Matthew 21:5
New International Version
“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

New Living Translation
“Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.’”

English Standard Version
“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

Berean Standard Bible
“Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

Berean Literal Bible
"Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King comes to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey, even upon a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"

King James Bible
Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

New King James Version
“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

New American Standard Bible
“SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, HUMBLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY.’”

NASB 1995
“SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.’”

NASB 1977
“SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.’”

Legacy Standard Bible
“SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, LOWLY, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, AND ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A PACK ANIMAL.’”

Amplified Bible
“TELL THE DAUGHTER OF ZION (the people of Jerusalem), ‘BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.’”

Christian Standard Bible
Tell Daughter Zion, “See, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Tell Daughter Zion, “Look, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”

American Standard Version
Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, Meek, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King comes to you meek and riding on a donkey and upon a colt, the foal of a she donkey.'”

Contemporary English Version
"Announce to the people of Jerusalem: 'Your king is coming to you! He is humble and rides on a donkey. He comes on the colt of a donkey.'"

Douay-Rheims Bible
Tell ye the daughter of Sion: Behold thy king cometh to thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of her that is used to the yoke.

English Revised Version
Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, Meek, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Tell the people of Zion, 'Your king is coming to you. He's gentle, riding on a donkey, on a colt, a young pack animal.'"

Good News Translation
"Tell the city of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you! He is humble and rides on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

International Standard Version
"Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Look, your king is coming to you! He is humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt of a donkey.'"

Literal Standard Version
“Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King comes to you, meek, and mounted on a donkey, and a colt, a foal of a beast of burden.”

Majority Standard Bible
“Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

New American Bible
“Say to daughter Zion, ‘Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”

NET Bible
"Tell the people of Zion, 'Look, your king is coming to you, unassuming and seated on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

New Revised Standard Version
“Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

New Heart English Bible
Say to the daughter of Zion, "Look, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Webster's Bible Translation
Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh to thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

Weymouth New Testament
"Tell the Daughter of Zion, 'See, thy King is coming to thee, gentle, and yet mounted on an ass, even on a colt the foal of a beast of burden.'"

World English Bible
“Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Young's Literal Translation
'Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Lo, thy king doth come to thee, meek, and mounted on an ass, and a colt, a foal of a beast of burden.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Triumphal Entry
4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5“Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 6So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.…

Cross References
Isaiah 62:11
Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the ends of the earth, "Say to Daughter Zion: See, your Savior comes! Look, His reward is with Him, and His recompense goes before Him."

Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Matthew 21:6
So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.

Luke 24:27
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.


Treasury of Scripture

Tell you the daughter of Sion, Behold, your King comes to you, meek, and sitting on an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

the daughter.

Psalm 9:14
That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.

Isaiah 12:6
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

Isaiah 40:9
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

thy King.

Matthew 2:2,6
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him…

Genesis 49:10
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Numbers 24:19
Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.

meek.

Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Matthew 12:19,20
He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets…

2 Corinthians 10:1
Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

sitting.

Deuteronomy 17:16
But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

Judges 5:10
Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.

Judges 12:14
And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.

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Ass Beast Burden Colt Daughter Donkey Foal Gentle Humble Meek Mounted Riding Seated Sion Sitting Young Zion
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Ass Beast Burden Colt Daughter Donkey Foal Gentle Humble Meek Mounted Riding Seated Sion Sitting Young Zion
Matthew 21
1. Jesus rides into Jerusalem upon a donkey
12. drives the buyers and sellers out of the temple;
17. curses the fig tree;
23. puts to silence the priests and elders,
28. and rebukes them by the parable of the two sons,
33. and the husbandmen who slew such as were sent to them.














