Zechariah 9:5 (WEB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Zechariah 9:7 I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; and he also will be a remnant for our God; and he will be as a chieftain in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ashkelon", "fear", "gaza", "writhe", "agony", "ekron", "expectation", and "disappointed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ashkelon" and "fear", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Behold the Lord will dispossess her and..." into verse 6's "Foreigners will dwell in Ashdod and I...", so "ashkelon" and "fear" 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 "ashkelon" and "fear" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.