Study notes
This introduction labels the book of Zechariah as an oracle, which means it is an authoritative message inspired by God. The prophet Zechariah served as God's messenger, chosen to speak with God's authority.
King Darius ruled from 521 to 486 BC, during the early years of the Persian Empire. The Persian Empire ruled a large part of the ancient world from 539 to 331 BC.
The prelude identifies the book’s themes as repentance and spiritual renewal, and establishes a tone of hope and encouragement.
God gave some messages to Zechariah by speaking to him. He gave Zechariah other messages through visions. Zechariah shared these messages while the people of Judah were rebuilding the temple. The story about this is recorded in Ezra chapters 5 and 6.
The messages had two main points. The first main point was about the Mount Sinai covenant. The people of Zechariah’s time needed to be faithful to the covenant. Their people from long ago hadn’t done this. They hadn’t worshipped only God. They hadn’t treated others the way God taught them to in the Law of Moses. They hadn’t listened to the prophets who warned them to stop doing evil deeds. They hadn’t turned away from their sin and repented.
That is why God brought judgement against the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. The Assyrian government had taken control of the northern kingdom of Israel. The Babylonian government had taken control of the southern kingdom of Judah. The temple had been destroyed. Many of God’s people had been forced to leave their land. They had been scattered among other nations and lived in exile.
Many of God’s people understood that God’s judgement against them was right and fair. The people had shown how sad they were about God’s judgement. They showed it by mourning and going without food at certain times. Zechariah explained the way that God wanted them to show their sadness. It wasn’t by fasting. It was by treating people with justice. This was like the message about fasting recorded in Isaiah chapter 58. God had explained how to treat people with justice in the Law of Moses. After the exile God’s people were still required to follow those laws.
the LORD of Hosts: God has an infinite number of angelic troops ready to do his will (see 2 Kings 6:17; Matthew 26:53). The phrase was probably meant to be an encouragement to the Judeans.
Return to me: Repentance means a complete change. It is a move away from sin and self towards loyalty to God and his covenant (see Isaiah 44:22; Malachi 3:7; see also Psalms 80:3–14; 85:4–8).
Before the exile in Babylon, earlier prophets urged Judah and Israel to repent. Zechariah shows the influence of Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
your fathers … they did not listen: The people of Israel (2 Kings 17:13–14) and Judah (2 Chronicles 36:15–16) went into exile because they stubbornly ignored the word of the Lord (compare 2 Chronicles 30:7).
did not My words … overtake your fathers?: The covenant curses described in Deuteronomy 28:15–68 had come upon their ancestors because they refused to obey God.
Zechariah's first vision shows God's concern for Jerusalem (Zechariah 1:7–15). This is followed by a response (Zechariah 1:16–17) that confirms God's plans to rebuild the temple and restore the city's prosperity.
These eight visions helped the Judeans overcome their fears and trust in God's promises. The visions happened two months after Haggai's last two messages (Haggai 2:10–19, 20–23). They suggest that Haggai's prophecies were coming true.
The vision during the night follows a standard pattern:
an introductory statement,
a description of the vision,
the prophet’s request for an interpretation, and
an angelic explanation.
The myrtle trees were likely in the wooded Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. The Lord had symbolically returned to the edge of the city. He had not yet entered Jerusalem because the temple was still being rebuilt.
The colors of the red, brown, and white horses are not important to this vision’s meaning. These angelic riders patrolled the earth (Zechariah 1:10), showing God’s ongoing concern for Jerusalem.
Patrol suggests the angelic riders continuously watch over the earth.
The man on a red horse among the myrtle trees (Zechariah 1:8) is referred to as the angel of the Lord (compare Genesis 16:7–13; Exodus 23:23; 32:34; Judges 13:21–22).
I am very jealous: This phrase shows intense devotion. It can lead to hatred and envy or zeal and dedication. God is jealous because, as the one true and living God, he has exclusive rights to his creatures' worship (see Exodus 20:5; 34:14).
Jerusalem represents the areas ruled by Judean kings, and Mount Zion was where the Lord's temple stood.
The word again appears four times in Hebrew to stress God's definite plan to restore Jerusalem.
Then I looked up suggests the prophet was interrupted by another vision while still focused on the previous one (also in Zechariah 2:1; 5:1; 6:1).
Horns symbolized power and authority in the biblical world and might represent an individual ruler (see Daniel 7:8; 8:8), a family line of kings, or nations.
The second vision reveals God's plan to judge the nations that destroyed Jerusalem and exiled Judah. The prophet does not specify which nations the four horns represent. It is best to see the number four as a symbol for all nations that will face divine judgment for scattering God's people.
The word translated as blacksmiths could refer to any type of craftsman, such as a mason, carpenter, or smith. If the horns representing the nations were metal (see 1 Kings 22:11), then blacksmiths were suitable for the task of destroying them (see 2 Chronicles 24:12; Isaiah 44:12).
scattered Judah: They literally raised their horns against Judah.
The Lord would cut off those horns, throw them to the ground, and end their authority. The Judeans did not need to fear the nearby nations.
Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources