NIV Archaeological Study Bible

Author, Place and Date of Writing

We know nothing about Zephaniah beyond what we read in 1:1 and what we can infer from the rest of the book. It is unusual that the prophet traced his ancestry back four generations; some suggest that he did this because the Hezekiah who was his great-great-grandfather was in fact King Hezekiah of Judah. Unlike Micah, who focused on Judah’s common people, Zephaniah was evidently at home in the political arena and in distinguished court circles.

The book is dated to the reign of Josiah, placing it within the span of 640–609 B.C. The reference to the “remnant of Baal” in 1:4 has been taken by many to suggest that the reform initiatives of Josiah were already well underway and that most of the conspicuous shrines to Baal had already been removed. Others assert that Zephaniah appears to allude to Deuteronomy in several places (e.g., Zep 1:13 echoes Dt 28:30 and Zep 1:17 resonates with Dt 28:29), implying that the Book of the Law (2Ki 22) had been found and read aloud by the time of Zephaniah’s writing. This suggests that the prophecy may well have been written toward the end of the seventh century B.C.

Audience

Zephaniah wrote to the people of Judah to warn them of God’s impending judgment, to urge them to repent and to offer them the hope of restoration.

Cultural Facts and Highlights

The focus of Zephaniah’s message is “the day of the LORD,” which the prophet conceived to be a day of judgment first for Judah (Zep 1) and only afterward for the other nations (ch. 2), although he also anticipated a final day of salvation (ch. 3). It is possible that Zephaniah recognized that Josiah’s rigorous reform efforts had not fully penetrated to the hearts of the people. Sadly, any resurgence of covenant faithfulness that Josiah had inspired was doomed to be short-lived. Judgment was both deserved and unavoidable.

Timeline

As You Read

As with Habakkuk and several other Old Testament writing prophets, be aware of the stark contrast between the author’s graphic images of horror and doom and his comforting words of hope for restoration.

Did You Know?

Incense to pagan deities was often burned on rooftops (see Isa 15:3; Jer 1:16), and the kings of Judah had gone so far as to erect pagan altars on the roof of the palace in Jerusalem (Zep 1:5).
There was evidently a general and widespread pagan idea that the threshold of a home, temple or other building was the dwelling place of spirits (1:9).
Nineveh was destroyed in 612 B.C. and its location was later forgotten—until it was discovered by archaeologists in 1845 (2:13).

Themes

Zephaniah’s themes include:

Judgment. Zephaniah’s main theme was the imminent coming of “the day of the LORD” (1:7, 14). That day would be one of universal judgment (1:2–3) as well as of specific judgment against Judah (1:4–6) and other nations (2:4–15). The book emphasizes that religious syncretism—a mixing of the worship of God with idolatry (1:4–6)—brings destruction (1:9–13) but that seeking God, and God alone, in humility results in salvation (2:1–3).
Restoration. Zephaniah assured his audience that judgment would be followed by restoration. God would purify his own (3:9), bring rejoicing to Jerusalem (3:14–17) and restore both his people and Jerusalem’s glory (3:18–20).

Outline

I. Introduction: Announcement of Total Judgment (1:1–3)

II. The Day of the Lord Coming on Judah and the Nations (1:4–18)

III. God’s Judgment on the Nations (2:1–3:8)

IV. The Promise of Redemption (3:9–20)

Zephaniah 1

¹The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah^† son of Amon king of Judah:

Warning of Coming Destruction

²“I will sweep away everything

from the face of the earth,”^†

declares the LORD.

³“I will sweep away both men and animals;

I will sweep away the birds of the air^†

and the fish of the sea.

The wicked will have only heaps of rubble^[1]

when I cut off man from the face of the earth,”^†

declares the LORD.

Against Judah

⁴“I will stretch out my hand^† against Judah

and against all who live in Jerusalem.

