THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ZECHARIAH
Lesson 1: The Introduction and Chapters 1-2
Part I: The Summons to Conversion, the First Three Visions of the Horsemen, the Horns and Smiths, and the Angelic Measurer
Eternal Lord,
You are the Master of our present and our future. The
entire destiny of humanity is in Your hands, as we, Your humble servants,
strive to fulfill Your will for our lives. We cannot see what lies ahead in
our future any more than Zechariah could comprehend his future and the future
of the covenant people. You only gave him glimpses of future events, but he
trusted in Your divine providence and took up the mission of fulfilling his
small part in Your divine plan. Give us, Lord, the same spirit of humility and
faith to march forward in faith in our present to fulfill Your divine plan for
our future. We pray in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
+ + +
You serpents,
brood of vipers, how can you escape being condemned to hell? This is why,
look, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some you will
slaughter and crucify, some you will scourge in your synagogues and hunt from
town to town; and so you will draw down on yourselves the blood of every
upright person that has been shed on earth, from the blood of Abel the holy to
the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah whom you murdered between the sanctuary
and the altar. In truth I tell you, it will all recoil on this generation.
Matthew 23:33-36
(from Jesus' sevenfold indictment of the Scribes and Pharisees and recounting the martyrdom of the Prophet Zechariah)
Introduction
Zechariah is the eleventh of the twelve minor prophets. The Book of Zechariah in the Old Testament Christian canon comes after the Book of Haggai and before the Book of Malachi, the last of the Old Testament books in the Christian Bible. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were Yahweh's holy prophets to the Jewish people during the years after their return from the Babylonian exile and before the first advent of the Christ. The priest Zechariah was the younger associate of the prophet Haggai.
In 539 BC, King Cyrus the Great of Persia issued an Edict of Return, allowing the people displaced by the Babylonians to return to their homelands. Within the next year after the issuing his decree, the first group of citizens of the former Southern Kingdom of Judah returned to what had become the Persian province of Judah. The young priest, Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo returned with this first group of exiles when he was a child. Zechariah's name means "Yahweh remembers." It is one of the most frewuently used names in the Bible shared by thirty different men including the priestly father of St. John the Baptist.
He is called the son of Berechiah in 1:1 and 7 but the son of Iddo in Ezra 5:1 and 6:11. Most Biblical scholars identify Zechariah with the priestly family of Iddo mentioned in Nehemiah 12:16. He was, therefore, a descendant of Moses' brother, the first High Priest Aaron, and a member of one of the priestly families born in Babylon during the exile. The most likely explanation is that Zechariah's father Bereahiah died in Babylon, and Zechariah's name appeared in the list of returnees as the son of Iddo (meaning grandson) who returned to Judah in the first group of exiles led by Davidic prince Sheshbazzar and his nephew Zerubbabel who both served as Persian governors of Judah (Ezra 1:11; 2:2; 3:1-2).
With funds provided by Cyrus, the returned exiles immediately began rebuilding the city of Jerusalem and the holy Temple that had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 587/6 BC (Ezra 3:8-13). However, they experienced strong opposition from their neighbors, especially the Samaritans who occupied what had been the Northern Kingdom of Israel (2 Kng Chapter 17), and work on the Temple stopped in c. 534 BC Ezra 4:4-5, 24). To address the failure, God called His prophets Haggai and Zechariah to urge the covenant people to complete rebuilding the Temple (Ezra 5:1-2). While Haggai spoke to the people with strong words of rebuke and threats of divine judgment, Zechariah offered positive encouragements. He told the people that God was calling them to rebuild the Temple because someday the glory of the Redeemer-Messiah would inhabit it! The completion of the Temple in 520 BC signaled the beginning of the promises of Zechariah concerning the future Messianic Age (Ezra 6:14-15).
The Book of Zechariah divides into two parts:
Part I: Chapters 1-8 are in the same period as the
ministry of the prophet Haggai (520-517 BC). Zechariah's ministry began two
months after Haggai's, and like the Book of Haggai, the Book of Zechariah dates
his prophecies in Chapters 1-8 that relate to crucial events impacting specific
individuals in the time frame between 520 to 518 BC. During this period, with
Haggai's urging, the Jews resumed work on the Temple, trusting God to protect
them from the Samaritans and their other belligerent neighbors. The covenant
people completed the Temple in 517 BC, seventy years after its destruction by
the Babylonians. Part I of Zechariah's prophecies end before the Temple
dedication in 518 BC.
Part II: Chapters 9-14 are not dated because, unlike Chapters 1-8, these prophecies do not relate to current history but are eschatological (focused on the end times) in nature and oriented toward the distant future. References to Greece (9:13) suggest a date between 480 and 470 BC, after the death of Cyrus' son and successor, King Darius I (521-486 BC) and during the reign of his son, King Ahasuerus/Xerxes I, the husband of Esther (486-464 BC) when Esther's uncle Mordecai was Ahasuerus/Xerxes' prime minister.
