Pride as Place:

Redemptionʼs Earth-Shattering Consequences in

Zechariah 9-14, Matthew, and the Gospel

by David Ketter
 In the history of Jewish and Christian piety, doctrine, and conversation, the

concept of pride has played a significant role. Oddly enough, this is not because of a

plethora of semantic references. In common English translations of the Bible, the words

“pride” and “proud” occur around 100 times, with synonyms like “arrogance” and

“conceit” bringing approximately 20 more references. Yet, for both the Jewish and

Christian traditions, pride is one of the most common and reprehensible sins. This is not

without justification as the prophets and the wisdom literature of the Old Testament

castigate and condemn pride and all those who possess it as being among the foremost

rebels in a war against the God of Israel.

In the preaching of Jeremiah, pride is cited as one of the primary reasons Judah

will be sent into exile by Yahweh (Jeremiah 13:15-27). Along with their spiritual adultery

the injustice they committed against the weakest among them (common condemnations

in prophetic literature), it is the pride of Israel and Judah that Yahweh is determined to

punish. And in two brutal conquests by Assyria and Babylon, respectively, Yahweh

carries out that discipline and breaks the back of His peopleʼs pride. The question needs

to be asked, however, as to the nature of this pride and what about it is so offensive to

the Living God.

The prophet of exile, Ezekiel, in communicating Godʼs condemnation upon the

prince of Tyre, names several elements of pride in Ezekiel 28:1-5 (ESV):

“Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ʻI am a god, I sit in the seat of
the gods, in the heart of the seas,ʼ yet you are but a man, and no god, though
you make your heart like the heart of a god— you are indeed wiser than Daniel;
no secret is hidden from you; by your wisdom and your understanding you have
made wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;
by your great wisdom in your trade you have increased your wealth, and your
heart has become proud in your wealth...
In this passage, the prince of Tyre is condemned for two things: (1) the thoughts of his

heart (“I am a god”) and (2) the application and attribution of his skills and successes.

But what was the offense? It would be easy, for the ambiguity of English, to assert that

the prince of Tyre has claimed deity. That is certainly possible. However, particularly in

view of Psalm 82 (a pertinent text regarding any ruler), where the same word is used to

describe human rulers, it is also possible that the prince has made a claim to kingship.

Further historical research would likely be able to provide further insight into whether it

is one, the other, or perhaps a double entendre.

Theologically, however, the point is the same: the prince of Tyre has asserted

himself as something that he is not, taking to himself authority and reverence that does

not belong to him, and he over-reaches what he is entitled to. Moreover, his reasoning

is rooted in how he applies his skills and to what he attributes his successes. In the text,

Yahweh acknowledges that the prince is skillful in trade and, by inference, diplomacy. In

other words, his influence over others is effective towards the end of his own

successes, which results in a great deal of wealth. In short, the prince of Tyre worked to

get what he wanted and, when he achieved it, attributed all glory of the success to

himself. In short, then, the offense of the prince of Tyre is one claiming to be what one is

not and attributing glory to oneself that belongs to another. What Israel and Judah, and

all who share in the sin of pride are guilty of is not having the humility to see themselves

for who they are and not demonstrating the gratitude towards God that He deserves. It

is, in effect, an active denial of who God is and what belongs to Him. It cannot be any

other way but that God would oppose the proud (Septuagint, Proverbs 3:34).1

1The Hebrew text of Proverbs 3:34 contains the same instruction as Septuagint, but varies a great deal
semantically.
 Of the prophets, Zechariah 9-14 has provided a number of hermeneutical

puzzles, particularly regarding its authorship (scholars, for many years, considered this

part of the book to be a second Zechariah) and audience (Post-Exilic Jews, Maccabean

revolutionaries, First Century Jews being among the suggestions). It features a broad

range of literary styles - poetry, apocalyptic, prophetic oracles, and prophetic prose. The

texts most pertinent to our study, however, fall within the realm of poetic prophetic

oracles.

The texts in question, Zechariah 9:5-8 and 10:8-12, deal with pride in a unique

way that is both direct and astounding. Other parts of Scripture may imply it, or could be

brought to have the same teaching, but what Zechariah delivers from the mouth of

Yahweh surely surprised his readers. Both Zechariah 9 and 10 are promises of

judgment upon Israel and Judahʼs enemies, as well as the faithless leaders of Judah.

They also contain magnificent promises of restoration and redemption for Israel and

Judah. What do these texts tell us about pride?

Zechariah 9:5-6 contains an oracle of judgment upon the Philistine cities. V. 6

concludes with the promise of Yahweh: “I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.” The

Hebrew word used for “pride” is gaʼon, which can also refer to “height” or “majesty.” Itʼs

possible, again, that some ruler of the Philistines is being referred to, or to some other

object that could be the locus of pride/majesty. Whatever it may be, however, Yahweh

declares His intention to cut it off. Zechariah 10:8-11 has an implied judgment upon

Assyria and Egypt in its promise to bring the exiles of Judah back to the land of their

fathers. The concluding promise of Yahweh in v. 11 is this: “The pride (gaʼon) of Assyria

shall be laid low, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart.”

 The punishment of pride is to be expected Yet, it is what Yahweh promises to do

in immediately following the promise of discipline that is interesting. In 9:7, Yahweh

declares, “I will take his blood away from his mouth, and his abominations from between

his teeth...” In short, Yahweh removes all the filth of idolatry, uncleanness and guilt from

the Philistines. As if that is not enough, He promises this for the lot of the Philistine: “He

took shall be a remnant for our God; he shall be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron shall be

like the Jebusites.” The Philistines, having been cleansed, are joined to the people of

God and are granted a place close to Him.2 What remarkable mercy and grace, that the

Philistines, who were ever the enemies of the people of God have their pride cut off,

and as a result of this, are promised a place in the life-giving covenant with Yahweh!