I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal,^†

the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests^†—

⁵those who bow down on the roofs

to worship the starry host,

those who bow down and swear by the LORD

and who also swear by Molech,^[2] ^†

⁶those who turn back from following^† the LORD

and neither seek^† the LORD nor inquire^† of him.

⁷Be silent^† before the Sovereign LORD,

for the day of the LORD^† is near.

The LORD has prepared a sacrifice;^†

he has consecrated those he has invited.

⁸On the day of the LORD’s sacrifice

I will punish^† the princes

and the king’s sons^†

and all those clad

in foreign clothes.

⁹On that day I will punish

all who avoid stepping on the threshold,^[3]

who fill the temple of their gods

with violence and deceit.^†

¹⁰“On that day,” declares the LORD,

“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,^†

wailing from the New Quarter,

and a loud crash from the hills.

¹¹Wail,^† you who live in the market district^[4];

all your merchants will be wiped out,

all who trade with^[5] silver will be ruined.^†

¹²At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps

and punish those who are complacent,^†

who are like wine left on its dregs,^†

who think, ‘The LORD will do nothing,^†

either good or bad.’

¹³Their wealth will be plundered,^†

their houses demolished.

They will build houses

but not live in them;

they will plant vineyards

but not drink the wine.^†

The Great Day of the LORD

¹⁴“The great day of the LORD^† is near^†—

near and coming quickly.

Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter,

the shouting of the warrior there.

¹⁵That day will be a day of wrath,

a day of distress and anguish,

a day of trouble and ruin,

a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and blackness,^†

¹⁶a day of trumpet and battle cry^†

against the fortified cities

and against the corner towers.^†

¹⁷I will bring distress on the people

and they will walk like blind^† men,

because they have sinned against the LORD.

Their blood will be poured out^† like dust

and their entrails like filth.^†

¹⁸Neither their silver nor their gold

will be able to save them

on the day of the LORD’s wrath.^†

In the fire of his jealousy

the whole world will be consumed,^†

for he will make a sudden end

of all who live in the earth.^†”

Zephaniah 2

¹Gather together,^† gather together,

O shameful^† nation,

²before the appointed time arrives

and that day sweeps on like chaff,^†

before the fierce anger^† of the LORD comes upon you,

before the day of the LORD’s wrath comes upon you.

³Seek^† the LORD, all you humble of the land,

you who do what he commands.

Seek righteousness, seek humility;^†

perhaps you will be sheltered^†

on the day of the LORD’s anger.

Against Philistia

⁴Gaza^† will be abandoned

and Ashkelon left in ruins.

At midday Ashdod will be emptied

and Ekron uprooted.

⁵Woe to you who live by the sea,

O Kerethite^† people;

the word of the LORD is against you,^†

O Canaan, land of the Philistines.

“I will destroy you,

and none will be left.”^†

⁶The land by the sea, where the Kerethites^[6] dwell,

will be a place for shepherds and sheep pens.^†

⁷It will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah;

there they will find pasture.

In the evening they will lie down

in the houses of Ashkelon.

The LORD their God will care for them;

he will restore their fortunes.^[7] ^†

Against Moab and Ammon

⁸“I have heard the insults^† of Moab

and the taunts of the Ammonites,

who insulted^† my people

and made threats against their land.

⁹Therefore, as surely as I live,”

declares the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel,

“surely Moab^† will become like Sodom,^†

the Ammonites^† like Gomorrah—

a place of weeds and salt pits,

a wasteland forever.

The remnant of my people will plunder^† them;

the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.^†”

¹⁰This is what they will get in return for their pride,^†

for insulting^† and mocking the people of the LORD Almighty.

¹¹The LORD will be awesome^† to them

when he destroys all the gods^† of the land.

The nations on every shore will worship him,^†

every one in its own land.