| BIBLICAL PERIOD | #9 THE REMNANT OF JUDAH RETURNS | |||
| FOCUS |
Zechariah's present: (Chapters 1-8) |
The eschatological future (Chapters 9-14) |
||
| COVENANT | The Sinai Covenant and Davidic Covenant | |||
| SCRIPTURE | 1:1------------1:7----------------------9:1-----------------12:1-------------14:21 | |||
| DIVISION |
Summons to repentance / conversion and first oracle |
Visions and messages to the covenant people | Rejection of the Messiah | Reign of the Messiah |
| TOPIC | The beginning of Zechariah's mission | Addressing Judah's present | Predicting the first Advent of the Messiah | Predicting the second Advent of the Messiah |
| Transforming Judah's present | The Future Messianic Age and its Conclusion | |||
| LOCATION | Jerusalem | |||
| TIME |
Chapters 1:1-8:21 = 520-518 BC Chapters 9:1-14:21 = c. 480-470 BC |
|||
The theme of the Book of Zechariah is God takes care of
His covenant people with His divine protection in their present struggles against
their enemies and has a divine plan for them in the future that includes the
Messiah and the outpouring of His Spirit:
Part I: In Judah's present, God, through His prophet,
encouraged the people as they struggled to rebuild their Temple, calling them
to repent their sins (1:2-6) and to show compassion and mercy for the
vulnerable (7:4-14). God gave Zechariah eight visions to express His continued
concern for the protection and restoration of His people (1:16-17, 20; 2:11-12;
8:3-23) as well as the importance of the Persian governor and Davidic Prince
Zerubbabel and the High Priest Joshua (Yahshua/Jesus) in His divine plan
(3:1-14; 6:9-15).
Part II: God has a divine plan for His people's distant
future. He will bring great blessings to a spiritually restored Jerusalem. He
will avenge their sufferings and destroy their enemies (9:1-8). He will send
His people the promised Davidic King-Messiah who will usher in a time of peace before
His people reject Him (Chapters 9-11). However, God will gather together His
scattered people (10:1-11:13) who will have victory over those who oppose God's
will that will result in a spiritual cleansing of the land and the people
(12:1-13:9). God's plan will reach its fulfillment in the return of the
Messiah-King and His final victory over evil when all humanity submits to His
rule (14:1-21).
As a chief priest, Zechariah served under Joshua (Yahshua) the reigning High Priest of the restored Jerusalem Temple.1 In Part I of the Book of Zechariah, Chapters 1-8 have the same historical setting as the Book of Haggai, and in this period, Zechariah had a series of eight visions and a series of divine messages/oracles. His prophetic visions contain vivid symbols that include an angelic being who interprets the visions for him but inexplicably leaves some of the symbols unexplained. In Part II, the eschatological messages refer to the mission of a Davidic Messiah in two advents. Zechariah, like God's other prophets, comprehends only the outline of God's divine plan without discerning God's long-term goals. The meaning of the visions in Part I and messages in Part II do not come into focus until the advent of the Davidic Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, and the complementary visions in the last book in the New Testament canon, The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John.
| Zechariah's Eight Visions | Symbolic Significance |
| 1. The man on a red horse among myrtle trees (1:8) | God will again extend His mercy to Jerusalem (1:14, 16-17) |
| 2. Four horns and four smiths (2:1-3) | Enemies who scatter Judah are cast out by angelic powers (2:4) |
| 3. The man with a measuring line (2:1) | God will provide a protective wall of holy fire around Jerusalem (2:3-5) |
| 4. The cleansing of the High Priest Joshua (3:4) | Removing Judah's guilt in preparation for the coming of God's Servant, the Branch, who will save His people (3:8-9) |
| 5. The golden lampstand and the two olive trees (4:2-3) | God empowers His people by His spirit (4:6) |
| 6. The flying scroll (5:1) | Dishonesty is cursed (5:3) |
| 7. The woman of wickedness in a barrel/basket (5:6-7) | Wickedness removed (5:9) |
| 8. The four chariots (6:1) | God's judgment executed on the world (6:5-7) |
Seven of Zechariah's eight visions find counterparts in the Book of Revelation:
| Zechariah's Eight Visions | The Link Between Zechariah's Visions and the Book of Revelation |
| 1. The man on a red horse with three other horses among myrtle trees (1:8) |
The four riders on white, red, black, and pale horses (Rev 6:1-9) |
| 2. Four horns and four smiths (1:18-20) | |
| 3. The man/angel with a measuring line (2:1) | John receives a measuring line and is told to measure God's Sanctuary (Rev 11:1). An angel measures the walls and gates of the Messianic Jerusalem (21:15). |
| 4. The cleansing of the High Priest Joshua (3:4) | The spotless Bride of the lamb (Rev 19:8). |
| 5. The golden lampstand with seven eyes and the two olive trees (4:2-3) | The seven golden lampstands (Rev 1:12, 20) and the two olive trees (Rev 11:4) |
| 6. The flying scroll (5:1) | The small scroll (Rev 11:8-11) |
| 7. The woman of wickedness in a barrel/basket (5:6-7) | The wicked woman riding a scarlet beast (Rev 17:3-7) |
| 8. The four chariots (6:1) | The four horsemen (Rev 6:2-8) |
Zechariah's Oracles in Part I
The five oracles in Chapters 1-6:
*the only oracle that does not begin with "the word of Yahweh was addressed to/came to Zechariah."
The seven oracles in 8:1-17 concerning the restoration of Zion (verses numbered according to the NJB but may be numbered differently in other translations)
#1 = 8:2; #2 = 8:3; #3 = 8:4-5; #4 = 8:6; #5 = 8:7-8; #6 = 8:9-13; #7 = 8:14-17
In the second part of the book (Chapters 9-14), Zechariah receives two oracles, sometimes referred to as "burdens" concerning the prediction of the rejection of the Davidic Messiah, followed by a prophecy of the triumphal reign of the Messiah. The last six chapters look forward in time to the historical events that herald the Messianic Age. These events include the rise of Greece as a future power in the region and the advent and rejection of the Messiah followed by His final triumph and the end of the Age of Humanity.
