Zechariah 9 · Verse 2

Zechariah 9:2

And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.
Zechariah 9:2, King James Version

Zechariah 9:2 in other translations

BSBand also against Hamath, which borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd.
WEBand Hamath, also, which borders on it, Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.
ASVand Hamath, also, which bordereth thereon; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.
YLTAnd also Hamath doth border thereon, Tyre and Zidon, for--very wise!
DARBYand also on Hamath which bordereth thereon; on Tyre and Zidon, though she be very wise.
BBEAs well as Hamath, which is by its limit, and Tyre and Zidon, because they are very wise.
WebsterAnd Hamath also shall border by it; Tyre and Zidon, though it be very wise.

What does Zechariah 9:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. Hamath--a Syrian kingdom with a capital of the same name, north of Damascus. shall border thereby--shall be joined to Damascus in treatment, as it is in position; shall share in the burden of wrath of which Damascus is the resting-place. Maurer understands "which"; "Hamath, which borders on Damascus, also shall be the resting-place of Jehovah's wrath" (the latter words being supplied from Zec 9:1). Riblah, the scene of the Jews' sufferings from their foe, was there: it therefore shall suffer (2Ki 23:33; 25:6, 7, 20, 21). Tyrus ... Zidon--lying in the conqueror's way on his march along the Mediterranean to Egypt (compare Is 23:1-18). Zidon, the older city, surrendered, and Abdolonymus was made its viceroy. very wise--in her own eyes. Referring to Tyre: Zec 9:3 shows wherein her wisdom consisted, namely, in building a stronghold, and heaping up gold and silver (Eze 38:3, 5, 12, 17). On Alexander's expressing his wish to sacrifice in Hercules' temple in New Tyre on the island, she showed her wisdom in sending a golden crown, and replying that the true and ancient temple of Hercules was at Old Tyre on the mainland. With all her wisdom she cannot avert her doom.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 And Hamath also shall border thereby - Hamath on the river Orontes; and Tyre and Sidon, notwithstanding their political wisdom, address, and cunning, shall have a part in the punishment. These prophecies are more suitable to the days of Jeremiah than to those of Zechariah; for there is no evidence - although Alexander did take Damascus, but without bloodshed - that it was destroyed from the times of Zechariah to the advent of our Lord. And as Tyre and Sidon were lately destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, it is not likely that they could soon undergo another devastation.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Zechariah 9:1-8

Here are judgements foretold on several nations. While the Macedonians and Alexander's successors were in warfare in these countries, the Lord promised to protect his people. God's house lies in the midst of an enemy's country; his church is as a lily among thorns. God's power and goodness are seen in her special preservation. The Lord encamps about his church, and while armies of proud opposers shall pass by and…

Read the full comment on Zechariah 9:1-8 →

Zechariah 9:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְגַם\־ve.gam-and alsoH1571
חֲמָ֖תcha.MatHamathH2574
תִּגְבָּל\־tig.bol-[which] it bordersH1379
בָּ֑הּBah<in> it
צֹ֣רtzorTyreH6865
וְצִיד֔וֹןve.tzi.Donand SidonH6721
כִּ֥יkiforH3588
חָֽכְמָ֖הchokh.mahit is wiseH2449
מְאֹֽד\׃me.'OdexceedinglyH3966

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Zechariah 9:2

  • Ezekiel 28:12

    Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

  • Jeremiah 49:23

    Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.

  • Ezekiel 28:2-5

    Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:

  • Numbers 13:21

    So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.

  • Isaiah 23:1-18

    The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them. Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished. And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations. Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins. …

  • Obadiah 1:20

    And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.

  • Amos 1:9-10

    Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant: But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof.

  • 2 Kings 25:21

    And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.

  • Ezekiel 28:21-26

    Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her. For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the Lord. And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord God. …

  • 1 Kings 17:9

    Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

  • Joel 3:4-8

    Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things: The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border. Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head: …

  • Ezekiel 26:1-21

    And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste: Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Hamath.
Nu 13:21; 2Ki 23:33; 25:21; Jer 49:23; Am 6:14
Tyrus.
Isa 23:1-18; Eze 26:1-28:26; Joe 3:4-8; Am 1:9,10
Zidon.
1Ki 17:9; Eze 28:21-26; Ob 1:20
it be.
Eze 28:3-5,12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Zechariah 9:1

    The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the Lord.

  • Zechariah 9:2

    And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.

  • Zechariah 9:3

    And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.

Read all of Zechariah 9

Zechariah 9:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y también Hamath tendrá término en ella; Tiro y Sidón, aunque muy sabia sea.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
et Hamath aussi, qui est sur sa frontière, Tyr, et Sidon, bien qu’elle soit très sage.
German
Elberfelder 1871
und auch auf Hamath, welches daran grenzt, auf Tyrus und Zidon, weil es sehr weise ist. -
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Emath quoque in terminis ejus, et Tyrus, et Sidon: assumpserunt quippe sibi sapientiam valde.