And this is why Jesus in Matthew 21 arrives in Jerusalem on a donkey, with text that echos Zechariah 9:9: “Your king comes to you, triumphant and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey.” Matthew specifically notes the prophet’s words, “humble, and mounted on a donkey.” When John relates the same entry into Jerusalem (John 12:12–19), he just mentions the donkey. He doesn’t need to repeat “humble,” because his readers would have known that donkeys represented humility.