All the dates in Part I of the Book of Zechariah fall between 520 and 518 BC (see 1:1, 7 and 7:1). Chronology relevant to the Book of Zechariah in Chapters 1-8 and the era of the return of the citizens of Judah from exile:
*Zechariah began his ministry and had his first vision in what was still the second year of King Darius or 520 BC because the year didn't change for the Persians until the spring equinox. The 519 BC date is how we count the years with the year changing on January 1st.
We are using the New Jerusalem Bible translation for our study. It is the most read Bible translation in the world outside the United States. The abbreviation IBHE refers to the Interlinear Bible translation of the Old Testament in Hebrew with an English translation while IBGE refers to the Interlinear Bible translation of the New Testament in Greek with an English translation. NAB refers to the New American Bible translation.
Chapter I: The Summons to Repentance and Conversion and the First Vision
Zechariah 1:1-6 ~ The Summons to Repentance and Conversion
1 In the second
year of Darius, in the eighth month, the word of Yahweh was addressed to the
prophet Zechariah (son of Berechiah)*, son of Iddo, as follows, 2 "Yahweh was deeply
angry with your ancestors. 3 So,
say this to them, Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Return to me, Yahweh Sabaoth
declares, and I will return to you, says Yahweh Sabaoth. 4 Do not be like your ancestors when the
prophets in the past cried to them: Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Turn back from
your evil ways and evil deeds; they would not listen or pay attention to me,
Yahweh declares. 5 Where are your
ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did not my words and statutes, with which
I had charged my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors just the
same?'" So they repented and said, "Yahweh Sabaoth has treated us as he
resolved to do, and as our ways and deeds deserved."
*One of several scribal glosses. Iddo was Zechariah's
grandfather, and the genealogical reference is telescoped in the same way
Matthew 1:1 refers to Jesus as "son of David."
1 In the second
year of Darius, in the eighth month, the word of Yahweh was addressed to the
prophet Zechariah (son of Berechiah)*, son of Iddo
The first oracle begins with the phrase “the word of Yahweh”; it will be repeated thirteen times
(1:1, 7; 4:6, 8; 6:9; 7:1, 4, 8; 8:1, 18; 9:1; 11:11; 12:1).
King Darius I of Persia came to the throne in 522 BC in what was his "accession year" until the Persian turn of the year on the spring equinox at which time 521 became the first year of his reign. Therefore, the second year of Darius was 520 BC, and the date of Zechariah's call to his prophetic ministry is the eighth month, the month of Heshvan in the Jewish liturgical calendar, (our October/November) and two months after the first prophecy of his contemporary prophet, Haggai (Hag 1:1).
The dates in the ministries of Haggai and Zechariah in the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia that corresponds to 520 BC:
| Haggai | Zechariah |
| Haggai's calling and first oracle were on the 1st day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius or August 520 BC. | |
| Haggai's second oracle was on the 21st day of the seventh month in the second year of Darius or October 520 BC. | |
| Zechariah's calling and first oracle were in the 8th month in the second year of Darius or October/November 520 BC. | |
| Haggai's third oracle was on the 24th day of the ninth month in the second year of Darius or December 520 BC. | |
| Haggai's fourth oracle was also on the 24th day of the ninth month in the second year of Darius or in December 520 BC. | |
| Zechariah's four visions all occurred on the 24th day of the eleventh month in the second year of Darius or mid-February 520 BC.* | |
| Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2019 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved. | |
*We would record the year as 519 BC, but it was still the second year of King Darius' reign since the Persian year did not change until the spring equinox in March.
The formula statement for Zechariah's revelations, "the word of Yahweh was addressed to" (or came to), appears in 1:1, 7; 4:8; 6:9; 7:1, 8; 8:18, and "the word of Yahweh Sabaoth came" is in 8:1 and 18.
Yahweh Sabaoth means "Yahweh of the heavenly host
(of angels)" and defines God's supreme authority over the heavenly realm. God's
title "Sabaoth" appears 52 times in the Book of Zechariah and always with the
divine name, Yahweh, while the divine name alone appears 135 times. Other
translations usually replace what is the divine name in the Hebrew text with
the word LORD, or GOD in all capital letters. To its credit, the NJB always
displays the divine name when it appears in the sacred text.
Question: How many times is God called "Yahweh
Sabaoth" in this passage?
Answer: Five times.
2 "Yahweh was deeply angry with your ancestors.
Question: Why was Yahweh "deeply angry" with the
ancestors of the citizens of Judah? What was the result of His divine wrath?
See Lev 26:14-46 and Dt 28:15-68.
Answer: They broke their covenant with Yahweh by
embracing pagan gods and disobeying His covenant laws and prohibitions. Their
disobedience invoked the covenant judgments of the removal of God's protection,
conquest by a foreign power, and exile in a foreign land.
3 So, say this to
them, Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Return to me, Yahweh Sabaoth declares, and I
will return to you, says Yahweh Sabaoth.
