Zechariah 9:5
in Zechariah 9Ashkelon will see and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, as will Ekron, for her hope will wither. There will cease to be a king in Gaza, and Ashkelon will be uninhabited.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also, and shall be sore pained; and Ekron, for her expectation shall be put to shame; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
KJV
Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
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This verse in Zechariah 9
Commentary
7 notes on this verse(Verse 5 onwards) Ascalon will see it and be afraid; Gaza will writhe in agony, and Ekron too, for her hope will wither. Gaza will lose her king and Ashkelon will be deserted. Foreigners will occupy Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. I will take the blood from their mouths, the forbidden food from between their teeth. Those who are left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.
This site's exposition
Ashkelon shall see it
on Zechariah 9:5-8
Philistia watches Tyre fall and fears in order, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, Ashdod, the old four cities with their pride cut off. Then the oracle does what the conquest chapters never did: the blood taken out of the Philistine's mouth, his abominations from between his teeth, and he that remaineth shall be for our God, as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite, the ancient enemy cleansed and absorbed the way Jebusite Jerusalem once was, which the bench reads as grace written into a judgment oracle. I will encamp about mine house closes the sweep: the armies pass and repass, and no oppressor passes through, for now have I seen with mine eyes.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron, concluding that their own turns come next, now that the cup of trembling goes round. What will become of their house when their neighbour's is on fire?
Ashkelon shall see it, and fear,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Ashkelon shall see and fear - The words express that to see and fear shall be as one. The mightiest and wealthiest, Tyre, having fallen, the neighbor cities of Philistia who had hoped that her might should be their stay, shall stand in fear and shame. Tyre, being a merchant-city, the mother-city of the cities of the African coast and in Spain, its desolation caused the more terror Isa 23:5-11. And the - (a) king shall perish from Gaza - that is it shall have no more kings.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
In literal fulfilment of this prophecy, after a two month's siege, Gaza was taken by Alexander, ten thousand of its inhabitants slain, and the rest sold as slaves. Betis the satrap, or petty "king," was bound to a chariot by thongs thrust through the soles of his feet, and dragged round the city.
Ashkelon shall see it, and fear - All these prophecies seem to have been fulfilled before the days of Zechariah; another evidence that these last chapters were not written by him. Her expectation shalt be ashamed - The expectation of being succoured by Tyre.
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| תֵּרֶ֨א | tere' | it will see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| אַשְׁקְל֜וֹן | ʾashkelon | Ashkelon | H831 → | |
| וְתִירָ֗א | vetira' | so it may be afraid | H3372 → | 315 times |
| וְעַזָּה֙ | veazah | and Gaza | H5804 → | |
| וְתָחִ֣יל | vetachil | so it may be in anguish | H2342 → | |
| מְאֹ֔ד | meod | exceedingly | H3966 → | 300 times |
| וְעֶקְר֖וֹן | veekron | and Ekron | H6138 → | |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| הֹבִ֣ישׁ | hovish | it will be ashamed | H954 → | 127 times |
| מֶבָּטָ֑הּ | mebatah | object of confidence its | H4007 → | |
| וְאָ֤בַד | veavad | and he will perish | H6 → | |
| מֶ֙לֶךְ֙ | melekh | a king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| מֵֽעַזָּ֔ה | meazah | from Gaza | H5804 → | |
| וְאַשְׁקְל֖וֹן | veashkelon | and Ashkelon | H831 → | |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תֵשֵֽׁב׃ | teshev | it will remain | H3427 → | 1079 times |
תֵּרֶ֨אit will see
tere'H7200 →1300 times
אַשְׁקְל֜וֹןAshkelon
ʾashkelonH831 →
וְתִירָ֗אso it may be afraid
vetira'H3372 →315 times
וְעַזָּה֙and Gaza
veazahH5804 →
וְתָחִ֣ילso it may be in anguish
vetachilH2342 →
מְאֹ֔דexceedingly
meodH3966 →300 times
וְעֶקְר֖וֹןand Ekron
veekronH6138 →
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
הֹבִ֣ישׁit will be ashamed
hovishH954 →127 times
מֶבָּטָ֑הּobject of confidence its
mebatahH4007 →
וְאָ֤בַדand he will perish
veavadH6 →
מֶ֙לֶךְ֙a king
melekhH4428 →2525 times
מֵֽעַזָּ֔הfrom Gaza
meazahH5804 →
וְאַשְׁקְל֖וֹןand Ashkelon
veashkelonH831 →
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תֵשֵֽׁב׃it will remain
teshevH3427 →1079 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
Acts 8:26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
it leads to
- Acts 5:19
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, saying,
- 2 Kings 1:3
But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel…
- Hebrews 1:14
Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
- Acts 27:23
For just last night an angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood beside me
- Acts 12:23
Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
- Acts 5:19
Through
Jeremiah 47:1This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet about the Philistines before Pharaoh struck down Gaza.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 25:20
all the mixed tribes; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;
- Genesis 10:19
and the borders of Canaan extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
- 1 Kings 4:24
For Solomon had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates—over all the kingdoms from Tiphsah to Gaza—and he had peace on all sides.
- Jeremiah 25:20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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); 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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.