The Meaning of Zechariah 10:5 Explained

Zechariah 10:5

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.

YLT: 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.

Darby: 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.

ASV: 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Zechariah 10:5 Mean?

Verse Meaning

These Israelites would be like mighty men in battle (cf. David"s mighty men). They would subdue the Lord"s enemies in battle successfully because Yahweh would be with them. The opposing adversaries would be defeated and shamed even though they fought from positions of strength. The Lord"s infantry would defeat the world"s apparently superior cavalry.
"It is a great mistake to suppose that all will be accomplished by Jehovah single-handed." [1]
"The scene is that of the strengthening of the Jews in Palestine at the time of the invasion from the North under "the beast" ( Daniel 7:8) in conjunction with the events of Armageddon ( Revelation 16:14; Revelation 19:17-20)." [2]

Context Summary

Zechariah 10:1-12 - A Lowly Deliverer Brings Peace
Jesus must be King first, then Savior. He is lowly; His steed is not the richly caparisoned warhorse, but the humble ass; He needs no weapon to overthrow His foes, because as Priest He speaks peace. The peasantry had taken shelter in the rock hewn mountain cisterns; but they might cherish hope, because they had been redeemed by the blood of the covenant, and God would see to it that that redemption was made effective. Before the advent of the King, the prison-doors would open, and at His word the imprisoned should go forth. How great are His goodness and beauty!
In Zechariah 10:1-12 we have a reference to the successful stand made by Judas Maccabaeus and his brethren against Antiochus. They were to tread them down as the mire of the streets; Joseph and Judah would be reunited and after their far-spread sowing over the world, the scattered tribes would ultimately return as bees to the call of the bee-farmer. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 10

1  God is to be sought unto, and not idols
3  As he visited his flock for sin, so he will save and restore them

What do the individual words in Zechariah 10:5 mean?

And they shall be like mighty men who tread down [their enemies] in the mire of the streets in the battle and they shall fight because Yahweh is with them and shall be put to shame the riders on horses
וְהָי֨וּ כְגִבֹּרִ֜ים בּוֹסִ֨ים בְּטִ֤יט חוּצוֹת֙ בַּמִּלְחָמָ֔ה וְנִ֨לְחֲמ֔וּ כִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה עִמָּ֑ם וְהֹבִ֖ישׁוּ רֹכְבֵ֥י סוּסִֽים

וְהָי֨וּ  And  they  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כְגִבֹּרִ֜ים  like  mighty  men 
Parse: Preposition-k, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: גִּבֹּור  
Sense: strong, mighty.
בּוֹסִ֨ים  who  tread  down  [their  enemies] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בּוּס  
Sense: to tread down, reject, trample down.
בְּטִ֤יט  in  the  mire 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: טִיט  
Sense: mud, clay, mire, damp dirt.
חוּצוֹת֙  of  the  streets 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חוּץ  
Sense: outside, outward, street, the outside.
בַּמִּלְחָמָ֔ה  in  the  battle 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
וְנִ֨לְחֲמ֔וּ  and  they  shall  fight 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: לָחַם 
Sense: to fight, do battle, make war.
כִּ֥י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh  is 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עִמָּ֑ם  with  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
וְהֹבִ֖ישׁוּ  and  shall  be  put  to  shame 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָבֵשׁ  
Sense: to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered.
רֹכְבֵ֥י  the  riders  on 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: רָכַב  
Sense: to mount and ride, ride.
סוּסִֽים  horses 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: סוּס 
Sense: swallow, swift.