Zechariah 10:5

THE MESSAGE

God's Work of Rebuilding Pray to God for rain—it's time for the spring rain— to God , the rainmaker, Spring thunderstorm maker, maker of grain and barley. "Store-bought gods babble gibberish. Religious experts spout rubbish. They pontificate hot air. Their prescriptions are nothing but smoke. And so the people wander like lost sheep, poor lost sheep without a shepherd. I'm furious with the so-called shepherds. They're worse than billy goats, and I'll treat them like goats." God -of-the-Angel-Armies will step in and take care of his flock, the people of Judah. He'll revive their spirits, make them proud to be on God's side. God will use them in his work of rebuilding, use them as foundations and pillars, Use them as tools and instruments, use them to oversee his work. They'll be a workforce to be proud of, working as one, their heads held high, striding through swamps and mud, Courageous and vigorous because God is with them, undeterred by the world's thugs.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
they will be like warriors in battle trampling down the mud of the streets. They will fight because the Lord is with them, and they will put horsemen to shame.

Hebrew Names Version
They shall be as mighty men, Treading down muddy streets in the battle; And they shall fight, because the LORD is with them; And the riders on horses will be confounded.

King James Version (1611)
And they shall bee as mightie men which tread downe their enemies in the myre of the streets in the battell, and they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

King James Version
And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the Lord is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

English Standard Version
They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.

New American Standard Bible
"And they will be like warriors, Trampling down the enemy in the mud of the streets in battle; And they will fight, because the LORD will be with them; And the riders on horses will be put to shame.

New Century Version
Together they will be like soldiers marching to battle through muddy streets. The Lord is with them, so they will fight and defeat the horsemen.

Amplified Bible
"They will be like mighty men Trampling down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle; And they will fight because the LORD is with them, And the [enemies'] riders on horses will be shamed.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And they shalbe as the mightie men, which treade downe their enemies in the mire of the streetes in the battell, and they shall fight, because the Lorde is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"They will be as mighty men, Treading down the enemy in the mire of the streets in battle; And they will fight, for the LORD will be with them; And the riders on horses will be put to shame.

Legacy Standard Bible
And they will be as mighty men,Treading down the enemy in the mire of the streets in battle;And they will battle, for Yahweh will be with them;And the riders on horses will be put to shame.

Berean Standard Bible
They will be like mighty men in battle, trampling the enemy in the mire of the streets. They will fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put the horsemen to shame.

Contemporary English Version
They will join in the fighting, and together they will trample their enemies like mud. They will fight, because I, the Lord , will be on their side. And they will crush the enemy cavalry.

Complete Jewish Bible
They will be like warriors trampling the mud of the streets in battle. They will fight, because Adonai is with them; they will rout even those on horseback.

Darby Translation
And they shall be as mighty men, treading down the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, for Jehovah is with them, and the riders on horses shall be put to shame.

Easy-to-Read Version
They will defeat their enemy —it will be like soldiers marching through mud in the streets. They will fight, and since the Lord is with them, they will defeat even the enemy soldiers riding horses.

George Lamsa Translation
And they shall be like mighty men who tread mire in the streets in the battle; they shall fight because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

Good News Translation
The people of Judah will be victorious like soldiers who trample their enemies in the mud of the streets. They will fight because the Lord is with them, and they will defeat even the enemy cavalry.

Lexham English Bible
And they will be like warriors, trampling in the mud of the streets in the battle. They will fight, because Yahweh is with them, and they will put to shame the riders on horses.

Literal Translation
And they shall be like mighty ones who trample the mud of the streets in the battle. And they shall fight because Jehovah is with them, and they shall make the riders of horses ashamed.

American Standard Version
And they shall be as mighty men, treading down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because Jehovah is with them; and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

Bible in Basic English
Together they will be like men of war, crushing down their haters into the earth of the streets in the fight; they will make war because the Lord is with them: and the horsemen will be shamed.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they shall be as mighty men, treading down in the mire of the streets in the battle, and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them; and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
They shalbe as giauntes, which in the battaile treade downe their enemies in the myre of the streetes: they shal fight, for the Lorde shalbe with them, and the horsemen shalbe confounded.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they shall be as warriors treading clay in the ways in war; and they shall set the battle in array, because the Lord is with them, and the riders on horses shall be put to shame.

