The Meaning of Zechariah 9:15 Explained

Zechariah 9:15

KJV: The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.

YLT: Jehovah of Hosts doth cover them over, And they consumed, and subdued sling-stones, Yea, they have drunk, They have made a noise as wine, And they have been full as a bowl, As corners of an altar.

Darby: Jehovah of hosts will defend them; and they shall devour, and shall tread down the sling-stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as from wine; and they shall be filled like a bowl, like the corners of the altar.

ASV: Jehovah of hosts will defend them; and they shall devour, and shall tread down the sling-stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, like the corners of the altar.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The LORD  of hosts  shall defend  them; and they shall devour,  and subdue  with sling  stones;  and they shall drink,  [and] make a noise  as through wine;  and they shall be filled  like bowls,  [and] as the corners  of the altar. 

What does Zechariah 9:15 Mean?

Context Summary

Zechariah 9:9-17 - A Lowly Deliverer Brings Peace
Jesus must be King first, then Savior. He is lowly; His steed is not the richly caparisoned warhorse, but the humble ass; He needs no weapon to overthrow His foes, because as Priest He speaks peace. The peasantry had taken shelter in the rock hewn mountain cisterns; but they might cherish hope, because they had been redeemed by the blood of the covenant, and God would see to it that that redemption was made effective. Before the advent of the King, the prison-doors would open, and at His word the imprisoned should go forth. How great are His goodness and beauty!
In Zechariah 10:1-12 we have a reference to the successful stand made by Judas Maccabaeus and his brethren against Antiochus. They were to tread them down as the mire of the streets; Joseph and Judah would be reunited and after their far-spread sowing over the world, the scattered tribes would ultimately return as bees to the call of the bee-farmer. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 9

1  God defends his church
9  Zion is exhorted to rejoice for the coming of Christ, and his peaceable kingdom
12  God's promises of victory and defense

What do the individual words in Zechariah 9:15 mean?

Yahweh of hosts will defend them and they shall devour and subdue stones with slingstones and they shall drink [and] roar as if with wine and they shall be filled [with blood] like basins Like the corners of the altar
יְהוָ֣ה צְבָאוֹת֮ יָגֵ֣ן עֲלֵיהֶם֒ וְאָכְל֗וּ וְכָֽבְשׁוּ֙ אַבְנֵי־ קֶ֔לַע וְשָׁת֥וּ הָמ֖וּ כְּמוֹ־ יָ֑יִן וּמָֽלְאוּ֙ כַּמִּזְרָ֔ק כְּזָוִיּ֖וֹת מִזְבֵּֽחַ

יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָאוֹת֮  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
יָגֵ֣ן  will  defend 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּנַן  
Sense: to defend, cover, surround.
וְאָכְל֗וּ  and  they  shall  devour 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וְכָֽבְשׁוּ֙  and  subdue 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: כָּבַשׁ  
Sense: to subject, subdue, force, keep under, bring into bondage.
אַבְנֵי־  stones 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone (large or small).
קֶ֔לַע  with  slingstones 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֶלַע 
Sense: sling, slingstones.
וְשָׁת֥וּ  and  they  shall  drink 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.
הָמ֖וּ  [and]  roar 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָמָה  
Sense: to murmur, growl, roar, cry aloud, mourn, rage, sound, make noise, tumult, be clamorous, be disquieted, be loud, be moved, be troubled, be in an uproar.
כְּמוֹ־  as  if  with 
Parse: Preposition
Root: כְּמֹו  
Sense: like, as, the like of which conj.
יָ֑יִן  wine 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַיִן  
Sense: wine.
וּמָֽלְאוּ֙  and  they  shall  be  filled  [with  blood] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: מָלֵא 
Sense: to fill, be full.
כַּמִּזְרָ֔ק  like  basins 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְרָק  
Sense: bowl, basin.
כְּזָוִיּ֖וֹת  Like  the  corners 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, feminine plural
Root: זָוִית  
Sense: corner.
מִזְבֵּֽחַ  of  the  altar 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.