God is always ready to forgive. St. Augustine taught,
"God does not withdraw, or does he draw near; he does not change when he
chastises, nor is he tainted by this world when he punishes. If he is far from
you, it is because you have strayed far from him. It was you who fell away
from him, not he who hid himself from you. Now, listen to what he says: Return
to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you; in other words: I
cannot come to you if you do not return to me.' God goes towards those who
turn back to him and illumines the faces of those who turn to face him again.
O fugitive! Where will you flee from God? [...] He is your judge; turn to him,
and you will meet your father" (Sermones, 142.4).
In verses 2-6, Yahweh directed Zechariah to express His anger with the covenant people's ancestors but at the same time also His mercy in His invitation for them to "return" to Him, "turn back from" the evil ways of former generations. God commands Zechariah to tell the people to learn from their failures when they did not heed Yahweh's warnings His prophets delivered became subject to His divine judgments. The "prophets in the past" in verse 4 refers to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Although the prophets who delivered His messages have passed away, the word of God spoken to them by those prophets continues (verses 5-6).
7b So they
repented and said, "Yahweh Sabaoth has treated us as he resolved to do, and as
our ways and deeds deserved."
The people of Judah respond positively to Yahweh's
message delivered by Zechariah; they repent, acknowledging the justness of
God's judgments, and "return" to their covenant relationship with the God of
Israel.
Notice the connection between the activities of the covenant people and Yahweh's response to them in 1:2-16:
| The People's return | Yahweh's return |
| 1:2, 4 Yahweh was deeply angry with your ancestors [...] Do not be like your ancestors when the prophets in the past cried to them | 1:3 So say this to them, "Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Return to me, Yahweh Sabaoth declares, and I will return to you, says Yahweh Sabaoth." |
| 1:6 So they repented and said, "Yahweh Sabaoth has treated us as he resolved to do, and as our ways and deeds deserved." | 1:16 So now Yahweh says this: In compassion I have returned to Jerusalem; my Temple will be rebuilt there, Yahweh Sabaoth declares, and the measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem. |
Zechariah 1:7-17 ~ The First Vision: The Horsemen
Among the Myrtle Trees
7 On the
twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month of Shebat), in the second
year of Darius, the word of Yahweh was addressed to the prophet Zechariah (son
of Berechiah), son of Iddo, as follows, 8 "I
had a vision during the night. There was a man riding a red horse standing
among the deep-rooted myrtles; behind him were other horses: red, chestnut and
white. 9 I said, What are these
my lord?' And the angel who was talking to me said, I will show you what they
are.' 10 The man standing among the
myrtles then replied, Those are they whom Yahweh has sent to patrol the world.'
11 They reported to the angel of
Yahweh as he stood among the myrtles, We have been patrolling the world, and
indeed the whole world is still and at peace.' 12 The angel of Yahweh then spoke and said, Yahweh Sabaoth, how
long will you wait before taking pity on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, on
which you have inflicted your anger for the past seventy years?' 13 Yahweh
then replied with kind and comforting words to the angel who was talking to
me. 14 The angel who was talking
to me then said to me, Make this proclamation: Yahweh Sabaoth says this: I am
burning with jealousy for Jerusalem and Zion 15 but am deeply angry with the nations now at ease; before, I
was only mildly angry, but they contributed to the disaster. 16 So now Yahweh
says this: In compassion I have returned to Jerusalem; my Temple [House] will
be rebuilt there, Yahweh Sabaoth declares, and the measuring line will be
stretched over Jerusalem. 17 Make
this proclamation too: Yahweh Sabaoth says this: My cities are once more to be
very prosperous. Yahweh will comfort Zion once again, and again make Jerusalem
his choice.'" [...] = Hebrew translation IBHE, vol. III, page 2158.
Zechariah's eight visions take place during the night of the twenty-fourth day of Shebat (mid-February) in 520 BC, in the second year in the reign of King Darius I of Persia. However, he is not dreaming; he is fully awake and engaged. All of Zechariah's visions date to 520 BC, two months after the prophet Haggai received God's command to call the returned exiles to continue rebuilding the Temple (Hag 1:1). The interpreter of Zechariah's visions is the "Angel of Yahweh." The Hebrew phrase, ha-mak'ak-YHWH (the messenger of Yahweh) is the most frequently used designation of an angelic figure in the Old Testament, and the prophet Haggai is also called mal'ak-YHWH in Haggai 1:13. Ha-mak'ak-YHWH mediates the visions for the prophets Ezekiel (Ex 40:3ff) and Zechariah.
The Angel of Yahweh is a familiar Biblical figure who stands at the head of Yahweh's Divine Council in the heavenly Sanctuary and is God's special messenger. Some examples of the missions of the "Angel of Yahweh/Angel of God" in the Old Testament:
The special designation "Angel of Yahweh" appears seven times in the Book of Zechariah (1:11, 12; 3:1, 2, 5, 6; 12:8). His mission is to interpret the visions of God's divine plan to Zechariah.
The first vision has a series of exchanges between Zechariah, Yahweh, the Angel of Yahweh who interprets the vision, and the angel horseman. The Angel of Yahweh is the chief angelic messenger (probably the "man" of 1:8) and the interpreting angel for each vision. A summary of the exchange between the key figures in Zechariah 1:9-17:
Zechariah sees a man standing among the myrtle trees, a man riding a red horse, and three other horses, apparently also with riders. All those described as looking like "men" are angels. The English word "angel" is from the Greek word angelos that means "messenger" and is a translation of the Hebrew word mal'ak that also means "messenger." Angels are spiritual, noncorporeal beings who are Yahweh's messengers and members of His heavenly court. Only the Book of Revelation has more interactions between a prophet and God's spiritual messengers.
