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Zechariah 1

1 - In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, The LORD's word came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
2 - "The LORD was very displeased with your fathers.
3 - Therefore tell them: the LORD of Hosts says: 'Return to me,' says the LORD of Hosts, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD of Hosts.
4 - Don't you be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying: the LORD of Hosts says, 'Return now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings;' but they did not hear, nor listen to me, says The LORD.
5 - Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?
6 - But my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, didn't they overtake your fathers?"Then they repented and said, 'Just as the LORD of Hosts determined to do to us, according to our ways, and according to our practices, so he has dealt with us.'"
7 - On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, The LORD's word came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
8 - "I had a vision in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in a ravine; and behind him there were red, brown, and white horses.
9 - Then I asked, 'My lord, what are these?'"The angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what these are."
10 - The man who stood among the myrtle trees answered, "They are the ones the LORD has sent to go back and forth through the earth."
11 - They reported to The LORD's angel who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, "We have walked back and forth through the earth, and behold, all the earth is at rest and in peace."
12 - Then The LORD's angel replied, "O the LORD of Hosts, how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which you have had indignation these seventy years?"
13 - The LORD answered the angel who talked with me with kind and comforting words.
14 - So the angel who talked with me said to me, "Proclaim, saying, 'The LORD of Armies says: "I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
15 - I am very angry with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, but they added to the calamity."
16 - Therefore the LORD says: "I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy. My house shall be built in it," says the LORD of Hosts, "and a line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem."'
17 - "Proclaim further, saying, 'The LORD of Armies says: "My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem."'"
18 - I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, four horns.
19 - I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these?"He answered me, "These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."
20 - The LORD showed me four craftsmen.
21 - Then I asked, "What are these coming to do?"He said, "These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up his head; but these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it."
Zechariah Images and Notes

The Book of Zechariah

Zechariah 12:9-10 - And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn.

Zechariah 13:6-7 - And [one] shall say unto him, What [are] these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, [Those] with which I was wounded [in] the house of my friends. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man [that is] my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

The Old Testament - A Brief Overview

Bible Survey - Zechariah
Hebrew Name - Zekar-yah "Yahweh is Remembered"
Greek Name - Zacharias (Greek form of the Hebrew)
Author - Zechariah (According to Tradition)
Date - 520 BC Approximately
Theme - The First and Secong Coming of Messiah
Types and Shadows - In Zechariah Jesus is the Humble King

The First Day. Light.

Summary of The Book of Zechariah

Zechariah, like Haggai and Malachi, was a prophet of the Persian period. He prophesied to the Jews who had returned from exile around 520 BC when the Persian Empire was ruling the world. Each of these prophets encouraged the Jews to continue the work of God and rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem. The prophet Zechariah begins his message reminding the Jews that the captivity had been a result of their own disobedience, and God rebuked their fathers as well. Zechariah received a series of visions in which God revealed his plan for the history and future of the world, showing that he is ultimately in control and he will fulfill the promises that were made to their fathers and to Abraham. The city of Jerusalem is seen as a city so wonderful and prosperous that it needed to be enlarged in order to contain all the people (Zechariah 2). In the vision of Joshua the high priest Zechariah saw him in filthy rags, which was no doubt the nation of Israel repenting and receiving their Messiah and being cleansed of their sins (Zechariah 3). Other visions reveal the coming judgment of God, and his victory over sin, and everything is about the Messiah and his coming. Zechariah prophesied about the nations that oppressed Israel, there be a time of destruction and later they would come to worship the Lord in Jerusalem. The prophet Zechariah spoke more about the Messiah than any of the prophets, except the prophet Isaiah. There is one fabulous prophecies of Zechariah reveals about the Messiah's death: - The above text is © Rusty Russell - Bible History Online and must be sourced for use on a website.

"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." Zechariah 12:10 

Zechariah was the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo (Zechariah 1:1, 7). He was born in Babylon and had returned to Jerusalem in the group led by Zerubbabel sixteen years previous to the time of his ministry (Nehemiah 12:4, 16). He was a contemporary of Haggai and began to prophesy two months after Haggai in 520 BC. The work of rebuilding the temple was already in progress. Zechariah preached at least two years longer than Haggai (Zechariah 7:1) and possibly even longer.

The situation was the same as described in the introduction to Haggai. The purpose of Zechariah's preaching was to strengthen the people in the reality of their calling, their history, and their future, as well as that of the nations. Zechariah also joined Haggai in the task of encouraging the construction of the temple and to see it through to its completion. Zechariah reproved the people, he gave them encouragement and exhortation, as well as the promises of God's blessing and spoke much about the Messiah and what would happen to the Jews and the nations when He comes.

The contents of the book may be analyzed further as follows :

Outline of the Book of Zechariah

The book is divided into two parts: Zechariah 1-8, concerned mainly with the rebuilding of the temple, and Zechariah 9-14, dealing with future events, notably the coming of Messiah and the glory of His reign.

Zechariah begins his book (Zechariah 1) with a reminder that the captivity had been a result of disobedience. He continues by relating a series of visions designed to show that God is in control of history and will bring a glorious blessing to the faithful remnant of His people. Jerusalem is pictured as so prosperous it is having to be enlarged to hold the people (Zechariah 2). The vision of Joshua the high priest, clothed in filthy rags (Zechariah 3) seems to be a definite prevision of the atonement of Christ. Other visions in the book point to the certainty of God's judgment and ultimate victory over sin, culminating in the coming of the Messiah.

The First Day. Light.

Zechariah Resources

The Divided Kingdom
The Northern Kingdom of Israel
The Southern Kingdom of Judah
The Assyrian Captivity
The Babylonian Captivity
The Return From Babylon
The Prophets
The Messiah

The Book of Zechariah

More About the Book of Zechariah
Zechariah in the Picture Study Bible
Chart of the Prophets of Israel and Judah
Timeline of the Ancient World
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