Against Cush

¹²“You too, O Cushites,^[8] ^†

will be slain by my sword.^†”

Against Assyria

¹³He will stretch out his hand against the north

and destroy Assyria,

leaving Nineveh^† utterly desolate

and dry as the desert.^†

¹⁴Flocks and herds will lie down there,

creatures of every kind.

The desert owl^† and the screech owl

will roost on her columns.

Their calls will echo through the windows,

rubble will be in the doorways,

the beams of cedar will be exposed.

¹⁵This is the carefree^† city

that lived in safety.^†

She said to herself,

“I am, and there is none besides me.”^†

What a ruin she has become,

a lair for wild beasts!

All who pass by her scoff^†

and shake their fists.

Zephaniah 3

The Future of Jerusalem

¹Woe to the city of oppressors,^†

Cush

Zephaniah 3 Biblical Cush lay south of Egypt. Most references to the term “Cush” probably refer to Lower and Upper Nubia, the region directly south of Egypt, with its northern limit at the First Cataract of the Nile and its southern boundary at the Sixth Cataract. Sometimes the term may have been used more broadly for parts of Africa south of Egypt, but Cush is not to be equated with modern Ethiopia.

Ancient sources confirm that Cush was a land of great wealth; in fact, the Egyptian name Nubia may come from the word nub, or “gold.” Egyptian trade lists record the precious minerals and other luxury items that traveled north from Cush along the Nile commerce routes. Among these commodities were gold, silver, cosmetics, balsam, frankincense and myrrh. Exotic animal products, such as ostrich eggs, rhinoceros horns and panther skins, were also available from or through Cush. Job 28:19 speaks of Cush as the source of the precious stone topaz.

Throughout Egyptian history Nubia and Egypt struggled against each other. For the most part Egypt was dominant—especially when Egyptian power was at its height under the New Kingdom¹ pharaohs.² Sometimes, however, Nubians extended their reach into Egypt—as during the Second Intermediate period. While the Hyksos ruled Lower (northern) Egypt, the Nubians penetrated from the south.³ The Nubians themselves, however, were thoroughly Egyptianized.

Cushites appear several times in the Old Testament. Numbers 12:1 recounts that Moses had a Cushite wife; 2 Samuel 18:21–31 mentions that David’s army had a Cushite messenger; and 2 Chronicles 14:9 refers to a “Zerah the Cushite,” who fought against Asa of Judah.

View of the Nile from Kitchener’s Island in the Aswan region of Upper Egypt

Photograph: © Todd Bolen/Bible Places.com

From the Biblical perspective, however, the most significant Cushite or Nubian power was represented by the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt (c. 780–656 B.C.). Under the Nubian pharaohs Piye (Piankhi), Shabaka, Shebitku and Tarhaqa (Biblical Tirhakah; 2Ki 19:9), the unified Egypt and Nubia became powerful and prosperous.

Shabaka, for example, carried out an extensive rebuilding campaign in Egypt, seeking to revive ancient pharaonic traditions such as building in the temple precinct at Karnak, near Thebes.⁴ Also, the Nubian military pushed northward out of Egypt and confronted the Assyrians. Shebitku checked the expansion of Sennacherib at Eltekeh (in the coastal plain of Israel) in 701 B.C.

Although the Nubian-Egyptian forces were a power to be reckoned with, Isaiah warned Judah against placing any hope in them for protection from Assyria (Isa 20:3–6). Indeed, Nubian fortunes soon fell before the Assyrians. Tarhaqa, although an energetic and capable ruler, was defeated and driven back by Esarhaddon of Assyria, who actually captured Memphis in 671 B.C.⁵ After that point Nubian power in Egypt collapsed.

1. See Glossary for definitions of bolded words.

2. See “A Breakdown of Ancient Egyptian History.”

3. See “The Hyksos and the Old Testament.”

4. See “Thebes.”

5. See “Memphis.”

rebellious and defiled!^†

²She obeys^† no one,

she accepts no correction.^†

She does not trust in the LORD,

she does not draw near^† to her God.