Zechariah asks one angel (it is unclear if he is the figure on the red horse or the angle of Yahweh referred to as the "standing angel") what does his vision mean. The mission of the Angel of Yahweh is to interpret the visions for Zechariah. The "standing angel" answers: Those are they whom Yahweh has sent to patrol the world.' 11 They reported to the angel of Yahweh as he stood among the myrtles, We have been patrolling the world, and indeed the whole world is still and at peace.'"
In Scripture, four is the number of the earth: the four seasons, the four cardinal directions, the four angels keeping watch at the corners of the world, holding back the four winds (Rev 7:1); and the four lunar phases. The four angels report that the "world is still and at peace." Under the rule of Persian King Darius I there was "worldwide peace" in the region, even in Judah where Darius commanded her neighbors to cease causing disruptions to her citizens (Ezra 6:1-12).
The myrtle trees mentioned three times in verses 8, 10, and 11 have deep roots, perhaps suggesting a symbolic anchoring of the earth. The Mediterranean myrtle (myrtus communis) is a small-leaved, aromatic, evergreen shrub that reaches a height of about 15 feet with a spread of about 20 feet when fully mature. In the Bible, myrtle trees symbolize life and fertility, and the image of restored Israel (Neh 8:15; Is 41:19; 55:13). Myrtle trees are mentioned three times in the Book of Zechariah (Zec 1:8, 10, 11). It would provide cover for the horses even in mid-February at the time of the vision.
The standing "man" in verse 10 is the Angel of Yahweh who some scholars suggest might be the pre-Incarnate Christ. A century earlier, the angels Michael and Gabriel had a similar mission in their interaction with the prophet Daniel (Dan 8:16; 9:21; 12:1). Michael (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9; Rev 12:7), Gabriel (Dan 8:16; 9:21; Lk 1:11, 19, 26), and Raphael (Tob 12:5-11; 12:15) are the three angels the Church venerates by name. They are probably three of the seven archangels who surround the throne of God (Ps 96:7; 102:20; Dan 7:9-10; Tob 12:15; Rev 8:2-5).
Question: What role will the angels Michael and
Gabriel have in the New Testament? See Lk 1:19, 26; Jude 9, and Rev 12:7.
Answer: Gabriel is the spiritual messenger who
revealed God's plans to Zechariah, the priestly father of St. John the Baptist,
and to the Virgin Mary concerning the Incarnation of the Christ. St. Jude
called Michael an archangel. In the Book of Revelation, Michael leads the
angelic hosts into battle against Satan and the spirits of darkness, expelling
them from Heaven.
The horses and their riders represent the angels who patrol the earth, keeping all the activities of humanity and the forces of nature under their surveillance. St. John also receives a vision of horsemen in the Book of Revelation 6:1-9. The four horsemen of John's vision are similar to Zechariah 1:8-10 and the four chariots in 6:1-3. However, the four horsemen in St. John's vision are not patrolling the earth to maintain peace; they symbolize the four judgments/scourges with which God threatens the earth and its faithless people.
12 The angel of
Yahweh then spoke and said, "Yahweh Sabaoth, how long will you wait before
taking pity on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, on which you have inflicted
your anger for the past seventy years?"
Notice that the Angel of Yahweh and not Zechariah
intercedes with God on behalf of the people of Jerusalem and Judah. Some
Biblical scholars suggest that his intercession identifies him as Michael, the
defender of the covenant people. Scripture and Catholic tradition supports and
defends the existence of angels (CCC 328-36). Pope Clement X (r. 1670-76)
approved the devotion to guardian angels (cf. Dan 4:10, 20; 10:10, 13, 20; Mt 18:10; Acts 16:6). Rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple will bring an end to God's
wrath with His people.
Question: What are the seventy years that the angel of the Lord
refers to in verse 12, who are the "nations now at ease," and what is "Zion" in
verses 14 and 17? See Jer 25:1-14; 29:10; Dan 9:2-4; 2 Chron 36:21 and Zec 1:15.
Answer: The seventy years refers to the covenant people's exile
in Babylon. The "nations now at ease" in verse 15 are Judah's neighbors
who have profited at her expense, and Zion in verses 14 and 17 refers to the
faithful of the Old Covenant Church.
The seventy years have a historical fulfillment if counted from the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 587/6 BC followed by the final great exile of the citizens of Judah until the rebuilding and dedication of the Temple in 517/6 BC.
13 Yahweh then replied with
kind and comforting words to the angel who was talking to me. 14 The angel who was talking to me then said to
me, "Make this proclamation: Yahweh Sabaoth says this: I am burning with
jealousy for Jerusalem and Zion 15 but
am deeply angry with the nations now at ease; before, I was only mildly angry,
but they contributed to the disaster."
God assures the angel who interceded for the covenant people that He
will take pity on the people of Judah. His anger is turning from them to the
nations who are taking advantage of their plight. The command to proclaim in
verse 14 appears only here and once more in verse 17 in the Book of Zechariah.
The Interpreting angel provides an oracle from Yahweh and tells the prophet to
recite it.
16 So now Yahweh
says this: In compassion I have returned to Jerusalem; my Temple [House] will
be rebuilt there, Yahweh Sabaoth declares, and the measuring line will be
stretched over Jerusalem. 17 Make
this proclamation too: Yahweh Sabaoth says this: My cities are once more to be
very prosperous. Yahweh will comfort Zion once again, and again make Jerusalem
his choice.'"
