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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.
Zechariah 10:5 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB 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.
  • KJV 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.
  • NKJV 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.
  • NASB “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.
  • NLT 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.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

God's people will fight like mighty men and prevail, not by their own power but because the LORD is with them. It matters because victory belongs to those in whom God dwells, not the strongest army.

Overview

The picture is of soldiers trampling their enemies like mud in the streets, confident not in cavalry but in God's presence. The decisive factor is 'because Yahweh is with them,' so that even the proud riders on horses are put to shame. This anticipates the gospel pattern in which God's people overcome 'not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit' (Zech. 4:6) and finally conquer through the Lamb (Rev. 12:11).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 35

  • Hag 2:22I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
  • Zech 12:8On that day the LORD will defend the people of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD going before them.
  • Ps 20:7Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
  • Rom 8:31–37What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
  • Zech 9:13For I will bend Judah as My bow and fit it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against the sons of Greece. I will make you like the sword of a mighty man.
  • 1 Sam 16:18One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a mighty man of valor, a warrior, eloquent and handsome, and the LORD is with him.”
  • Zech 14:3Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.
  • Isa 8:9Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!
  • Josh 10:14There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.
  • Amos 2:15The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet of foot will not escape, and the horseman will not save his life.
  • Zech 12:4On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and every rider with madness. I will keep a watchful eye on the house of Judah, but I will strike with blindness all the horses of the nations.
  • 2 Tim 4:7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
  • Isa 41:12You will seek them but will not find them. Those who wage war against you will come to nothing.
  • Ezek 38:15And you will come from your place out of the far north—you and many peoples with you, all riding horses—a mighty horde, a huge army.
  • Josh 10:42And because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel, Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign.
  • Ps 45:3Strap your sword at your side, O mighty warrior; appear in your majesty and splendor.
  • Matt 28:20and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
  • Mic 7:10Then my enemy will see and will be covered with shame—she who said to me, “Where is the LORD your God?” My eyes will see her; at that time she will be trampled like mud in the streets.
  • Joel 3:12–17Let the nations be roused and advance to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit down to judge all the nations on every side.
  • Isa 10:6I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.
  • Matt 4:3The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
  • Luke 24:19“What things?” He asked. “The events involving Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet, powerful in speech and action before God and all the people.
  • 2 Cor 10:4The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
  • Isa 25:10For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain. But Moab will be trampled in his place as straw is trodden into the dung pile.
  • 2 Sam 22:43I ground them as the dust of the earth; I crushed and trampled them like mud in the streets.
  • Ps 18:42I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.
  • Zech 14:13On that day a great panic from the LORD will come upon them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of one will rise against the other.
  • 2 Sam 22:8Then the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the heavens trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.
  • Ps 33:16No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength.
  • Acts 7:22So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.
  • Deut 20:1When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.
  • Rev 19:13–15He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God.
  • Acts 18:24Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the Scriptures.
  • Rev 19:17Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
  • 2 Tim 4:17But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Zechariah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Zechariah 10:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ZechariahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Branch who is both priest and king, the shepherd struck and the flock scattered, the king coming humble on a donkey, the one they pierced, the fountain opened for sin — Zechariah is dense with Christ.

How Zechariah 10:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.