroyed by Him (see Mic 5:10). As the “stone, cut out without hands” Dan 2:34, broke in pieces and absorbed into itself all the kingdoms of the world, so here He, whose Kingdom should not be of this world, should supersede human might. His kingdom was to begin by doing away, among His followers, all, whereby human kingdoms are established. He first cuts off the chariot and the horse, not from His enemies, but from His own people; His people, not as a civil polity, but as the people of God. For the prophet speaks of them as Ephraim and Judah, but Ephraim had no longer a distinct existence. And He shall speak peace unto the pagan - As the Apostle says, “He came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh” Eph 2:17. He shall speak it to them, as He who hath power to give it to them, peace with God, peace in themselves, the reconciliation of God and man, and the remission of their sins. Osorius: “At His birth the heavenly host announced peace to men; all His doctrine has peace for its end; when His death was at hand, He especially commended peace to His disciples, that peace which the world knoweth not, which is contained in tranquility of mind, burning zeal for charity. Divine grace. […]
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
And I will cut off the chariots for they will not need them.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
You, too shall be saved with him, as he is just and victorious. For with the blood of your covenant, I prophesied for you for the future; and for now, too, from the Babylonian exile in which you are now found.
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. 2 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
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהִכְרַתִּי־ | vehikhrati- | and I will cut off | H3772 → | 288 times |
| רֶ֣כֶב | rekhev | chariotry | H7393 → | |
| מֵאֶפְרַ֗יִם | meefrayim | from Ephraim | H669 → | 180 times |
| וְסוּס֙ | vesus | and horse[s] | H5483 → | 140 times |
| מִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם | mirushalim | from Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| וְנִכְרְתָה֙ | venikhretah | and it will be cut off | H3772 → | 288 times |
| קֶ֣שֶׁת | keshet | bow of | H7198 → | 76 times |
| מִלְחָמָ֔ה | milchamah | war | H4421 → | 320 times |
| וְדִבֶּ֥ר | vediber | and he will speak | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| שָׁל֖וֹם | shalom | peace | H7965 → | 236 times |
| לַגּוֹיִ֑ם | lagoyim | to the nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| וּמָשְׁלוֹ֙ | umashelo | and dominion his | H4915 → | |
| מִיָּ֣ם | miyam | [will be] from sea | H3220 → | 396 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| יָ֔ם | yam | sea | H3220 → | 396 times |
| וּמִנָּהָ֖ר | uminahar | and from [the] river | H5104 → | |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| אַפְסֵי־ | ʾafsei- | [the] ends of | H657 → | |
| אָֽרֶץ׃ | ʾaretz | [the] earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
וְהִכְרַתִּי־and I will cut off
vehikhrati-H3772 →288 times
רֶ֣כֶבchariotry
rekhevH7393 →
מֵאֶפְרַ֗יִםfrom Ephraim
meefrayimH669 →180 times
וְסוּס֙and horse[s]
vesusH5483 →140 times
מִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔םfrom Jerusalem
mirushalimH3389 →643 times
וְנִכְרְתָה֙and it will be cut off
venikhretahH3772 →288 times
קֶ֣שֶׁתbow of
keshetH7198 →76 times
מִלְחָמָ֔הwar
milchamahH4421 →320 times
וְדִבֶּ֥רand he will speak
vediberH1696 →1141 times
שָׁל֖וֹםpeace
shalomH7965 →236 times
לַגּוֹיִ֑םto the nations
lagoyimH1471 →561 times
וּמָשְׁלוֹ֙and dominion his
umasheloH4915 →
מִיָּ֣ם[will be] from sea
miyamH3220 →396 times
עַד־to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
יָ֔םsea
yamH3220 →396 times
וּמִנָּהָ֖רand from [the] river
uminaharH5104 →
עַד־to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
אַפְסֵי־[the] ends of
ʾafsei-H657 →
אָֽרֶץ׃[the] earth
ʾaretzH776 →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
Revelation 11:15Then 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…
it leads to
- Daniel 7:14
And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is…
- Revelation 12:10
And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our…
- Daniel 7:27
Then the sovereignty, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all…
- Revelation 10:7
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the…
- Zechariah 14:9
On that day the LORD will become King over all the earth—the LORD alone, and His name alone.
- Daniel 7:14
Through
Hosea 1:7Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.”
it leads to
- Zechariah 4:6
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.
- Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.”
- Zechariah 4:6
Through
Hosea 2:18On that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that crawl on the ground. And I will abolish…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 34:25
I will make with them a covenant of peace and rid the land of wild animals, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.
- Ezekiel 34:25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Zechariah
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Letter 30; Edward Bouverie Pusey, The Minor Prophets: A Commentary; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Zechariah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodore of Mopsuestia, COMMENTARY ON ZECHARIAH 9:8-10.