The Meaning of Zechariah 9:4 Explained

Zechariah 9:4

KJV: Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.

YLT: Lo, the Lord doth dispossess her, And He hath smitten in the sea her force, And she with fire is consumed.

Darby: Behold, the Lord will take possession of her, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.

ASV: Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold, the Lord  will cast her out,  and he will smite  her power  in the sea;  and she shall be devoured  with fire. 

What does Zechariah 9:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Zechariah 9:1-8 - The Nations Will Seek The God Of Israel
In his final answer the prophet gives a delightful picture of the future, which was on the eve of complete realization. So entirely would the memory of the past be obliterated that fateful anniversaries would soon fade from their minds. Indeed they would discover that their dark days had been the source and origin of their glad ones. In all subsequent ages, even when persecuting the Jews, the foremost nations have taken hold of their skirts, appropriating their sacred writings, venerating their lawgivers, prophets, and saints; and believing in the noblest representative of their race.
The prophet passes his eye over the surrounding nations, showing that his people need fear no more, because their oppressors had been effectually silenced. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 9

1  God defends his church
9  Zion is exhorted to rejoice for the coming of Christ, and his peaceable kingdom
12  God's promises of victory and defense

What do the individual words in Zechariah 9:4 mean?

Behold Yahweh will cast her out and He will destroy in the sea her power and she by fire will be devoured
הִנֵּ֤ה אֲדֹנָי֙ יֽוֹרִשֶׁ֔נָּה וְהִכָּ֥ה בַיָּ֖ם חֵילָ֑הּ וְהִ֖יא בָּאֵ֥שׁ תֵּאָכֵֽל

הִנֵּ֤ה  Behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
אֲדֹנָי֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יֽוֹרִשֶׁ֔נָּה  will  cast  her  out 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יָרַשׁ  
Sense: to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir.
וְהִכָּ֥ה  and  He  will  destroy 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
בַיָּ֖ם  in  the  sea 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
חֵילָ֑הּ  her  power 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: חַיִל 
Sense: strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army.
וְהִ֖יא  and  she 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person feminine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
בָּאֵ֥שׁ  by  fire 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
תֵּאָכֵֽל  will  be  devoured 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.