Bible Verses

Zechariah · Chapter 9

Zechariah 9:9 — Bible Verse Meaning & Context

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Read in chapter context · Zechariah 9

Both translations, side by side

WEB · World English Bible

"Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

KJV · King James Version

"Rejoice1523 greatly3966, O daughter1323 of Zion6726; shout7321, O daughter1323 of Jerusalem3389: behold, thy King4428 cometh935 unto thee: he is just6662, and having salvation3467; lowly6041, and riding7392 upon an ass2543, and upon a colt5895 the foal1121 of an ass860. having: or, saving himself"

How the translations differ: The WEB is a modern public-domain revision of the 1901 ASV; the KJV dates to 1611. The KJV uses thy, cometh, unto, thee, while the WEB renders these as your, comes, you, righteous. Both translate the same underlying Greek or Hebrew text — the differences are stylistic, not theological.

In context

Zechariah 9:9 in Zechariah 9

A Bible verse rarely stands alone. Here is Zechariah 9:9 read with the verses immediately before and after — the surrounding flow of Zechariah 9. Read the full chapter →

  1. v.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.
  2. v.8 I will encamp around my house against the army, that no one pass through or return; and no oppressor will pass through them any more: for now I have seen with my eyes.
  3. v.9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
  4. v.10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow will be cut off; and he will speak peace to the nations: and his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
  5. v.11 As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I have set free your prisoners from the pit in which is no water.

Book background

About the Book of Zechariah

Testament
Old Testament
Genre
Minor prophet
Author
Zechariah
Date written
c. 520–480 BC
Audience
Post-exile Jews in Jerusalem
Chapters
14

Zechariah uses eight night-visions and later oracles to encourage the rebuilders. His book contains striking Messianic prophecies: the king coming on a donkey (9:9, fulfilled on Palm Sunday), the pierced one (12:10), the shepherd struck down (13:7), and the silver pieces (11:12-13). "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit" (4:6) is its theological pulse.

Setting: Contemporary of Haggai during temple reconstruction.

Key themes: restoration · Messiah · cleansing · kingship · spirit

Read Zechariah from the beginning →

Memorisation aid

How to memorise Zechariah 9:9

Zechariah 9:9 contains 36 words in 9 clauses. Learn one clause at a time, then chain them. The first-letter mnemonic (FLM) under each clause is a memory hook — once you can speak the FLM from memory, the full clause follows.

  1. 1

    Rejoice greatly

    RG

  2. 2

    daughter of Zion! Shout

    DOZS

  3. 3

    daughter of Jerusalem! Behold

    DOJB

  4. 4

    your King comes to you! He is righteous

    YKCTYH

  5. 5

    and having salvation

    AHS

  6. 6

    lowly

    L

  7. 7

    and riding on a donkey

    AROAD

  8. 8

    even on a colt

    EOAC

  9. 9

    the foal of a donkey.

    TFOAD

Frequently asked

FAQ about Zechariah 9:9

What does Zechariah 9:9 say?

Zechariah 9:9 reads: "Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey." — from the Old Testament, Zechariah (Minor prophet). The full verse is shown above with both the World English Bible (WEB) and King James Version (KJV) translations side by side.

What book of the Bible is Zechariah 9:9 in?

Zechariah 9:9 is in the book of Zechariah, traditionally attributed to Zechariah and written around c. 520–480 BC. Zechariah is minor prophet in the Old Testament, originally addressed to Post-exile Jews in Jerusalem. Best known for "not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit".

What is the difference between Zechariah 9:9 in WEB and KJV?

Zechariah 9:9 in the World English Bible (WEB) reads: "Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.". The King James Version (KJV) reads: "Rejoice1523 greatly3966, O daughter1323 of Zion6726; shout7321, O daughter1323 of Jerusalem3389: behold, thy King4428 cometh935 unto thee: he is just6662, and having salvation3467; lowly6041, and riding7392 upon an ass2543, and upon a colt5895 the foal1121 of an ass860. having: or, saving himself". The WEB is a modern public-domain translation that updates the KJV's 1611 English while keeping a similar formal-equivalence style. Both render the same underlying Greek or Hebrew text.

How long is Zechariah 9:9?

Zechariah 9:9 is 36 words in the WEB translation (204 characters), broken into 9 clauses. It is a longer verse, often broken into smaller phrases for memorisation. Estimated reading time is about 11 seconds.

How can I memorise Zechariah 9:9?

To memorise Zechariah 9:9, split it into its 9 natural clauses and learn one at a time. Repeat the full verse out loud five times, then write it from memory. Saving the verse as a photo wallpaper using our verse image studio helps daily review — the visual association with a memorable background dramatically improves recall.

Why does Zechariah 9:9 matter in Zechariah?

Zechariah uses eight night-visions and later oracles to encourage the rebuilders. His book contains striking Messianic prophecies: the king coming on a donkey (9:9, fulfilled on Palm Sunday), the pierced one (12:10), the shepherd struck down (13:7), and the silver pieces (11:12-13). "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit" (4:6) is its theological pulse. Zechariah 9:9 sits within this larger story — Zechariah as a whole emphasises restoration, Messiah, cleansing.

How can I apply Zechariah 9:9 today?

Many readers use Zechariah 9:9 as a daily reminder verse — saving it as a phone wallpaper, sharing it on Pinterest, or memorising it for prayer. The verse studio on this page lets you download Zechariah 9:9 on 52 different backgrounds for free. Pair the verse with the surrounding chapter context shown above to understand its full meaning before applying it.

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Zechariah 4:6

“Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, “This is Yahweh’s word to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says Yahweh of Armies.”

Read context →