The rebuilding of the Temple will end Yahweh's anger
against His people.
Question: Why does God call the Temple His "House"
in verse 16 and how does that term describe His relationship with those who
come to offer Him worship? See Hag 1:4; Gal 6:10 and Eph 2:19.
Answer: The Temple is the "house" of God because
it is His dwelling place among His covenant people, and those who come to
worship Him there are members of His family "household" of faith.
The measuring line is a symbol of divine judgment in determining Jerusalem's spiritual perfection and prepares the reader for the third vision in 2:5-9 (in some translations 2:1-5).
Question: What does the "other angel/messenger" of the Lord tell
Zechariah in 2:10-17?
Answer:
That "one place on earth" would be selected as Yahweh's "dwelling place" was first promised in Deuteronomy 12:11-12. It was a promised fulfilled in 1 Kings 8:10-13 when God's manifested Presence in the Glory Cloud took possession of the Temple (also see 1 Kng 11:36; 2 Chron 5:13-6:2, 6; 7:1-3).
Notice that verses 14 and 16 repeats "Then you will know that Yahweh
Sabaoth has sent me [to you]."
Question: Who is the "me" that is the "other angel/messenger"?
When will the promise of the conversion of the Gentile nations and the gift of
one covenant and universal salvation be realized?
Answer: The "other angel/messenger" who identifies Himself as
"Me" might be the pre-Incarnate Christ. The promises of the conversion of the
Gentiles joining Israel as one covenant people and the gift of universal
salvation are not fulfilled until Yahweh sends God the Son to call all men and
women to salvation.
17b Yahweh will
comfort Zion once again, and again make Jerusalem his choice.'"
This is the language of divine election (also see 1 Kng 8:44, 48;
2 Chron 6:6, 34, 38). It is appropriate that the first vision
concludes with this phrase because it provides a summary of the theme that
unfolded in verse 16:
The selection of Jerusalem provides both an answer to the angel's question in verse 12 and a conclusion to the initial vision by reflecting both divine approval for the Temple and sanctification of the city and its people. It is a city Zechariah will rename "City of Truth" in 8:3, expressing Jerusalem's unique role in salvation history.
Zechariah 2:1-4 (1:18-21 in some translations)
~ The Second Vision: The Horns and the Smiths
1 Then, raising
my eyes, I had a vision. It was this: There were four horns. 2 I said to the angel who was talking to me.
"What are these?" He said to me, "These are the horns which scattered Judah
and Jerusalem." 3 Yahweh then
showed me four smiths. 4 And I
said, "What are these coming to do?" He said to me, "Those horns scattered
Judah so completely that no one dared to raise his head; but these have come to
terrify them, to throw down the horns of the nations who raised their horns
over the land of Judah to scatter it."
The "horns" symbolize strength as in the use of the word "horn" in the Hebrew translation of Psalm 75:4-5, I said to the boastful, "Do not boast!" to the wicked, "Do not flaunt your strength [horn]! Do not flaunt your strength [horn] so proudly, do not talk with that arrogant stance." Also see "horn" for strength in Psalms 18:2b. In this case, the "horns" are the nations hostile to Israel (the Northern and Southern Kingdoms) who took her citizens into exile, and the number four symbolizes their universality.
3 Yahweh then
showed me four smiths.
Zechariah probably identifies these angelic figures as
"smiths/blacksmiths" because the iron implements they carry are forged by
fire. The four smiths/blacksmiths are the angelic powers God will send to
overthrow the power of Judah's enemies who have scattered her citizens across
the ancient Near East (cf. Is 54:16-17). Those powers include the Assyrians
who conquered the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC and took the Israelites of the ten
northern tribes into exile to relocate them in Assyrian lands and the Babylonians
who took the citizens of Judah into exile in three waves in 605, 598, and 587/6
BC. The "horn" could not include the Persians because God used them as His
instrument of judgment against the Babylonians to conquer that empire and allow
the covenant people to return to their homeland.
Zechariah's vision of the four horns and the four smiths assured the citizens of Judah of God's promise to overcome their enemies' plans to defeat them. Therefore, there was no longer any reason to fear interference in rebuilding God's dwelling place in Jerusalem! He will not only stop their neighbors from threatening to invade them, but He will destroy the nations that devastated His holy people in the past.
Zechariah 2:5-9 (2:1-5 in some translations) ~ The
Third Vision: The Man with the Measuring Line
5 Then, raising
my eyes, I had a vision. There was a man with a measuring line in his hand. 6 I asked him, "Where are you going?" He said,
"To measure Jerusalem, to calculate her width and length. 7 And then, while the angel who was talking to
me walked away, another angel came out to meet him. 8 He said to him, "Run, and tell that young man
this, Jerusalem is to remain unwalled, because of the great number of men and
cattle inside. 9 For I, Yahweh
declares, shall be a wall of fire all round her and I shall be the Glory within
her.'"
Another angel appears holding a measuring line, a tool used in carpentry and in building construction (Is 44:13). In Scripture, a measuring line can be a symbol of judgment (Is 34:11; Lam 2:80, and in this case, restoration and judging spiritual perfection. Yahweh told the sixth-century prophet, Jeremiah, that the Babylonians would destroy Jerusalem, but then in Jeremiah 31:38-40, God promised the rebuilding of the city when "once again the measuring line will stretch straight..." God's promise to Jeremiah anticipated the prophet Ezekiel's vision. The sixth-century BC prophet Ezekiel had a similar vision in Ezekiel 41:13. In the books of Zechariah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, the measurements symbolically represent the spiritual "rebuilding" of the Temple in preparation for the spiritually restored worshippers.
