Zechariah (chapters 1-8), much like Haggai, seeks to comfort the Jewish exiles returning from Babylonian captivity, attempting to strengthen their resolution to rebuild the temple. He promises that they will indeed rebuild the temple and that YHWH will return to Jerusalem and live there with the people (1.16; 2.10-12; 8.3). The towns will overflow with prosperity (1.17), and Jerusalem will have so many men and livestock that there will be no wall – instead, YHWH himself will be a wall of fire around it and the glory within it (2.4-5). Zerubbabel will complete the building of the temple (4.7-9), and he and Joshua the High Priest will be YHWH's two messiahs (4.14), serving together in harmony (6.11-15). Also, people will live to a ripe old age and sit in the city streets among playing children (8.4-5), and YHWH will save his people from foreign countries and bring the rest of the exiles back to Jerusalem (8.7-8). Seeds, vines, and crops will grow in abundance, the heavens will drop their dew, and many foreigners and great nations will come to Jerusalem to seek YHWH because they will hear about him (8.20-23; 2.11). Thus, Zechariah envisions two messiahs, a king and a priest, who serve YHWH in righteousness during a time of earthly prosperity brought about by YHWH himself, and the text makes it clear that Zechariah believed in an imminent fulfillment of his prophecy in the lives of those to whom he prophesied. Here is an outline of the book of Zechariah:
· 1.1. In the eighth month of the second year of Darius [520 bce], the word of YHWH came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo:
· 1.3. Thus says YHWH of armies, “Return to Me,” declares YHWH of armies, “that I may return to you,” says YHWH of armies.
· 1.14-17: 14. So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says YHWH of armies, “I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. 15. “But I am very angry with the nations who are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster.” 16. ‘Therefore thus says YHWH, “I will return to Jerusalem with compassion; My house will be built in it,” declares YHWH of armies, “and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem.”’ 17. “Again, proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says YHWH of armies, “My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and YHWH will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”’”
· 1.18-21: First use of horns as symbols for oppressive nations / enemies of the Jews. This would be influential in Revelation in the Christian Era.
· 2.4-5: ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the multitude of men and cattle within it. ‘For I,’ declares YHWH, ‘will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”
· 2.10-12: 10. “Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares YHWH. 11. “Many nations will join themselves to YHWH in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that YHWH of armies has sent Me to you. 12. “YHWH will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem."
· 3 – In Zechariah's vision, YHWH changes the clothing of Joshua, the high priest, from dirty to clean, and he promises to send his servant, the branch – a reference to the branch of the house of David, an allusion to previous prophets (Jer 23.5; 33.15; Is 4.2; 11.1; 49.3; 53.2; see also Zech 6.12).
· 2 anointed/messiahs: 4 – Zechariah sees a golden lamp stand with 7 lamps flanked by 2 olive trees. The 7 lamps are said to be the eyes of YHWH (4.10), and the 2 olive trees, “These are the two anointed ones (messiahs) who are standing by the Lord of the whole land (ha eretz)” [i.e. Zerubbabel and Joshua] (4.14).
· Zerubbabel will finish the Temple: 4.6-10: 6. Then he said to me, “This is the word of YHWH to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says YHWH of armies. 7. ‘What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’” 8. Also the word of YHWH came to me, saying, 9. “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that YHWH of armies has sent me to you. 10. “For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel—these are the eyes of YHWH which range to and fro throughout the earth.”
· 6 – Vision of 4 chariots (red, black, white, and dappled horses): "These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord of all the land" (6.5).
o These 4 chariots of colored horses will influence later apocalyptic literature, incl. Revelation.
· 6.11-15: 11. “Take silver and gold, make an ornate crown and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12. “Then say to him, ‘Thus says YHWH of armies, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for he will branch out from where he is; and he will build the temple of YHWH. 13. “Yes, it is he who will build the temple of YHWH, and he who will bear the honor and sit and rule on his throne. Thus, he will be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.”’ 14. “Now the crown will become a reminder in the temple of YHWH to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen the son of Zephaniah. 15. “Those who are far off will come and build the temple of YHWH.” Then you will know that YHWH of armies has sent me to you. And it will take place if you completely obey YHWH your God.
o N.B. In the current text of chapter 6, only Joshua is crowned, whereas 4.14 had already stated that there would be 2 messiahs, 2 olive trees before YHWH. Cf. Haggai as well, pairing Zerubbabel and Joshua. What happened? See explication below.
