Zechariah 9:13 (ASV)

Passage

For I have bent Judah for me, I have filled the bow with Ephraim; and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and will make thee as the sword of a mighty man.

Nearby Context

Zechariah 9:11 As for thee also, because of the blood of thy covenant I have set free thy prisoners from the pit wherein is no water.

Zechariah 9:12 Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even to-day do I declare that I will render double unto thee.

Zechariah 9:13 For I have bent Judah for me, I have filled the bow with Ephraim; and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and will make thee as the sword of a mighty man.

Zechariah 9:14 And Jehovah shall be seen over them; and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord Jehovah will blow the trumpet, and will go with whirlwinds of the south.

Zechariah 9:15 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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bent", "judah", "filled", "ephraim", "stir", "sons", "zion", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bent" and "judah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Turn you to the stronghold ye prisoners..." into verse 14's "And Jehovah shall be seen over them...", so "bent" and "judah" belong inside that flow. In Zechariah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "bent" and "judah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.