Zechariah 9:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It was He who delivered them into the hands of their conquerors, for the Romans, who held dominion over the entire world, treated those who surrendered without resistance with kindness and favor, while dealing harshly with those who dared to oppose them. Thus, he asserts, they shall be burnt after their defenses are cast into the sea, and their riches plundered, although their gold is insubstantial as feathers and their silver as mere dust of the streets; for the Tyrians were adept and immensely profitable sea traders, a fact extensively narrated in Ezekiel’s writings.

Thus, it serves no purpose for those who defy God and scorn the saints to find themselves in distress, nor for the arrogant who mock if God condemns their pride; every method of fortification, every ditch and defensive barrier they might construct, will prove ineffective. Their wealth will bring them no comfort, but merely stir the desires of those unaccustomed to loss. Yet, one can observe that even today, the children of Greece hold worldly wisdom in high regard, fortifying their deceptions as if shielded by walls, through the allure of clever arguments and the prowess of eloquence, flourishing in verbal riches akin to silver, and in beautiful ideas resembling gold. Nonetheless, Christ has claimed them; His power dismantled their fortifications as falsehoods were uprooted, and the gold and silver were taken. Individuals who once held esteemed positions in the churches, renowned for their wisdom and eloquence, plundered the authority of speech for themselves and offered it as a sacred gift to God, championing the tenets of faith with a robust and truthful articulation of their previous errors.

This also reflects the actions of the Israelites. With borrowed golden and silver vessels taken from their Egyptian oppressors, they presented these offerings in the wilderness to the Holy God while establishing the sacred tabernacle. Thus, those who construct the church using worldly wisdom and the allure of eloquence raid the children of Greece, as though enriching themselves with gold and silver where necessary, dedicating these spoils to God, proclaiming what is for His honor, dismantling the strongholds of the Greeks and spiritually edifying the holy city, which is the church.

Just as these cities, including Tyre and Sidon, lie within the boundaries of Damascus or the land of Adrach, they are called to believe in the Lord and Savior, whom the Father instructed, "Ask of Me, and I will give Thee nations for Thy inheritance, and for Thy dominion the bounds of the earth" (Psalm 2:8). The daughters of Tyre, representing the souls of believers in Christ, shall deliver offerings to the King, fulfilling the prophecy that "The daughters of Tyre shall honor Him with gifts" (Psalm 44:13). When the Church, referred to as the city of God, is spoken of by the Psalmist, "Glorious things are said of thee, O city of God" (Psalm 86:3), it follows that "Behold, the foreigners, and Tyre, and the people of Ethiopia, they are born there" (Psalm 86:4). The foreigners are noted in two psalms: "To me the foreigners serve, or are subdued." Concerning the Ethiopians, the prophet Zephaniah declares, "By the rivers of Ethiopia, they shall bring gifts to me from thence" (Zeph. 3:10), and it is written in the psalm, "Ethiopia shall wipe her hands to God" (Psalm 67:32). The Gospel reflects on Tyre, stating, "Woe unto thee, Chorazin, woe unto thee, Bethsaida: for if Tyre and Sidon had experienced the miracles that have been done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes" (Matt. 11:21). Among the daughters of Tyre and Sidon emerged a Canaanite woman, whose daughter was tormented by a demon (Mark 7:25-30), who presented to the Lord a measure of faith from the Tyrians and Sidonians. Those who were unbelievers at the time of Jesus, due to their lack of witnessing the miracles, eventually came to believe through the apostles, gaining the blessed assurance promised by the Lord: "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed" (John 20:29). Tyre and Sidon, where one name means constraint and the other signifies hunting, had so mastered wisdom that the complexities of their rhetoric served as riddles to Solomon, the king of the world. They amassed silver and gold, symbolizing their eloquence and cunning intellect, in their pursuit of the kingdom of idolatry they had fortified. Yet the Apostle reminds us that "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" and to the dismantling of every lofty thought that opposes the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:4-5). The image of Nineveh, representing earthly beauty, finds the word of God directed at worldly men, declaring, "Thou shalt be intoxicated and despised, and shalt seek help from the enemy; all thy strongholds shall be as a fig tree with its fruit: if they fall, they will land in the mouth of the eater." Therefore, the Lord shall claim Tyre and Sidon, first breaking their strength in the salt and bitter sea of this age, and then cleansing them entirely by fire, of which the Savior proclaimed, "I have come to bring fire down to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled" (Luke 12:49), which also affirms in the Gospel of Mark, "Everyone shall be salted with fire" (Mark 9:49).

The phrase "The Lord will inherit me" signifies that they have removed themselves from His guardianship and will thus experience His might. When Ascalon and Gaza witness these events, they will be filled with dread, and alongside Akkaron, they will mourn their disgrace, referring to Tyre's ruin. I will bring an end to Gaza's reign and leave Ascalon uninhabited; it and Azotus will be populated by outsiders. Accordingly, the Prophet proclaims that Ascalon will remain desolate, foretelling the fate of those whom God has delivered to suffering and bondage.