Zechariah 9:2

"And Hamath, also, which bordereth thereon; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise."

These words merely broaden the area under the judgment of God, including areas not particularly identified with Syria. This led some to suppose that Hadrach symbolized "the land of Israel," that is, Palestine. It is reasonable to suppose that all of the places mentioned here were included symbolically in "Hadrach." Perhaps the best view is that of Keil who saw in "Hadrach" a symbolical reference to, "The Medo-Persian Empire."[11] Certainly, it was that empire, as the fourth head of the great Scarlet Beast (Revelation 13), that fell under God's judgment with the rise of Alexander, his empire being the fifth head of the same entity.