Zechariah
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” — Zechariah 9:9 (KJV)
Overview
- Testament: Old
- Author: Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo (1:1) — a priest-prophet (Iddo was a priestly family, Nehemiah 12:4); contemporary of Haggai; the name means “the LORD remembers”
- Date Written: 520–518 BC (chs. 1–8, precisely dated); chapters 9–14 are undated and may be from a later period of Zechariah’s ministry or even a later hand (“Deutero-Zechariah” is a significant scholarly debate); the NT cites both halves as authoritative
- Key Themes: The rebuilding of the temple as a foretaste of God’s renewed presence, eight night visions explaining God’s cosmic purposes, the Branch (Messiah) as priest-king, Israel’s future and the final Day of the LORD, the most detailed cluster of Messianic prophecies in the OT after Isaiah
- Chapters: 14
Summary
Zechariah is the most visionary prophet of the post-exilic period and one of the most Messianic books in all of the OT — the NT quotes or alludes to it more than any other minor prophet. Like his contemporary Haggai, he prophesied to encourage the rebuilding of the temple in 520 BC; but where Haggai is practical and earthbound, Zechariah is cosmic. He uses eight night visions, two oracular burdens, symbolic acts, and apocalyptic imagery to set the temple reconstruction within the framework of God’s ultimate purposes for Israel and the nations.
The book divides naturally into two halves:
Chapters 1–8 (dated, 520–518 BC): After a call to return to God (1:1–6), Zechariah receives eight night visions in rapid succession — a visual theology of God’s program for Jerusalem and the nations:
- The horsemen (1:7–17) — riders report that the nations are at rest; God will return to Jerusalem with mercy
- Four horns and four craftsmen (1:18–21) — the nations that scattered Israel will be terrified
- The measuring line (2:1–13) — Jerusalem will be too full for walls; God will be a wall of fire around her
- The cleansing of Joshua (3:1–10) — Satan accuses; God rebukes; Joshua reclothed; the Branch introduced
- The golden lampstand and olive trees (4:1–14) — “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit” (4:6); Zerubbabel will complete the temple
- The flying scroll (5:1–4) — judgment on thieves and perjurers
- The woman in the ephah (5:5–11) — wickedness transported to Babylon
- Four chariots (6:1–8) — God’s patrol of the earth; the north country quieted
The series concludes with the symbolic crowning of Joshua (6:9–15) — the priest wearing a crown, combining the two offices; the one called “the Branch” will build the true temple and be a priest upon his throne.
Chapters 9–14 (undated): These chapters are apocalyptic and Messianic in a different register — less sequential vision, more sustained oracle. The first burden (9–11) includes the Palm Sunday prophecy (9:9), the thirty pieces of silver (11:12–13), and the broken shepherd. The second burden (12–14) covers the siege of Jerusalem, the mourning over the “pierced one” (12:10), the refining of the remnant (13:9), and the climactic Day of the LORD when God’s feet stand on the Mount of Olives, it splits in two, and living waters flow from Jerusalem.
Key Characters
| Character | Role | Key Passages |
|---|---|---|
| Zechariah | Priest-prophet; visionary; son of Berechiah, son of Iddo | 1:1 |
| Zerubbabel | Governor; will complete the temple “by my Spirit” | 4:6–10; 6:12–13 |
| Joshua | High Priest; cleansed and reclothed; symbolic crown; type of the Branch | 3:1–10; 6:11–13 |
| The Branch | The coming Messianic priest-king; will build the true temple | 3:8; 6:12–13 |
| Satan | The Accuser; rebuked by the LORD before Joshua | 3:1–2 |
| The Good Shepherd | Who is rejected for thirty pieces of silver | 11:12–13 |
| The Pierced One | ”They shall look on me whom they have pierced” | 12:10 |
| The Smitten Shepherd | ”Smite the shepherd and the sheep shall scatter” | 13:7 |
The Eight Night Visions (Chapters 1–6)
| Vision | Reference | Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Horsemen | 1:7–17 | Riders among myrtle trees | Nations at peace; God will return to Jerusalem |
| 2. Four horns & craftsmen | 1:18–21 | Horns scattered Israel; craftsmen terrify them | Judgment on oppressors |
| 3. Measuring line | 2:1–13 | Man measuring Jerusalem | City will overflow; God as wall of fire |
| 4. Joshua’s cleansing | 3:1–10 | Filthy garments → clean robes | Priestly restoration; Branch announced |
| 5. Lampstand & olives | 4:1–14 | Gold lamp; two olive trees | ”Not by might but by Spirit”; Zerubbabel completes the temple |
| 6. Flying scroll | 5:1–4 | Large scroll | Curse on thieves and perjurers |
| 7. Woman in ephah | 5:5–11 | Woman in basket carried to Babylon | Wickedness removed from the land |
| 8. Four chariots | 6:1–8 | Chariots between bronze mountains | God’s patrols; north country quieted |
Key Events
| Event | Reference | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Night Visions of Zechariah | 1:7–6:8 | Eight visions in a single night: horsemen, horns, measuring line, Joshua, lampstand, scroll, ephah, chariots |
| Joshua the High Priest Clothed | 3:1–10 | Satan rebuked; Joshua’s filthy garments replaced; BRANCH announced; priestly restoration |
