Zechariah — Chapter 10
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1Ask the LORD for rain in springtime; the LORD makes the storm clouds, and He will give everyone showers of rain and crops in the field.
2For idols speak deceit and diviners see illusions; they tell false dreams and offer empty comfort. Therefore the people wander like sheep, oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
3“My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders. For the LORD of Hosts attends to His flock, the house of Judah; He will make them like His royal steed in battle.
4The cornerstone will come from Judah, the tent peg from him, as well as the battle bow and every ruler together.
5They will be like mighty men in battle, trampling the enemy in the mire of the streets. They will fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put the horsemen to shame.
6I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them, and they will be as though I had not rejected them. For I am the LORD their God, and I will answer them.
7Ephraim will be like a mighty man, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.
8I will whistle for them to gather, for I have redeemed them; and they will be as numerous as they once were.
9Though I sow them among the nations, they will remember Me in distant lands; they and their children will live and return.
10I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon until no more room is found for them.
11They will pass through the sea of distress and strike the waves of the sea; all the depths of the Nile will dry up. The pride of Assyria will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will depart.
12I will strengthen them in the LORD, and in His name they will walk,” declares the LORD.
1Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
2For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.
3Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.
4Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.
5And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.
6And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them.
7And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the LORD.
8I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.
9And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.
10I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.
11And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.
12And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.
1Ask ye of Jehovah rain in the time of the latter rain, [even of] Jehovah that maketh lightnings; and he will give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
2For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and they have told false dreams, they comfort in vain: therefore they go their way like sheep, they are afflicted, because there is no shepherd.
3Mine anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the he-goats; for Jehovah of hosts hath visited his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as his goodly horse in the battle.
4From him shall come forth the corner-stone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together.
5And they shall be as mighty men, treading down [their enemies] in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because Jehovah is with them; and the riders on horses shall be confounded.
6And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back; for I have mercy upon them; and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am Jehovah their God, and I will hear them.
7And [they of] Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine; yea, their children shall see it, and rejoice; their heart shall be glad in Jehovah.
8I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them; and they shall increase as they have increased.
9And I will sow them among the peoples; and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and shall return.
10I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and [place] shall not be found for them.
11And he will pass through the sea of affliction, and will smite the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall dry up; and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart.
12And I will strengthen them in Jehovah; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith Jehovah.
1Ask the Lord for rain in the season of the late spring rains—the Lord who causes thunderstorms—and he will give everyone showers of rain and green growth in the field.
2For the household gods have spoken wickedness, the soothsayers have seen a lie, and the dreamers have disclosed emptiness and give comfort in vain. Therefore the people set out like sheep and become scattered because they have no shepherd.
3“I am enraged at the shepherds and will punish the lead goats.“For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has brought blessing to his flock, the house of Judah, and will transform them into his majestic warhorse.
4From him will come the cornerstone, the wall peg, the battle bow, and every ruler.
5And they will be like warriors trampling the mud of the streets in battle. They will fight, for the Lord will be with them, and will defeat the enemy cavalry.
6“I (says the Lord) will strengthen the kingdom of Judah and deliver the people of Joseph and will bring them back because of my compassion for them. They will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the Lord their God, and therefore I will hear them.
7The Ephraimites will be like warriors and will rejoice as if they had drunk wine. Their children will see it and rejoice; they will celebrate in the things of the Lord.
8I will signal for them and gather them, for I have already redeemed them; then they will become as numerous as they were before.
9Though I scatter them among the nations, they will remember in far-off places—they and their children will survive and return.
10I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to the lands of Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be enough room for them.
11The Lord will cross the sea of storms and will calm its turbulence. The depths of the Nile will dry up, the pride of Assyria will be humbled, and the domination of Egypt will be no more.
12Thus I will strengthen them by my power, and they will walk about in my name,” says the Lord.
1Ask of Yahweh rain in the spring time, Yahweh who makes storm clouds, and he gives rain showers to everyone for the plants in the field.
2For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and they have told false dreams. They comfort in vain. Therefore they go their way like sheep. They are oppressed, because there is no shepherd.
