Reference

Zechariah 9:6

And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
4

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

5

Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.

6

And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

7

And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.

8

And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Annihilation / Destruction
Keyword Match
80% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Destruction / Perishing Language
Keyword Match
80% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Annihilation / Destruction

The verse mentions a "bastard" dwelling in Ashdod, which is not inherently an act of destruction, and while the "pride" of the Philistines is cut off, this doesn't explicitly state the Philistines themselves are destroyed or cease to exist.

Destruction / Perishing Language

While the verse doesn't explicitly label the Philistines as "wicked" in this single verse, the broader context of Zechariah 9 (and prophetic literature generally) consistently portrays the Philistines as enemies of God's people whose pride and power are to be judged. The phrase "cut off the pride of the Philistines" directly addresses the fate of people (or a people group) and their defining characteristic, aligning with the "destruction/perishing language" theme.