Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Zechariah 9:2

Doom is certain for Hamath, near Damascus, and for the cities of Tyre and Sidon, though they are so clever.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Tyre;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Zechariah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Phoenicia;   Sidon;   Tyre;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Hamath;   Tyre;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Hadrach, the Land of;   Sidon;   Tyre;   Zechariah, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Alexander the Great;   Zechariah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Apocalyptic Literature;   Ekron;   Micah, Book of;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Hamath, Hemath;   Tyre, Tyrus;   Zidon, Sidon ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Tyre;   Zidon;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ty'rus;   Zi'don,;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Wisdom;   Zechariah, Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and also against Hamath, which borders it,as well as Tyre and Sidon,though they are very shrewd.
Hebrew Names Version
And Hamat, also, which borders on it; Tzor and Tzidon, because they are very wise.
King James Version (1611)
And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus and Zidon, though it be very wise.
King James Version
And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.
English Standard Version
and on Hamath also, which borders on it, Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
New American Standard Bible
And Hamath also, which borders on it; Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
New Century Version
The message is also against the city of Hamath, on the border, and against Tyre and Sidon, with their skill.
Amplified Bible
And Hamath also, which borders on it (Damascus), Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Hamath also shall border thereby: Tyrus also and Zidon, though they be very wise.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And Hamath also, which borders on it; Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
Legacy Standard Bible
And Hamath also, which borders on it;And Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.
Berean Standard Bible
and also upon Hamath, which borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd.
Contemporary English Version
Judgment will also fall on the nearby city of Hamath, as well as on Tyre and Sidon, whose people are clever.
Complete Jewish Bible
also Hamat at its border, Tzor and Tzidon, for she is very wise.
Darby Translation
and also [on] Hamath [which] bordereth thereon; on Tyre and Zidon, though she be very wise.
Easy-to-Read Version
This message is also against the city of Hamath near Damascus. And this message is against Tyre and Sidon, even though those people have been so wise and skillful.
George Lamsa Translation
Against Hamath also which borders Damascus, and Tyre and Sidon, though they have become very wise.
Good News Translation
Hamath, which borders on Hadrach, also belongs to him, and so do the cities of Tyre and Sidon, with all their skill.
Lexham English Bible
and also Hamath, which borders on it; Tyre and Sidon—yes, they are very wise!
Literal Translation
and Hamath also borders on it; Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
American Standard Version
and Hamath, also, which bordereth thereon; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.
Bible in Basic English
As well as Hamath, which is by its limit, and Tyre and Zidon, because they are very wise.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Hamath also shall border thereon; Tyre and Zidon, for she is very wise.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The borders of Hemath shalbe harde therby, Tyrus also and Sidon, for they are very wyse.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And in Emath, even in her coasts, are Tyre and Sidon, because they were very wise.
English Revised Version
and Hamath also which bordereth thereon: Tyre and Zidon, because she is very wise.
World English Bible
And Hamath, also, which borders on it; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Emath in termes therof, and Tirus, and Sidon; for thei token to hem wisdom greetli.
Update Bible Version
and Hamath, also, which borders thereon; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Hamath also shall border by it; Tyre and Zidon, though it be very wise.
New English Translation
as are those of Hamath also, which adjoins Damascus, and Tyre and Sidon, though they consider themselves to be very wise.
New King James Version
Also against Hamath, which borders on it, And against Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
New Life Bible
The Word of the Lord is against Hamath also, which is beside Hadrach, and against Tyre and Sidon, even though they are very wise.
New Revised Standard
Hamath also, which borders on it, Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Moreover also, Hamath, adjoineth thereto, Tyre and Zidon, - because very wise;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Emath also in the borders thereof, and Tyre, and Sidon: for they have taken to themselves to be exceeding wise.
Revised Standard Version
Hamath also, which borders thereon, Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
Young's Literal Translation
And also Hamath doth border thereon, Tyre and Zidon, for -- very wise!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The borders of Hemath shal be harde therby, Tyrus also & Sidon, for they are very wise.

Contextual Overview

1 This is the message from the Lord against the land of Aram and the city of Damascus, for the eyes of humanity, including all the tribes of Israel, are on the Lord . 2 Doom is certain for Hamath, near Damascus, and for the cities of Tyre and Sidon, though they are so clever. 3 Tyre has built a strong fortress and has made silver and gold as plentiful as dust in the streets! 4 But now the Lord will strip away Tyre's possessions and hurl its fortifications into the sea, and it will be burned to the ground. 5 The city of Ashkelon will see Tyre fall and will be filled with fear. Gaza will shake with terror, as will Ekron, for their hopes will be dashed. Gaza's king will be killed, and Ashkelon will be deserted. 6 Foreigners will occupy the city of Ashdod. I will destroy the pride of the Philistines. 7 I will grab the bloody meat from their mouths and snatch the detestable sacrifices from their teeth. Then the surviving Philistines will worship our God and become like a clan in Judah. The Philistines of Ekron will join my people, as the ancient Jebusites once did. 8 I will guard my Temple and protect it from invading armies. I am watching closely to ensure that no more foreign oppressors overrun my people's land.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Hamath: Numbers 13:21, 2 Kings 23:33, 2 Kings 25:21, Jeremiah 49:23, Amos 6:14