· 7.1. In the fourth year of King Darius [518 bce], the word of YHWH came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev.
· 7.8. Then the word of YHWH came to Zechariah saying, 9. “Thus has YHWH of armies said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; 10. and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’
o widows, orphans, strangers, and the poor – cf. Hammurabi, Mesopotamian law, Mosaic law.
· Peace and Prosperity for Jerusalem: 8.1-8: 1. Then the word of YHWH of armies came, saying, 2. “Thus says YHWH of armies, ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ 3. “Thus says YHWH, ‘I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of YHWH of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.’ 4. “Thus says YHWH of armies, ‘Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age. 5. ‘And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.’ 6. “Thus says YHWH of enemies, ‘If it is too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be too difficult in My sight?’ declares YHWH of armies. 7. “Thus says YHWH of armies, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; 8. and I will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.’
· 8.11-13: 11. ‘But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares YHWH of armies. 12. ‘For there will be peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. 13. ‘It will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be strong.’
· 8.22. ‘So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek YHWH of armies in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of YHWH.’ 23. “Thus says YHWH of armies, ‘In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”
Did the words of Haggai and Zechariah come to pass? The Jews did manage, after political troubles and much outside interference, to rebuild a temple for YHWH in Jerusalem and to re-institute the sacrifice system. However, instead of Zerubbabel becoming YHWH's signet ring and "chosen" one (as Haggai hoped) or one of two messiahs (as Zechariah hoped), he disappeared from history, not unlikely from execution or deportation after a revolt against Persia.[1] Many scholars suggest that he probably led a messianic movement to restore the kingdom but failed.[2] After Zerubbabel's removal, which upset the messianic hopes of many, Joshua the High Priest and his successors became the leaders of Palestinian Jewry. This explains the supposed amendment of the text of Zechariah 6:11-15 by the removal of Zerubbabel's name, making Joshua the High Priest the only one crowned in that chapter, after Zechariah had previously called both Joshua and Zerubbabel "two messiahs" (Zech 4.14).[3] Years later, "following a second uprising against Persia, the country was ravaged, many of the people were slain, and the city of Jerusalem was reduced again to ruins."[4] The most glorious visions for post-exilic Israel remained disappointed – those words of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Second Isaiah calling for the reunification of Israel and Judah under a great king-messiah, the destruction of all the Gentile enemies, and the age of perfect peace and material prosperity with the exaltation of the Jews, the Mosaic law, and YHWH among the nations. Nevertheless, the Jewish people who had returned and rebuilt would continue to hope for greatness.
Addendum: Zechariah 9-14:
Scholars debate the date and authorship of Zechariah 9-14, and without a definite historical context in which to place these chapters, I will cover 9-10 presently and 12-14 separately. Chapters 9-10 speak of the destruction of Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, Sidon, Ashkelon, Gaza, and Ekron, and they promise that never again will any nation overrun and oppress Israel (9.1-8, a recurring yet ever disappointed hope, as Jerusalem and Israel would be overrun and oppressed many times afterward). A gentle, peace-loving king will enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey; he will remove the chariots, war-horses, and battle bows from Ephraim and Jerusalem and will proclaim peace to the nations, and his rule will extend to the ends of the land (ha eretz) (9.9-10). The prophet here presents a peaceful political messiah-king who addresses an international audience. This prophecy, as those before it, did not come to fruition, as the Persians thwarted any Jewish attempts to reestablish an independent kingdom; however, these ideas remained a hope, even when the original circumstances and details had changed.
· 9.8-10: 8. But I will camp around my house because of an army, because of him who passes by and returns; and no oppressor will pass over them anymore, for now I have seen with my eyes. 9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; he is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; and the bow of war will be cut off. And he will speak peace to the nations; and his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the land (ha eretz).
o Verse 9.9 is yet another of the many scattered/isolated verses that will eventually be woven by Christian writers into their stories of Jesus.
For Zechariah 12-14, see Appendix C: Zechariah 12-14 in the paper on Messianism.
[1] Bamberger 40.
[2] Cook 168, Ackroyd "Zerubbabel" 1056.
[3] Klausner 195-6, Bamberger 40, Hanson 1159.
[4] Bamberger 40, Cook 183.