Zechariah 9:13 (KJV)

Passage

When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.

Nearby Context

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

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

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

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

Zechariah 9:15 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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bent", "judah", "filled", "ephraim", "raised", "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 strong hold ye..." into verse 14's "And the LORD shall be seen over...", 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.