The Amazing Fulfillments of Zechariah 9:1-17.

• Zechariah 9:1-8: “An Oracle. The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach and will rest upon Damascus. For to the Lord belongs the capital of Aram, as do all the tribes of Israel; Hamath also, which borders on it, Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise. Tyre has built itself a rampart and heaped up silver like dust and gold like the dirt of the streets. But now, the Lord will strip it of its possessions and hurl its power into the sea, and it shall be devoured by fire. Ashkelon shall see it and be afraid; Gaza, too, and shall writhe in anguish; Ekron also, because its hopes will be withered. The king shall perish from Gaza; Ashkelon shall be uninhabited; a mongrel people shall settle in Ashdod, and I will make an end of the pride of Philistia. I will take away its blood from its mouth and its abominations from between its teeth; it, too, shall be a remnant for our God; it shall be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites. And I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that no one shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again overrun them."

These events precede the Messiah's coming and were fulfilled by Alexander the Great. The prophet predicts divine judgement through a military campaign from Damascus to Sidon, Tyre, and then Gaza. As AI Wolters points out, "this trajectory follows closely the campaign of Alexander the Great" (Zechariah, 256). Moreover, other details vv. 1-8 fit Alexander's military conquests: the land of Hadrach and Damascus being the first target of God's judgement in Zechariah's list (= Damascus was destroyed by Alexander's general Parmenion before Alexander captured Tyre and Sidon); Tyre being struck "into" the sea (= Alexander's men tossing mainland Tyre into the sea to invade Island Tyre), the removal of Gaza's king (= the killing of king Batis by Alexander), the wailing of Ashkelon over Tyre (= Ashkelon was ruled by Phoenicians from Tyre under Persian suzerainty, which Alexander ended), the wailing and fear of Philistine cities (= Philistia's economy depended on Tyre), and Jerusalem's protection (= Alexander didn't destroy Jerusalem, unlike many surrounding cities). 

Tyre is listed before Sidon for idiomatic reasons. The order is "Tyre and Sidon" every other time these two cities are grouped together (Ezra 3:7; Jer. 25:22; 27:23; 47:4; Ezek. 27:8; Joel 4:4). This pattern continued in later Jewish writings and the NT. That Alexander the Great invaded Sidon before Tyre thus is not a weighty counter objection.

Alexander's campaign was vital in preparation for the Hellenization of the ancient world and the spread of the gospel.

• Zechariah 9:8d-10: “Yes, now I see it with my own eyes: "Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion, exult, daughter of Jerusalem. Look, your king is coming to you; righteous and a savior, afflicted, and riding on a donkey, on a purebred male donkey. I will destroy the chariot so that it is eliminated from Ephraim, and the horse so that it is eliminated from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be destroyed. And he will speak peace to the gentiles, and his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth."

This section shifts to the coming of the Messiah, who is presented as the coming of YHWH from Zech. 2:10-11:

- "Sing and rejoice, Daughter Zion! Behold, I will come and live among you" (2:10).

- “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout aloud, Daughter Jerusalem! Behold, your King will come to you” (9:9).

The Messiah is promised to enter a rejoicing Jerusalem on a donkey. This is fulfilled by Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey with cheering crowds (Palm Sunday). What's amazing is that Zech. 9-12 follows the same NT scheme: the King enters Jerusalem (9:9), and then He is pierced there (12:10)! Lastly, the donkey-riding King is "just," "victorious," and "afflicted" (עני). Jesus matches all descriptions.

In Zech. 9:10, the Messiah announces peace to the gentiles as His gospel of peace spreads to the world. God takes away war material from His renewed people, who have peace with Him and turn the other cheek. Moreover, Jesus is the Lord, and so has universal dominion. This promise will be given its fullest expression at the Second Coming and the new heavens and earth. While Zechariah compresses things, other text in the OT suggest that the global expansion of the messianic kingdom will be progressive, rather than coming all at once. 

• Zechaiah. 9:11-12: "Also, for you, because of your covenantal blood, I have released your prisoners from the cistern without water. Return to the fold, you hopeful prisoners!"