Revelation 11:1 and 21:15 repeats the vision of the measuring line. In Revelation Chapter 11, John receives a long cane like a measuring rod and is told to measure God's heavenly Sanctuary, the altar, and the people who worship there. And in 21:15, an angel shows John the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven from God. He carries a gold measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and wall.
Question: In each of these references to a
measuring line/rod, what does it symbolize?
Answer: In all these references to a measuring
line/rod, it symbolizes the judging of spiritual perfection.
7 And then, while
the angel who was talking to me walked away, another angel came out to meet
him. 8 He said to him, "Run, and
tell that young man this, Jerusalem is to remain unwalled, because of the great
number of men and cattle inside. 9 For
I, Yahweh declares, shall be a wall of fire all round her and I shall be the
Glory within her.'"
The angel taking to Zechariah walks away and then tells
another angel to run and tell Zechariah (that young man) "Jerusalem is to
remain unwalled." Some scholars believe the reference is to Zechariah's
Jerusalem and other scholars suggest it is to the future Messianic Jerusalem.
However, this vision and the angel's reference to the wall took place before
Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild its destroyed walls in 444 BC when
the citizens were fearful of inhabiting an unprotected city with ruined houses
inhabited by refugees and herds of animals.
Question: What does the first angel (the Angel of
Yahweh) instruct a second angel to tell young Zechariah?
Answer: Zechariah is not to worry about the
unwalled condition of the city of Jerusalem because God will be His people's
defender and protection.
The description of God's protection like "a wall of fire" recalls the Pillar of Fire that was a manifestation of God protecting the children of Israel on the Exodus out of Egypt (Ex 14:24).
Zechariah 2:10-17 (2:6-13 in some translations) ~
A Song for the Daughter of Zion: Yahweh’s Two Exhortations for the Covenant People
10 Look out!
Look out! [Hoy, hoy]! Flee from the land of the north, Yahweh declares, for I
have scattered you to the four winds of heaven, Yahweh declares. 11 Look out! [Hoy] Make your escape, Zion, now
living with the daughter of Babylon! 12 For
Yahweh Sabaoth says this, since the Glory commissioned me, about the nations
who plundered you, "Whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye. 13 Now look, I shall wave my hand over them and
they will be plundered by those whom they have enslaved. Then you will know
that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me! 14 Sing,
rejoice, daughter of Zion, for now I am coming to live among you, Yahweh
declares! 15 And on that day many
nations will be converted to Yahweh. Yes, they will become his people, and
they will live among you. 16 Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me to you! Yahweh
will take possession of Judah, his portion in the Holy Land, and again make
Jerusalem his choice. 17 Let
all people be silent before Yahweh now that he is stirring from his holy Dwelling!"
[...] = Hebrew in IBHE, vol. III, page 2159).
The narrative moves from prose to poetic verses in 14-17. Some verses are missing from some Protestant Bibles but not from the Jewish Tanakh or Catholic Bibles. In these verses, the Angel gives an oracle containing two exhortations:
10 Look out!
Look out! [Hoy, hoy]! Flee from the land of the north, Yahweh declares, for I
have scattered you to the four winds of heaven, Yahweh declares. 11 Look out! [Hoy]! Make your escape, Zion, now
living with the daughter of Babylon!
The "land of the north" refers to the lands of Assyrian
and Babylon into which the covenant people were forcibly taken into exile.
Physically, these lands were to the northeast, but since a desert separated the
Holy Land from Assyria and Babylon, invading armies from Mesopotamia came from
the north to attack Israel/Judah (cf., Jer 6:22; 10:22). The "four winds of
heaven" refer to the four compass points and convey the idea of encompassing
all places on the earth (see the same phrase in 6:5 and Ez 37:9 and Jer 49:36).
In Hebrew, hoy, hoy is a characteristic prophetic interjection that appears 51 times in the Old Testament, mostly in the three of the books of the major prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and in six of the twelve minor prophets in Amos, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, and Zechariah. The word only appears elsewhere in 1 Kings 13:30 where it introduces a statement concerning a prophet. "Woe" or "alas" is usually substituted for the Hebrew word in English and can either indicate a lamentation, or oracle of doom, or an exhortation. It is usually followed by a preposition and a noun which identifies the group to be alerted by the interjection before a statement describes some characteristic or action of the group that has been cited. The action is usually an evil deed toward Yahweh or His people that is the reason for the "woe" that will come upon the perpetrators of the wicked deed/deeds. In the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, the word is ouai. In the New Testament, ouai is the word Jesus will use seven times in His condemnation of the Pharisees and scribes in Matthew 23:13, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27, and 29.
However, in verse 10, the angel uses the three times repetition of "hoy" in a slightly different way. Like 7 of the other 51 Biblical occurrences, it is an independent interjection not followed by the standard account of a group's misdeeds and is a warning directed toward the exiles who God will restore to Zion. In this case, the "hoy" could mean "woe" for the exiles, but it also implies "woe" for those who hold the covenant people captive (verses 12-13.8-9). Therefore, it has to be something other than a prophetic lament. Instead, it is calling the people to action, to get up and leave Babylon (verse 11-13). God encourages "Zion," His covenant people, to flee Babylon and return to their ancestral lands before future enemies plunger Persia and the Persian province of Babylon, probably a prophecy relating to the 4th century BC invasion of Alexander the Great.