| King on a Donkey | 9:9–10 | ”Thy King cometh unto thee, lowly, riding upon an ass”; fulfilled at Triumphal Entry |
| Call to return | 1:1–6 | ”Return unto me and I will return unto you” |
| Crowning Joshua as type of the Branch | 6:9–15 | Priest wears a crown; “he shall bear the glory and rule on his throne" |
| "Thirty pieces of silver” thrown to the potter | 11:12–13 | Quoted in Matthew 27:9 as fulfilled by Judas |
| The pierced one mourned | 12:10 | ”They shall look upon me whom they have pierced”; mourning like Hadad-rimmon |
| The Day of the LORD in Jerusalem | 14:1–9 | Nations besiege; God’s feet on Mount of Olives; it splits; living waters; “LORD shall be king over all the earth” |
Chapter Outline
| Chapter | Section | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Return & Vision 1 | Call to return; horsemen; God’s jealousy for Jerusalem |
| 2 | Visions 2–3 | Four horns; measuring line; “I will be a wall of fire” |
| 3 | Vision 4 | Joshua cleansed; Satan rebuked; the Branch announced |
| 4 | Vision 5 | Lampstand; “not by might but by Spirit”; Zerubbabel |
| 5–6 | Visions 6–8 | Flying scroll; woman in ephah; four chariots; Joshua crowned |
| 7–8 | Fasting Questions | Did you fast for God or yourselves?; ten men grab a Jew’s robe |
| 9 | First Burden | Alexander’s path; “your king comes riding on a donkey” |
| 10 | Israel Restored | From Judah and Joseph; scattered ones gathered |
| 11 | Shepherd Rejected | Good shepherd; thirty pieces of silver; foolish shepherd |
| 12 | Pierced One Mourned | Jerusalem a cup of reeling; “they shall look on me whom they pierced” |
| 13 | Refining Remnant | Fountain opened; false prophets ashamed; shepherd smitten |
| 14 | Day of the LORD | Jerusalem besieged; Mount of Olives splits; living waters; LORD is king |
Cross-References
Old Testament:
- Isaiah 40:11 — The shepherd imagery (Zechariah 11, 13)
- Ezekiel 47:1–12 — Living waters from the temple (Zechariah 14:8)
- Daniel 9:24–27 — The seventy weeks; Messianic framework
- Micah 5:2–5 — The ruler-shepherd who comes from Bethlehem (parallel to Zechariah 9:9)
New Testament:
- Matthew 21:4–5 — Palm Sunday fulfills Zechariah 9:9
- Matthew 26:15 — Thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12–13)
- Matthew 27:9 — “Thrown to the potter” (Zechariah 11:13 — attributed to Jeremiah in Matthew, a known textual complexity)
- Matthew 26:31 — “Smite the shepherd” (Zechariah 13:7) — Jesus quotes this at Gethsemane
- John 19:37 — “They shall look on him whom they pierced” (Zechariah 12:10)
- Revelation 1:7 — “Every eye shall see him, even they who pierced him” (Zechariah 12:10)
- Revelation 22:1–2 — Living waters and the tree of life (Zechariah 14:8 base)
Key Verses
“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Return unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.” — Zechariah 1:3
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” — Zechariah 4:6
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” — Zechariah 9:9
“And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.” — Zechariah 11:12
“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.” — Zechariah 12:10
“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof… and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” — Zechariah 14:4–5
Notes & Reflections
- Zechariah contains more explicit Messianic prophecy than any OT book except Isaiah — Palm Sunday entry (9:9), betrayal price (11:12–13), the piercing (12:10), the smitten shepherd (13:7) are all fulfilled specifically in the Passion narrative
- The “Deutero-Zechariah” debate (whether chs. 9–14 are by a different author) is significant in scholarship — the stylistic shift is real, but the thematic continuity and NT attribution (quoting both halves as Zechariah) favor unified authorship or a later phase of the same prophet’s ministry
- “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit” (4:6) was addressed specifically to Zerubbabel about temple completion — but has been applied by every generation to the impossibility of God’s work being accomplished through human resources alone
- Matthew 27:9 attributes the “thirty pieces of silver” quotation to Jeremiah, not Zechariah — a famous textual difficulty; several explanations exist (ancient lectionary practice of naming sections by the first prophet; Jeremiah’s field purchase; scribal error)
- Zechariah 12:10 — “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced” — in the Hebrew, the speaker is Yahweh (“upon me”); this is used in John 19:37 and Revelation 1:7 to identify the pierced one as Jesus — and by extension, as Yahweh incarnate; it is one of the strongest OT arguments for the deity of Christ
Sequential Connections
- Preceded by: Haggai in canonical order
- Contemporary with: Haggai — both prophet to Zerubbabel and Joshua; both cited in Ezra 5:1; 6:14
- Fulfilled across the Gospels: Palm Sunday, betrayal, piercing, scattering of disciples — all Zechariah prophecies
- Eschatological fulfillment: Revelation 1:7; 14:8; 22:1–2 — Zechariah’s Day of the LORD imagery reappears in the Apocalypse
- Followed by: Malachi
Tags
OldTestament MinorProphets Zechariah Visions Messianic Branch PostExilic DayOfTheLORD PalmSunday ThirtySilver Pierced Shepherd