English Revised Version
And they shall be as mighty men, treading down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them: and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

World English Bible
They shall be as mighty men, Treading down muddy streets in the battle; And they shall fight, because Yahweh is with them; And the riders on horses will be confounded.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei schulen be as stronge men, defoulynge clei of weies in batel, and thei schulen fiyte, for the Lord is with hem; and stieris of horsis schulen be confoundid.

Update Bible Version
And they shall be as mighty men, treading down [their enemies] in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because Yahweh is with them; and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they shall be as mighty [men], who tread down [their enemies] in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD [is] with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

New English Translation
And they will be like warriors trampling the mud of the streets in battle. They will fight, for the Lord will be with them, and will defeat the enemy cavalry.

New King James Version
They shall be like mighty men, Who tread down their enemies In the mire of the streets in the battle. They shall fight because the LORD is with them, And the riders on horses shall be put to shame.

New Living Translation
They will be like mighty warriors in battle, trampling their enemies in the mud under their feet. Since the Lord is with them as they fight, they will overthrow even the enemy's horsemen.

New Life Bible
Together they will be like powerful men, crushing under foot those who hate them into the mud of the streets. They will fight and win the battle against the horsemen because the Lord is with them.

New Revised Standard
Together they shall be like warriors in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight, for the Lord is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So shall they become like mighty ones, trampling on the mire of lanes, in battle, and they will fight because, Yahweh, is with them, - and will abash the riders of horses.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they shall be as mighty men, treading under foot the mire of the ways in battle: and they shall fight, because the Lord is with them, and the riders of horses shall be confounded.

Revised Standard Version
Together they shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the LORD is with them, and they shall confound the riders on horses.

Young's Literal Translation
And they have been as heroes, Treading in mire of out-places in battle, And they have fought, for Jehovah [is] with them, And have put to shame riders of horses.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They shalbe as the giauntes, which in the batell treade downe the myre vpon ye stretes. They shal fight, for ye LORDE shalbe with them, so that the horsmen shalbe confounded.

Contextual Overview

⁵God's Work of Rebuilding Pray to God for rain—it's time for the spring rain— to God , the rainmaker, Spring thunderstorm maker, maker of grain and barley. "Store-bought gods babble gibberish. Religious experts spout rubbish. They pontificate hot air. Their prescriptions are nothing but smoke. And so the people wander like lost sheep, poor lost sheep without a shepherd. I'm furious with the so-called shepherds. They're worse than billy goats, and I'll treat them like goats." God -of-the-Angel-Armies will step in and take care of his flock, the people of Judah. He'll revive their spirits, make them proud to be on God's side. God will use them in his work of rebuilding, use them as foundations and pillars, Use them as tools and instruments, use them to oversee his work. They'll be a workforce to be proud of, working as one, their heads held high, striding through swamps and mud, Courageous and vigorous because God is with them, undeterred by the world's thugs. ⁶"I'll put muscle in the people of Judah; I'll save the people of Joseph. I know their pain and will make them good as new. They'll get a fresh start, as if nothing had ever happened. And why? Because I am their very own God , I'll do what needs to be done for them. The people of Ephraim will be famous, their lives brimming with joy. Their children will get in on it, too— oh, let them feel blessed by God ! I'll whistle and they'll all come running. I've set them free—oh, how they'll flourish! Even though I scattered them to the far corners of earth, they'll remember me in the faraway places. They'll keep the story alive in their children, and they will come back. I'll bring them back from the Egyptian west and round them up from the Assyrian east. I'll bring them back to sweet Gilead, back to leafy Lebanon. Every square foot of land will be marked by homecoming. They'll sail through troubled seas, brush aside brash ocean waves. Roaring rivers will turn to a trickle. Gaudy Assyria will be stripped bare, bully Egypt exposed as a fraud. But my people—oh, I'll make them strong, God -strong! and they'll live my way." God says so!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