The call to return is followed in verse 13 by a promise that is reminiscent of prophecies to the prophet Ezekiel a century earlier. If "the Glory" is Yahweh, who is the "me" who He commissioned? In Ezekiel 34:11-25, Yahweh says: "Look, I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it. As a shepherd looks after his flock when he is with his scattered sheep, so shall I look after my sheep. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered on the day of clouds and darkness. [...] I shall rise up a shepherd, my servant David, and put him in charge of them to pasture them; he will pasture them and be their shepherd. I, Yahweh, shall be their God, and my servant David will be ruler among them. I, Yahweh, have spoken. I shall make a covenant of peace with them." The "me" is probably the Davidic Messiah.
Question: How is the promise of the prophecy in Zechariah 2:5-17
fulfilled? See Jn 10:11 and Is 4:2; 11:1; Jer 23:5-6; 33:14-16; Ez 34:23-26.
Answer: The prophecy points to Jesus the Messiah,
son of David, the "Good Shepherd" who came as God enfleshed to shepherd His
people (Jn 10:11) as prophesied by Zechariah and other prophets.
There is also another warning to the captives who did not return to from Babylon. They are urged to leave quickly because the sinful pagan culture that surrounds them will cause them to stray from their call to holiness. Most of the citizens of Judah rejected these warnings and remained in Babylon. Only a faithful remnant returned in three waves in 538, 458, and 444 BC. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah record their return to Judah.
12 For Yahweh
Sabaoth says this, since the Glory commissioned me, about the nations who
plundered you, "Whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye. 13 Now look, I shall wave my hand over them and
they will be plundered by those whom they have enslaved. Then you will know
that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me!
Question: What is the promise in verses 9-12?
Answer: The Davidic Messiah will have the divine authority to judge
all who have oppressed God's holy people and who will come to live among His
own New Covenant people (fulfilled in the Incarnation of Christ).
The expression "the apple of my eye" in verse 12b restates Israel's favored status among the nations of the earth as in Exodus 4:22 (Israel is my firstborn son). It also expresses God's pledge to protect His people with similar language in Deuteronomy 32:10 (guards him as the pupil of his eye), and Psalm 17:8 (Guard me as the pupil of an eye, shelter me in the shadow of your wings). It also recalls Yahweh's promise to Abraham, the father of the covenant people, in Genesis 12:3, I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.
15 And on that
day many nations will be converted to Yahweh. Yes, they will become his people,
and they will live among you.
Yahweh promises a future universal salvation when all
nations will be converted and will become God's people.
16 Then you will
know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me to you! Yahweh will take possession of
Judah, his portion in the Holy Land, and again make Jerusalem his choice.
Question: Who is the "me" Yahweh will send?
Zechariah doesn't bring the gift of universal salvation, but who will fulfill
that promise? See Simeon's prophecy in Lk 2:29-32.
Answer: The "Me" who Yahweh will send must be
Jesus of Nazareth, the Davidic Messiah who brings a New Covenant that offers
universal salvation to Jews and Gentiles.
17 Let all people
be silent before Yahweh now that he is stirring from his holy Dwelling!"
The Holy Dwelling from which Yahweh is stirring is the
heavenly Sanctuary. The silence is reverent, worshipful silence. It is the
same silence of the congregation of the faithful after the presiding priest
says: "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy
are those who are called to his table" in the sacrifice of the Mass and
that St. John observed in the heavenly liturgy (Rev 8:1). See the chart "The
Liturgy of the Mass in the Book of Revelation."
God's promise to protect His people if they returned to Him and the extending of His gift of salvation to the Gentile nations prefigures the New Covenant Church. Commenting on Chapter 2, St. Jerome wrote: "Reading in a spiritual sense, all of these things are to be found in the Church which is without walls, or, as the Septuagint puts it, katakarpos; that is, filled with an abundance of fruit and a great multitude of men and asses [...]. The men and the asses [cattle, animals] stand for the two peoples, the Jews, and the Gentiles; those who came to faith in Christ through the fulfillment of the Law are called men; we, however, who were idolatrous and lived as though in a wilderness, being far from the Law, and alone, because of our distance from the prophets who suffered, are the asses [...]. But these animals hear the voice of the good shepherd, and know him, and they follow him" (Commentarii in Zachariam, 2.4).
Question for reflection or discussion:
What role do angels continue to play in God's divine plan
for humanity? See CCC 57, 328, 334-36, 1023, 1034, 1052-53.
Endnotes:
1. Yahshua, translated as Joshua in English is Jehoshua
in Aramaic. The name "Jesus" is
derived from the Latin Iesus, a transliteration of the Greek Ἰησοῦς
(Iesous). The Greek form is a rendering of the Hebrew ישוע,
a variant of the earlier name יהושע, meaning "Yahweh
saves" or "Yahweh is salvation."
2. In the New Testament see "the Angel of the Lord" ten times in Mt 1:20, 24; 2:13, 19; 28:2; Lk 2:9; Acts 5:19; 7:30; 8:26; 12:7, 23.
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Catechism references for this lesson (*indicates Scripture quoted or paraphrased in the citation):