Zechariah 9:13 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Zechariah 9:11 As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant, I will send forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.

Zechariah 9:12 Turn again to the stronghold, prisoners of hope! even to-day do I declare 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 raise up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and make thee like 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 march 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 from wine; and they shall be filled like a bowl, like the corners of the altar.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bent", "judah", "filled", "ephraim", "raise", "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 again to the stronghold prisoners of..." 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.