(5) Tell ye the daughter of Sion.--The words seem to have been cited from memory, the Hebrew text of Zechariah 9:9 beginning, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion; shout O daughter of Jerusalem," and inserting "just, and having salvation" in the description of the King. As the words stand in Zechariah (we need not here discuss the question as to the authorship or composition of that book) they paint the ideal King coming, not with "chariot" and "horse" and "battle bow," like the conquerors of earthly kingdoms, but as a prince of peace, reviving the lowlier pageantry of the days of the Judges (Judges 5:10; Judges 10:4; Judges 12:14), and yet exercising a wider dominion than David or Solomon had done, "from sea to sea, and from the river (Euphrates) to the ends of the earth" (Zechariah 9:10). That ideal our Lord claimed to fulfil. Thus interpreted, His act was in part an apparent concession to the fevered expectations of His disciples and the multitude; in part also a protest, the meaning of which they would afterwards understand, against the character of those expectations and the self-seeking spirit which mingled with them. Here, as before, we trace the grave, sad accommodation to thoughts other than His own to which the Teacher of new truths must often have recourse when He finds Himself misinterpreted by those who stand altogether on a lower level. They wished Him to claim the kingdom, that they might sit on His right hand and on His left. Well, He would do so, but it would be a kingdom "not of this world" (John 18:36), utterly unlike all that they were looking for. . . . Verse 5. - Tell ye the daughter of Zion. This is from Isaiah (comp. Zephaniah 3:14). The passage in Zechariah begins, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem." The "daughter of Zion" is Jerusalem herself, named from the chief of the hills on which the city was built. Of course, the term includes all the inhabitants. Behold; marking the suddenness and unexpected nature of the event. Thy King. A King of thine own race, no stranger, one predestined for thee, foretold by all the prophets, who was to occupy the throne of David and to reign forever. Unto thee. For thy special good, to make his abode with thee (comp. Isaiah 9:6). Meek. As Christ himself says, "I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29), far removed from pomp and warlike greatness; and yet, according to his own Beatitude, the meek shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), win victories which material forces can never obtain, triumph through humiliation. The original in Zechariah gives other characteristics of Messiah: "He is just, and having salvation;" i.e. endowed with salvation, either as being protected by God, or victorious and so able to save his people. Sitting upon an ass. Coming as King, he could not walk undistinguished among the crowd; he must ride. But to mount a war horse would denote that he was leader of an army or a worldly potentate; so he rides upon an ass, an animal used by the judges of Israel, and chieftains on peaceful errands (Judges 5:10; Judges 10:4); one, too, greatly valued, and often of stately appearance in Palestine. And (καὶ) a colt the foal of an ass; such as she asses bear, and one not trained. It is questioned whether the conjunction here expresses addition, implying that Christ mounted both animals in succession, or is merely explanatory, equivalent to videlicet, an ass, yea, even the foal of an ass. It seems unlikely that, in accomplishing the short distance between Bethphage and Jerusalem (only a mile or two), our Lord should have changed from one beast to the other; and the other three evangelists say expressly that Christ rode the colt, omitting all mention of the mother. The she ass doubtless kept close to its foal, so the prophecy was exactly fulfilled, but the animal that bore the Saviour was the colt. If the two animals represent respectively the Jews and Gentiles (see on ver. 2), it seems hardly necessary for typical reasons that Jesus should thus symbolize his triumph over the disciplined Jews, while it is obvious that the lesson of his supremacy over the untaught Gentiles needed exemplification. The prophet certainly contemplates the two animals in the procession. "The old theocracy runs idly and instinctively by the side of the young Church, which has become the true bearer of the Divinity of Christ" (Lange). No king had ever thus come to Jerusalem; such a circumstance was predicted of Messiah alone, and Christ alone fulfilled it to the letter, showing of what nature his kingdom was.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“Say
Εἴπατε (Eipate)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

to the
τῇ (tē)
Article - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

daughter
θυγατρὶ (thygatri)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2364: Apparently a primary word; a female child, or descendant.

of Zion,
Σιών (Siōn)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 4622: Zion, the hill; used for Jerusalem or heaven. Of Hebrew origin; Sion, a hill of Jerusalem; figuratively, the Church.

‘See,
Ἰδοὺ (Idou)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 2400: See! Lo! Behold! Look! Second person singular imperative middle voice of eido; used as imperative lo!

your
σου (sou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

King
Βασιλεύς (Basileus)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 935: A king, ruler, but in some passages clearly to be translated: emperor. Probably from basis; a sovereign.

comes
ἔρχεταί (erchetai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

to you,
σοι (soi)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

gentle
πραῢς (praus)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4239: Mild, gentle. Apparently a primary word; mild, i.e. humble.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

riding
ἐπιβεβηκὼς (epibebēkōs)
Verb - Perfect Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1910: From epi and the base of basis; to walk upon, i.e. Mount, ascend, embark, arrive.

on
ἐπὶ (epi)
Preposition
Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at.

a donkey,
ὄνον (onon)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3688: A donkey. Apparently a primary word; a donkey.

on
ἐπὶ (epi)
Preposition
Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at.

a colt,
πῶλον (pōlon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4454: A colt, young ass, foal. Apparently a primary word; a 'foal' or 'filly', i.e., a young ass.

[the] foal
υἱὸν (huion)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5207: A son, descendent. Apparently a primary word; a 'son', used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.

of a beast of burden.’”
ὑποζυγίου (hypozygiou)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 5268: A beast of burden, an ass or mule. Neuter of a compound of hupo and zugos; an animal under the yoke, i.e., a donkey.


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