³Her officials are roaring lions,

her rulers are evening wolves,^†

who leave nothing for the morning.

⁴Her prophets are arrogant;

they are treacherous^† men.

Her priests profane the sanctuary

and do violence to the law.^†

⁵The LORD within her is righteous;

he does no wrong.^†

Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,

and every new day he does not fail,

yet the unrighteous know no shame.

⁶“I have cut off nations;

their strongholds are demolished.

I have left their streets deserted,

with no one passing through.

Their cities are destroyed;^†

no one will be left—no one at all.

⁷I said to the city,

‘Surely you will fear me

and accept correction!’

Then her dwelling would not be cut off,

nor all my punishments come upon her.

But they were still eager

to act corruptly^† in all they did.

⁸Therefore wait^† for me,” declares the LORD,

“for the day I will stand up to testify.^[9]

I have decided to assemble the nations,^†

to gather the kingdoms

and to pour out my wrath on them—

all my fierce anger.

The whole world will be consumed^†

by the fire of my jealous anger.

⁹“Then will I purify the lips of the peoples,

that all of them may call^† on the name of the LORD

and serve^† him shoulder to shoulder.

¹⁰From beyond the rivers of Cush^[10] ^†

my worshipers, my scattered people,

will bring me offerings.^†

¹¹On that day you will not be put to shame^†

for all the wrongs you have done to me,

because I will remove from this city

those who rejoice in their pride.

Never again will you be haughty

on my holy hill.

¹²But I will leave within you

the meek^† and humble,

who trust^† in the name of the LORD.

¹³The remnant^† of Israel will do no wrong;^†

they will speak no lies,^†

nor will deceit be found in their mouths.

They will eat and lie down^†

and no one will make them afraid.^†”

¹⁴Sing, O Daughter of Zion;^†

shout aloud,^† O Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

O Daughter of Jerusalem!

¹⁵The LORD has taken away your punishment,

he has turned back your enemy.

The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you;^†

never again will you fear^† any harm.

¹⁶On that day they will say to Jerusalem,

“Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands hang limp.^†

¹⁷The LORD your God is with you,

he is mighty to save.^†

He will take great delight^† in you,

he will quiet you with his love,

he will rejoice over you with singing.”

¹⁸“The sorrows for the appointed feasts

I will remove from you;

they are a burden and a reproach to you.^[11]

¹⁹At that time I will deal

with all who oppressed you;

I will rescue the lame

and gather those who have been scattered.^†

I will give them praise^† and honor

in every land where they were put to shame.

²⁰At that time I will gather you;

at that time I will bring^† you home.

I will give you honor^† and praise

among all the peoples of the earth

when I restore your fortunes^[12] ^†

before your very eyes,”

says the LORD.

HAGGAI

Author, Place and Date of Writing

There is little question that Haggai the prophet wrote the book that bears his name. We know nothing about him beyond what we find in his book.

Haggai precisely dated his messages, all of which were delivered between August and December of 520 B.C.

Audience

Zerubbabel had returned to Jerusalem in 538 B.C. along with about 50,000 Jews to rebuild the temple. Over the years the returnees had become discouraged by opposition and had abandoned the project. Haggai’s messages were delivered to encourage the Jews to complete the temple rebuilding project.

Cultural Facts and Highlights

Haggai’s words were directed to the postexilic community 18 years after the initial return from exile. The temple had still not been repaired, and the leadership was deeply discouraged, not only by local opposition but also by the lethargy of its own people. Darius of Persia was interested in the religions of his empire, and, in light of the impetus offered by his support, the Jews themselves were more to blame for their inactivity than were their opponents.