The nominative absolute with גם־את ("As for you also"), plus the following content about God freeing the Jews from Babylon (something presented as a completed action - שלחתי), marks a shift in topic to events leading up to the Messiah. In vv. 11-12, God implores those set free (from Babylon) to return to the fold. God promises that He will give double what they lost if they return.

• Zechariah 9:13: "For on this day do I declare to you: I will repay you double. Yes, I will bend Judah as my bow, and load it with Ephraim as my arrow, and I will wield your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and I will make you something like a warrior’s sword."

YHWH furthers His promise to repay double: Jewish victory over the Greeks. This was fulfilled when the Maccabees led a victory over the forces of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 160s BC. This revolt is the only time in ancient history when the Jews fought and defeated the Greeks. Moreover, Zech. 9:13 (especially when read in light of Zech. 9:9 and 9:12) presents the Greeks threatening the city of Jerusalem (also called Zion), which corresponds to the numerous attempts of the Greeks to recapture Jerusalem after the beginning of the revolt. Even further, the name of the leader of the revolt was Judah (Judas is Greek rendering of the Hebrew name Judah)! This tightens Zech. 9:13 to the Maccabean revolt even further.

God loaded Judah with Ephraim by liberating Jews in the north through Judas Maccabee's forces (1 Macc. 5).

• Zechariah 9:14: "And the LORD will manifest himself above them, and his arrow will flash forth like lightning, and the Lord God will blow on the ram's horn, and he will advance on the storms of the south.”

That "YHWH will appear above them" (in Zech 9:14) corresponds to the heavenly army that appeared over Jerusalem during the revolt (2 Macc. 5:1-4; 4 Macc. 4:10). Moreover, that YHWH's "arrow will flash forth like lightning" (9:14) is amazingly fulfilled by Halley's Comet (Wolters, Zechariah, 291-5). It is heavenly as it happens "over" them. Also, see the use of the astronomical term βολίς in LXX Zech 9:14. According to astronomical evidence, Halley's comet, which can resemble an arrow, appeared in the fall of 164 BC, which was at the revolt's peak. Moreover, when Halley's comet comes, it appears for a few weeks before going round the sun, disappears for a few weeks, and then appears again for a few weeks as it moves in the opposite direction. In its first passing in 164 BC, the comet was visible from Sept 24-Nov 10. At the height of the comet's first passing in Oct 164 BC, the Jews won a major battle. Thus, the Lord's arrow indeed flashed forth in battle. Then the comet appeared again for a few weeks starting on Dec 3 164 BC, which was during the celebration following the purification and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. Wow!

Painting of Halley's Comet

For the trumpets, see 1 Macc. 3:54; 4:13, 40; 5:31-33; 6:33; 7:45; 9:12. The Lord advancing on the “storms of the south” may allude to the Maccabean victories over those in Idumea (1 Macc. 5:3, 65).

• Zechariah 9:15-17: "And the LORD of armies will be a shield over them, and they will conquer and subdue the slingers. And they will drink and be boisterous as with wine, and they will be full like the sprinkling basin, like the side corners of the altar. And the LORD their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. Yes, the consecrated stones will be raised up like a banner in his land. How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and wine the young women."

2 Macc. 5:1-4 shows that "YHWH’s Armies will guard them" (Zech. 9:15). In the next clause in Zech 9:15, it says that the Jews will defeat the "slingstones." The Seleucids used slingstones as one of their weapons of choice against the Maccabean force. In vv. 16-17, due to the victory, the Jews will rejoice and celebrate. This corresponds to the celebration in Jerusalem after the Greeks were defeated and when the temple was purified and rededicated. Moreover, v. 16 says that consecrated stones will be raised up like a banner in the land. This corresponds to 1 Macc. 4:42-47, where Judas Maccabee set up a new altar with consecrated stones. "The consecrated stones were raised up into a new altar, an altar which no doubt functioned as a rallying point for the Jews under the Maccabees" (AI Wolters, Zechariah, p. 304).