as: Zechariah 9:13, Zechariah 12:8, 1 Samuel 16:18, 2 Samuel 22:8, Psalms 45:3, Luke 24:19, Acts 7:22, Acts 18:24, 2 Corinthians 10:4

tread: Psalms 18:42, Isaiah 10:6, Isaiah 25:10, Micah 7:10, Matthew 4:3

because: Zechariah 14:3, Zechariah 14:13, Deuteronomy 20:1, Joshua 10:14, Joshua 10:42, Isaiah 8:9, Isaiah 41:12, Joel 3:12-17, Matthew 28:20, Romans 8:31-37, 2 Timothy 4:7, 2 Timothy 4:17, Revelation 19:13-15

and the riders on horses shall be confounded: or, they shall make the riders on horses ashamed, Zechariah 12:4, Psalms 20:7, Psalms 33:16, Ezekiel 38:15, Haggai 2:22, Revelation 19:17

Reciprocal: Numbers 23:24 - he shall 2 Samuel 22:43 - as the mire 2 Chronicles 13:12 - God Job 40:12 - tread Psalms 7:5 - tread Psalms 44:5 - tread Psalms 60:12 - tread Isaiah 16:4 - oppressors Isaiah 41:25 - come upon Isaiah 63:3 - and trample Jeremiah 51:21 - General Obadiah 1:21 - saviours Micah 2:13 - they have Micah 4:7 - I will Micah 5:8 - as a lion Zechariah 9:10 - the battle Zechariah 9:15 - they shall devour Zechariah 14:14 - Judah also shall Malachi 4:3 - tread down Romans 16:20 - bruise 1 Timothy 6:12 - Fight

Cross-References

Genesis 10:1
This is the family tree of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After the flood, they themselves had sons.

Genesis 10:20
These are the descendants of Ham by family, language, country, and nation.

Isaiah 41:5
"Far-flung ocean islands see it and panic. The ends of the earth are shaken. Fearfully they huddle together. They try to help each other out, making up stories in the dark. The godmakers in the workshops go into overtime production, crafting new models of no-gods, Urging one another on—‘Good job!' ‘Great design!'— pounding in nails at the base so that the things won't tip over.

Isaiah 42:10
Sing to God a brand-new song, sing his praises all over the world! Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, with all the far-flung islands joining in. Let the desert and its camps raise a tune, calling the Kedar nomads to join in. Let the villagers in Sela round up a choir and perform from the tops of the mountains. Make God 's glory resound; echo his praises from coast to coast. God steps out like he means business. You can see he's primed for action. He shouts, announcing his arrival; he takes charge and his enemies fall into line: "I've been quiet long enough. I've held back, biting my tongue. But now I'm letting loose, letting go, like a woman who's having a baby— Stripping the hills bare, withering the wildflowers, Drying up the rivers, turning lakes into mudflats. But I'll take the hand of those who don't know the way, who can't see where they're going. I'll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country. I'll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don't fall into the ditch. These are the things I'll be doing for them— sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute."

Isaiah 49:1
Listen, far-flung islands, pay attention, faraway people: God put me to work from the day I was born. The moment I entered the world he named me. He gave me speech that would cut and penetrate. He kept his hand on me to protect me. He made me his straight arrow and hid me in his quiver. He said to me, "You're my dear servant, Israel, through whom I'll shine."

