Zechariah 9:4 (WEB)

Passage

Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he will strike her power in the sea; and she will be devoured with fire.

Nearby Context

Zechariah 9:2 and Hamath, also, which borders on it; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.

Zechariah 9:3 Tyre built herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver like the dust, and fine gold like the mire of the streets.

Zechariah 9:4 Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he will strike her power in the sea; and she will be devoured with fire.

Zechariah 9:5 Ashkelon will see it, and fear; Gaza also, and will writhe in agony; as will Ekron, for her expectation will be disappointed; and the king will perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon will not be inhabited.

Zechariah 9:6 Foreigners will dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "lord", "dispossess", "strike", "power", "devoured", and "fire". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Tyre built herself a stronghold and heaped..." into verse 5's "Ashkelon will see it and fear Gaza...", so "behold" and "lord" 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 "behold" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.