3My anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the male goats; For Yahweh of Armies has visited his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as his majestic horse in the battle.
4From him will come the cornerstone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together.
5They shall be as mighty men, treading down muddy streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because Yahweh is with them; and the riders on horses will be confounded.
6“I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back; for I have mercy on them; and they will be as though I had not cast them off: for I am Yahweh their God, and I will hear them.
7Ephraim will be like a mighty man, and their heart will rejoice as through wine; yes, their children will see it, and rejoice. Their heart will be glad in Yahweh.
8I will signal for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them; and they will increase as they have increased.
9I will sow them among the peoples; and they will remember me in far countries; and they will live with their children, and will return.
10I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and there won’t be room enough for them.
11He will pass through the sea of affliction, and will strike the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the Nile will dry up; and the pride of Assyria will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will depart.
12I will strengthen them in Yahweh; and they will walk up and down in his name,” says Yahweh.
Summary
The people are told to ask the Lord, not idols or false diviners, for rain, since it is God who sends the storms that make the fields grow (vv. 1-2). His anger burns against the false shepherds who led Judah astray, but he will care for his flock personally, making them like a mighty warhorse and the source of every leader and weapon they need (vv. 3-4). Strengthened by God, Judah and Joseph will fight victoriously and rejoice as though never rejected, remembering the Lord even in distant lands and returning to him (vv. 5-9). God will regather his scattered people from Egypt and Assyria into Gilead and Lebanon, drying up the sea before them and humbling their oppressors as he strengthens them to walk in his name (vv. 10-12).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Egypt (v.10, v.11): Land to the southwest; place of Israel's bondage and exodus.
- Assyria (v.10, v.11): Empire to the northeast that conquered the northern kingdom of Israel (722 BC).
- Lebanon (v.10): Region north of Israel known for its cedar forests.
- Gilead (v.10): Mountainous region east of the Jordan River.
Places on this map
- EgyptEgyptA ribbon of irrigated land along the Nile, ending in the Delta where Israel settled in Goshen. Rain-fed Canaan depended on weather; Egypt depended on a river that flooded on schedule, which made it the place everyone went when the harvest failed. Wikipedia
- Assyrianorthern IraqThe upper Tigris heartland around Nineveh, Calah and Asshur. Its armies reached Israel by following the Fertile Crescent north-west and then south down the coast, so the threat always arrived from the north even though Assyria lay to the east. Wikipedia
- LebanonMount Lebanon range, LebanonIn the Bible this is the mountain range, not the modern country: a snow-capped wall rising over 10,000 feet behind the Phoenician coast. Its cedar was the prestige timber of the ancient Near East and both the tabernacle's successors and Solomon's temple were built from it. Wikipedia
- Gileadnorthern JordanThe wooded highlands east of the Jordan between the Yarmuk and the Arnon, good grazing country and a source of the resin traded as balm. Being across the river left its tribes perpetually worried about being written out of Israel. Wikipedia
- Jordan RiverIsrael / Jordan borderRuns about 65 miles as the crow flies from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, dropping from 700 to 1,400 feet below sea level. Narrow enough to wade at most fords, it was still the boundary that divided wilderness from inheritance. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Zechariah -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Asking the Lord First (v.1) — The people are told to ask the Lord for rain rather than turning to other sources. When you're in need, is God your first place to turn, or the last resort after other options run out?
- The Cost of Following False Guidance (v.2) — The people's wandering and affliction are traced back to consulting idols and diviners instead of God. Whose voice or advice are you currently trusting most to guide your decisions?
- Everything Needed Comes From Him (v.4) — God promises that the cornerstone, tent peg, and battle bow — stability, security, and strength — will all come from Judah, ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Are you looking to God as the source of what you actually need, or trying to supply it yourself?
- Restored as If Never Cast Off (v.6) — God promises to strengthen and restore His people so completely that it will be as though He had never rejected them. Is there shame from your past you're still carrying that God has already fully removed?
- A Gentle Call to Come Home (v.8) — God gathers His scattered people by whistling for them, a tender and familiar call rather than a harsh command. Can you recognize God's gentle call to you even in seasons when you've drifted far?