Isaiah 59:18
We Long for Light but Sink into Darkness Look! Listen! God 's arm is not amputated—he can still save. God 's ears are not stopped up—he can still hear. There's nothing wrong with God; the wrong is in you. Your wrongheaded lives caused the split between you and God. Your sins got between you so that he doesn't hear. Your hands are drenched in blood, your fingers dripping with guilt, Your lips smeared with lies, your tongue swollen from muttering obscenities. No one speaks up for the right, no one deals fairly. They trust in illusion, they tell lies, they get pregnant with mischief and have sin-babies. They hatch snake eggs and weave spider webs. Eat an egg and die; break an egg and get a snake! The spider webs are no good for shirts or shawls. No one can wear these weavings! They weave wickedness, they hatch violence. They compete in the race to do evil and run to be the first to murder. They plan and plot evil, think and breathe evil, and leave a trail of wrecked lives behind them. They know nothing about peace and less than nothing about justice. They make tortuously twisted roads. No peace for the wretch who walks down those roads! Which means that we're a far cry from fair dealing, and we're not even close to right living. We long for light but sink into darkness, long for brightness but stumble through the night. Like the blind, we inch along a wall, groping eyeless in the dark. We shuffle our way in broad daylight, like the dead, but somehow walking. We're no better off than bears, groaning, and no worse off than doves, moaning. We look for justice—not a sign of it; for salvation—not so much as a hint. Our wrongdoings pile up before you, God, our sins stand up and accuse us. Our wrongdoings stare us down; we know in detail what we've done: Mocking and denying God , not following our God, Spreading false rumors, inciting sedition, pregnant with lies, muttering malice. Justice is beaten back, Righteousness is banished to the sidelines, Truth staggers down the street, Honesty is nowhere to be found, Good is missing in action. Anyone renouncing evil is beaten and robbed. God looked and saw evil looming on the horizon— so much evil and no sign of Justice. He couldn't believe what he saw: not a soul around to correct this awful situation. So he did it himself, took on the work of Salvation, fueled by his own Righteousness. He dressed in Righteousness, put it on like a suit of armor, with Salvation on his head like a helmet, Put on Judgment like an overcoat, and threw a cloak of Passion across his shoulders. He'll make everyone pay for what they've done: fury for his foes, just deserts for his enemies. Even the far-off islands will get paid off in full. In the west they'll fear the name of God , in the east they'll fear the glory of God , For he'll arrive like a river in flood stage, whipped to a torrent by the wind of God . "I'll arrive in Zion as Redeemer, to those in Jacob who leave their sins." God 's Decree. "As for me," God says, "this is my covenant with them: My Spirit that I've placed upon you and the words that I've given you to speak, they're not going to leave your mouths nor the mouths of your children nor the mouths of your grandchildren. You will keep repeating these words and won't ever stop." God 's orders.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they shall be as mighty [men],.... That is, the converted Jews shall be such; they shall be strong in faith, giving glory to the Messiah; they shall be strong in the grace that is in him; they shall be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might; his strength shall be made perfect in their weakness:

which tread down [their enemies] in the mire of the streets in the battle; being victorious over sin, Satan, and the world, through Christ, in whom they will believe:

and they shall fight; against all their inward and outward enemies, the good fight of faith, with great valour and courage:

because the Lord [is] with them; who is the Lord of hosts or armies; his presence gives boldness and intrepidity; for, if he is for them, who can be against them? the battle is theirs, success is certain:

and the riders on horses shall be confounded; such that come up against them on them, and trust in them, shall be beaten by them, and so made ashamed; and the flesh, both of the horses and their riders, shall be the food of the fowls of the air, Revelation 19:18 perhaps the Turkish cavalry is meant, who may attempt to hinder the settlement of the Jews in their own land; the armies of the Turks consisting greatly of horsemen, Revelation 9:16.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And they - (the house of Judah , of whom he had said, He hath made them as the goodly horse in the battle) shall be as mighty men, trampling on the mire of the streets Micah had said, “she shall be a trampling, as the mire of the streets” Micah 7:10, and David, “I did stamp them as the mire of the street” 2 Samuel 22:43. Zechariah, by a yet bolder image, pictures those trampled upon, as what they had become, “the mire of the streets,” as worthless, as foul; as he had said, “they shall trample on the sling-stones” Zechariah 9:15. And they shall fight, because the Lord is with them, not in their own strength, he still reminds them; they shall have power, because God empowers them; strength, because God strengthens them : in presence of which, the goodly war-horse of God, human strength, “the riders on horses, shall be ashamed.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zechariah 10:5. They shall be as mighty men — The Maccabees and their successors.

Riders on horses — The Macedonians, who opposed the Maccabees, and had much cavalry; whereas the Jews had none, and even few weapons of war; yet they overcame these horsemen.