Bible Strands
Zechariah 9:2
and also against Hamath, which borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet announces a divine oracle against specific Levantine cities immediately following a judgment decree against Hadrach and Damascus. The declaration addresses the tribes of Israel, whose eyes are fixed on the LORD.
The words — The phrase חָכְמָה מְאֹד (chokmah me'od) literally translates to "exceedingly wise," directly modifying the description of Tyre and Sidon. The verb תִּגְבֹּל (tigbol) denotes Hamath's geographical border with the preceding land of Hadrach.
The thread — Zechariah 9:2 explicitly names Hamath, Tyre, and Sidon as targets of the oracle, while Jeremiah 49:23 records Hamath's shame and Ezekiel 28:2 and Ezekiel 28:12 detail Tyre's claimed wisdom and pride. These passages trace a consistent prophetic pattern of confronting neighboring powers for their self-reliance.
Why it lands — The text states that human shrewdness and fortified wealth do not exempt cities from the LORD's declared burden. Readers must acknowledge that geopolitical positioning and accumulated resources cannot override divine judgment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 49:23 Concerning Damascus: “Hamath and Arpad are put to shame, for they have heard a bad report; they are agitated like the sea; their anxiety cannot be calmed.
- Ezekiel 28:12 “Son of man, take up a lament for the king of Tyre and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
- Ezekiel 28:2 “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.
- Numbers 13:21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo-hamath.
- 1 Kings 17:9 “Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
- 2 Kings 23:33 And Pharaoh Neco imprisoned Jehoahaz at Riblah in the land of Hamath so that he could not reign in Jerusalem, and he imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
- 2 Kings 25:21 There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
- Isaiah 23:1 This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.
- Ezekiel 26:1 In the eleventh month of the twelfth year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
- Ezekiel 28:21 “Son of man, set your face against Sidon and prophesy against her.