Tyrus: Isaiah 23:1-18, Ezekiel 26:1 - Ezekiel 28:26, Joel 3:4-8, Amos 1:9, Amos 1:10

Zidon: 1 Kings 17:9, Ezekiel 28:21-26, Obadiah 1:20

it be: Ezekiel 28:3-5, Ezekiel 28:12

Reciprocal: Genesis 10:18 - Hamathite Joshua 11:8 - great Zidon 2 Kings 19:13 - the king Isaiah 11:11 - Hamath Jeremiah 25:22 - Tyrus Jeremiah 47:4 - Tyrus Ezekiel 26:2 - Tyrus Ezekiel 28:4 - General Ezekiel 47:16 - Hamath Matthew 11:22 - Tyre Acts 27:3 - Sidon

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground."
Genesis 2:19
So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one.
Genesis 9:4
But you must never eat any meat that still has the lifeblood in it.
Genesis 9:8
Then God told Noah and his sons,
Genesis 9:20
After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard.
Genesis 9:22
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers.
Genesis 9:23
Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked.
Genesis 35:5
As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob's family.
Leviticus 26:6
"I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to sleep with no cause for fear. I will rid the land of wild animals and keep your enemies out of your land.
Leviticus 26:22
I will send wild animals that will rob you of your children and destroy your livestock. Your numbers will dwindle, and your roads will be deserted.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Hamath also shall border thereby,.... By the land of Hadrach, or by Damascus; and that it was near Damascus is clear from

Isaiah 10:9 it is called Hamath the great in Amos 6:2 and according to Jerom d, is the same with Antioch, which he says was so called by some; and the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel on Numbers 13:21, renders Hamath by Antioch: and, if so, here was the Lord's rest likewise; here the Gospel was preached, and many converted, and a church, consisting of Jews and Gentiles, was formed; and here the disciples were first called Christians, Acts 11:26.

Tyrus and Zidon; these were famous cities of Phoenicia; upon the borders of these our Lord himself was, Matthew 15:21 of the conversion of the inhabitants of these places the psalmist prophecies,

Psalms 45:12 here likewise the Lord had his resting place; we read of the disciples here, Acts 21:3:

though it be very wise; particularly Tyre, which was famous for wisdom, Ezekiel 28:3 which the Lord confounded by the preaching of the Gospel, and by the foolishness of that saved them that believe. Kimchi refers this to the times of the Messiah; his note is, she shall not trust in her wisdom in the time of the Messiah: so Ben Melech.

d Comment. in Amos, fol. 44. C. & Quaest. Hebr. in Genesim, fol. 67. B. So Cyril. in Amos, p. 312.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And Hamath also shall border thereby - o. Near to it in place and character, it shall share its subdual. After the betrayal of Damascus, Parmenio was set over all Syria. “The Syrians, not as yet tamed by the losses of war, despised the new empire, but, swiftly subdued, they did obediently what they were commanded.”

And Zidon - Zidon, although probably older than Tyre , is here spoken of parenthetically, as subordinate. Perhaps, owing to its situation, it was a wealthy , rather than a strong place. Its name is “Fishing-town;” in Joshua, it is called “the great” Joshua 11:8; Joshua 19:28, perhaps the metropolis; while Tyre is named from its strength Joshua 19:29. It infected Israel with its idolatry Judges 10:6, and is mentioned among the nations who oppressed them and from whom God delivered them on their prayers Judges 10:12, probably under Jabin. In the time of the Judges, it, not Tyre, was looked to for protection Judges 18:7, Judges 18:28. In the times of Ezekiel it had become subordinate, furnishing “rowers” Ezekiel 27:8 to Tyre; but Esarhaddon, about 80 years before, boasts that he had taken it, destroyed its inhabitants, and re-populated it with people from the East, building a new city which he called by his own name . Tyre too had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar . At the restoration from the captivity, Sidon had the first place, Ezra 3:7, which it retained in the time of Xerxes . But Artaxerxes Ochus gained possession of it by treachery, when all Phoenicia revolted from Persia, and, besides those crucified, 40,000 of its inhabitants perished by their own hands , twenty years before the invasion of Alexander, to whom it submitted willingly .

The prophet having named Tyre and Zidon together, yet continues as to Tyre alone, as being alone of account in the days of which he is speaking, those of Alexander.

Although - Rather, “because she is very wise.” Man’s own wisdom is his foolishness and destruction, “as the foolishness of God” is his wisdom and salvation. God “taketh the wise in their own craftiness” Job 5:13. “For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” 1 Corinthians 1:21. Of the Hagarenes it is said, they “seek wisdom upon earth; none of these know the way of wisdom, or remember her paths” (Baruch 3:23). The wisdom of Tyre was the source of her pride, and so of her destruction also. “Because thy 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 hast set thine heart as the heart of God; behold thou art wiser them Daniel, there is no secret that they can hide from thee. Therefore I will bring strangers upon thee - they shall bring thee down to the pit” Ezekiel 28:2, Ezekiel 28:8. So of Edom Obadiah says, “The pride of thy heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock. Shall I not destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?” Obadiah 1:3, Obadiah 1:8.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zechariah 9:2. And Hamath also shall border therebyHamath 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.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile