Zechariah 9:16
in Zechariah 9On that day the LORD their God will save them as the flock of His people; for like jewels in a crown they will sparkle over His land.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jehovah their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people; for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted on high over his land.
KJV
And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.
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This verse in Zechariah 9
Commentary
7 notes on this verseShall save them in that day - They are his flock, and he is their Shepherd; and, as his own, he shall save and defend them. As the stones of a crown - אבני נזר מתנוססות abney nezer mithnosesoth, “crowned stones erecting themselves;” i.e., being set up by themselves, as monuments of some deliverance, they seem to be lifting themselves up; offering themselves to the attention of every passenger. It may however refer to stones anointed with oil; a sort of temporary altars set up to the Lord for a victory gained.
This site's exposition
raised up thy sons, O Zion
on Zechariah 9:13-17
Judah bent as the bow and Ephraim as its arrow, and thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece: the readings are named, the Maccabean victories over the Seleucid Greeks as the near horizon most of the bench gives, and the wider day-of-the-Lord horizon others hear, positions with holders and no verdict. The Lord seen over them, the arrow as lightning, the trumpet blown: the theophany fights for the sons it armed. The close turns from war to harvest, the flock saved in that day as the stones of a crown lifted as an ensign, and the last line is pure delight, for how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty, corn and new wine cheering the young, the oracle ending at a table rather than a battlefield.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 15, 16.) And they shall devour and subject to stones of slings: and drinking, they shall be intoxicated as with wine (Vulgate: with wine), and shall be filled like bowls and like the horns of the altar, and the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people, because holy stones shall be lifted up upon his land.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And the Lord their God shall save them in that day,....
The word of the Lord shall be a burden in the land of Hadrach, that is, of Syria, but it does not appear why it was so called. That that kingdom is meant is plain, because Damascus, the metropolis of that kingdom, is said to be the rest of this burden; that is, the judgments here threatened shall light and lie upon that city.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
save them . . . as the flock of his people--as the flock of His people ought to be saved (Ps 77:20). Here the image of war and bloodshed (Zec 9:15) is exchanged for the shepherd and flock, as God will give not only victory, but afterwards safe and lasting peace. In contrast to the worthless sling-stones trodden under foot stand the (gems) "stones of the crown (Isa 62:3;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And the Lord their God shall save them in that day - Still all should be God’s doing; they themselves were but as a flock, as sheep among wolves, ready for the slaughter; but they were “the flock, His people,” as He says, “I will increase them like the flock, men, as the flock of holy things, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks, men” Eze 36:37-38. “As a man saves his flock with all his strength, so He will save His people; for they are His flock.” As in, “Thou leddest Thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron” Psa 77:20. They shall be as the stones of a crown - While God’s enemies shall be trampled under foot, as a common thing which has failed its end, these shall be precious stones; a consecrated diadem of king or priest, “raised aloft,” so that all can see. “On His land.” It was laid down, as the title-deed to its whole tenure, “the land is Mine” Lev 25:23, and much more our Christian land, bought and purified by the blood of Christ.
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְֽהוֹשִׁיעָ֞ם | vehoshiam | and he will deliver them | H3467 → | 206 times |
| יְהוָ֧ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֛ם | ʾeloheihem | God their | H430 → | 2601 times |
| בַּיּ֥וֹם | baiyom | on the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַה֖וּא | hahu' | <the> that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| כְּצֹ֣אן | ketzon | like [the] flock of | H6629 → | 274 times |
| עַמּ֑וֹ | amo | people his | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| כִּ֚י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אַבְנֵי־ | ʾavnei- | stones of | H68 → | 273 times |
| נֵ֔זֶר | nezer | a crown | H5145 → | |
| מִֽתְנוֹסְס֖וֹת | mitnosot | [will] display themselves | H5264 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אַדְמָתֽוֹ׃ | ʾadmato | land his | H127 → | 225 times |
וְֽהוֹשִׁיעָ֞םand he will deliver them
vehoshiamH3467 →206 times
יְהוָ֧הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֛םGod their
ʾeloheihemH430 →2601 times
בַּיּ֥וֹםon the day
baiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַה֖וּא<the> that
hahu'H1931 →1879 times
כְּצֹ֣אןlike [the] flock of
ketzonH6629 →274 times
עַמּ֑וֹpeople his
amoH5971 →1873 times
כִּ֚יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
אַבְנֵי־stones of
ʾavnei-H68 →273 times
נֵ֔זֶרa crown
nezerH5145 →
מִֽתְנוֹסְס֖וֹת[will] display themselves
mitnosotH5264 →
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
אַדְמָתֽוֹ׃land his
ʾadmatoH127 →225 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
John 10:27My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
it leads to
- John 10:16
I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 10:14
I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me,
- 1 Corinthians 8:3
But the one who loves God is known by God.
- Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.
- John 10:3–4
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
- John 10:16
Through
Luke 12:32Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
it leads to
- Hebrews 12:28
Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.
- 1 Peter 1:3–5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- Revelation 1:6
who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
- Hebrews 12:28
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Zechariah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.