Hints of the same are presented in 10:12 when Yahweh promises, “I will

strengthen them in Yahweh and they shall walk in his name.” This promise applies to

Assyria and Egypt, particularly. The great empires who were known for their cruelty

towards the Israelites, after being brought low, are exalted and placed with the people of

God. In this promise are the echoes of a prophecy from Isaiah two or three centuries

earlier in which Yahweh decrees, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of

my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”3 For Zechariah, it seems that the presence of

pride and the discipline of Yahweh coming together results in a lavish redemption that is

both unprecedented, unparalleled and, in a certain sense, unreasonable. That the

oppressors of Israel should have their pride removed, be cleansed, and joined to Godʼs

people is a tremendous display of grace, and a sign of the things to come.

2 Jebusites were Canaanites inhabiting Jerusalem until Davidʼs conquest. It appears that they converted
to the worship of Yahweh and continued to live in Jerusalem, becoming one with Judah
3Isaiah 19 parallels the Zechariah 10 passage in many respects and is much clearer on the fate of Egypt
and Assyria.
 Whatever the specifics of the texts, Zechariah 9-14 is significant in the theology

and literary style of the Matthewʼs passion narratives (Matthew 20:17-28:20) and, thus,

what we find in Zechariah necessarily influences what is to be found in Jesusʼ final week

and following.4 So, in approaching the the Gospel of Matthew, itʼs interesting that pride

does not figure prominently in the first sections of the book. The closest we come to it is

in John the Baptistʼs confrontation with the Pharisees and the Sadducees in Matthew

3:7-10 (the only place in Matthew where the two sects are paired, incidentally). Here,

John rather warns against pride (rather than accusing them of it) by telling them to not

assert themselves as sons of Abraham, when the sons of Abraham are those whom

God raises.

Another text that seems to imply pride is Jesusʼ condemnation of the Jewish

cities in Galilee (Matthew 11:20-24). In these woes that Jesus pronounces, the basis of

difference in Jesusʼ eyes seems to be that the pride of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and

Capernaum blinds them from responding to Godʼs miraculous work through Christ

where Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom, reportedly, would have repented. Here, we see the

nature of pride as described in Ezekiel coming forward, where the Galilean Jews,

considering themselves faithful and pious in comparison to their pagan neighbors,

believed themselves to be entitled to the miraculous work of God, suppressing the truth

of their own unworthiness for the arrival of Yahwehʼs Messiah. Perhaps, even more, as

people who had suffered oppression and isolation for centuries, even from their fellow

Jews, they set their identity as people who were owed good things — miraculous works,

even — even from Yahweh.

4A reference catalogue demonstrating the connection between Zechariah 9-14 and the Matthew Passion
narrative was compiled in December 2009 by the author and is available upon request.
 That same attitude seems to be what Jesus combats in the parable of the

vineyard workers in Matthew 20:1-16, where the master of the vineyard rebukes the

day-long workers who objected to being paid the same wage as those for an hour. In

the latter portion of Matthew 20, Jesus warns his disciples against presumption of

greatness and asserting themselves a place that does not belong to them, but beyond

the hints of such presumptions, the rest of the gospel of Matthew does not confront the

topic of pride.5

But what the rest of Matthew does present is the passion and resurrection of

Jesus. The culmination of all that Jesus had come to do in surrendering his privileges

and glory and majesty to accomplish the redemption of his people from sin, death,

Satan, wrath and reconciliation to the Creator-God who desires us to call Him “Father.”

The Gospel, in which we find our atonement, redemption, reconciliation, adoption, and

every means of grace that has since been made available to us. And what has pride to

do with the Gospel?

In fact, where the Gospel has been effective, where its fruits are evident, pride

has absolutely nothing to do with the redeemed. Romans 3 has been used for centuries

in the preaching of the doctrine of sin and Godʼs just condemnation of it. In fact, the

passages contained in this chapter have one of the most forward confrontations with

pride that the Gospel has to offer to us:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the
law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For
there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be

5 The author would suggest the gospels of Luke and John for more direct dealings with pride.
 received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his
divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his
righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier
of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of
law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is
justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews
only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God
is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised
through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means!
On the contrary, we uphold the law. (Romans 3:21-31)

In this passage, Paulʼs point begins with the work of Christ and explaining that it is

graciously applied to the believer through Godʼs gift of faith. In fact, what Paul has done

is to argue for the universality of sin (apart from the revelation of Torah), the universal

guilt that is experienced, and the universal redemption that has come to Gentiles, who

have not received the revelation of Torah. In the context of Romans 3, many of the

pronouns and possessives like “we” and “our” have been understood by translators and

scholars (including the translators of the ESV, WEB, NET, et al) as Paulʼs reference to

himself and other pious Jews.

Paul knows and preaches that the revelation of Torah has not given the Jews

exclusive claim to the rights and privileges of the people of God. So, when he states

that boasting is excluded, he makes evident that no claim to the revelation of God in the

Law and the Prophets has made the Jew justified. It was the gracious gift of faith by the

God of Israel, given to Jew and Gentile alike that has effected justification in their lives.

So, all claim to pride, to title, to something that men could be owed, born to, rise to by

their own abilities and skills or misplaced sense of identity, is excluded by the reality of a

God who has removed our uncleanness and joined us to Himself through the cross of

Jesus Christ.