The prophet’s message was essentially an exhortation to persevere in the effort to reestablish the community and the temple. From the perspective of some interpreters, however, Haggai’s message was more than that; it was in their view a call to open rebellion against Persian authority. Those who espouse this viewpoint see Haggai as a Messianic zealot who believed that the eschatological kingdom would dawn if only Zerubbabel would be bold enough to cast off foreign domination. This interpretation, however, seems to read far more into the text than is justified (see “Did Haggai Lead a Messianic Rebellion?.”

Timeline

As You Read

You might want to approach this short book equipped with a ledger, either mental or physical, on which you “list” the consequences of obedience and disobedience. Considering the pros and cons, does a clear “winner” come through?

Did You Know?

In the arid climate of this region, dew is typically abundant during the growing season and is often as valuable as rain (1:10).
A garment coming into contact with “consecrated meat” (meat from an animal set apart for a sacrifice) became “holy” (see Lev 6:27) but could not pass on that holiness to a third object. Ceremonial uncleanness was transmitted much more easily than holiness, since anything touched by an unclean person became unclean (Hag 2:12–13).
A signet was a kind of seal, the impression of which in clay or wax functioned as a signature. A signet, worn on one’s finger or on a cord around one’s neck, could be used as a pledge or guarantee of full payment of a debt (2: 23).

Themes

Haggai’s themes include:

Priorities. The people had neglected the rebuilding of God’s temple while focusing their efforts on constructing beautiful homes for themselves (1:2–4, 9). Haggai instructed them that God’s temple and work were to be their top priority. They were to “give careful thought” (1:5, 7; 2:15, 18) to their ways, for God’s pleasure and honor were to be their overriding goals (1:8).
Obedience. There are consequences for disobeying God (1:6, 11; 2:16–17). But when God’s people follow him (1:12) he graciously provides the enthusiasm (1:14), strength (2:4–5) and resources (2:8) to do his will. God promised the postexilic community that, in return for their obedience, he would bless them with his presence (2:9), peace (2:9) and prosperity (2:19).

Outline

I. First Message: The Call to Rebuild the Temple (1:1–11)

II. The Response of Zerubbabel and the People (1:12–15)

III. Second Message: The Promised Glory (2:1–9)

IV. Third Message: A Defiled People Blessed (2:10–19)

V. Fourth Message: The Promise to Zerubbabel (2:20–23)

Haggai 1

A Call to Build the House of the LORD

¹In the second year of King Darius,^† on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai^† to Zerubbabel^† son of Shealtiel, governor^† of Judah, and to Joshua^[1] ^† son of Jehozadak,^† the high priest:

²This is what the LORD Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built.’ ”

³Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:^† ⁴“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses,^† while this house remains a ruin?^†”

⁵Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought^† to your ways. ⁶You have planted much, but have harvested little.^† You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages,^† only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

⁷This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁸Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure ^† in it and be honored,” says the LORD. ⁹“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin,^† while each of you is busy with his own house. ¹⁰Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.^† ¹¹I called for a drought^† on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands.^†”

¹²Then Zerubbabel^† son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant^† of the people obeyed^† the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared^† the LORD.

¹³Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: “I am with^† you,” declares the LORD. ¹⁴So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel ^† son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant^† of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, ¹⁵on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month^† in the second year of King Darius.

Haggai 2

The Promised Glory of the New House

¹On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: ²“Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ³‘Who of you is left who saw this house^† in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?^† ⁴But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong,^† O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with^† you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ⁵‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt.^† And my Spirit^† remains among you. Do not fear.’

Did Haggai Lead a Messianic Rebellion?

Haggai 2 The book of Haggai is one of the shortest documents in the Bible, consisting of four messages totaling only about 600 words. It is also one of the most precisely dated books in all of Scripture. Its four oracles are reported to have been received by the prophet within the space of 15 weeks during the fall of the second year of the Persian¹ king Darius I, who reigned from 521–486 B.C.²

During this period Judah existed as part of a large administrative district or satrapy of the Persian Empire called abar naharah (“Beyond the River”; cf. Ezr 4:10; Ne 2:7). Each satrapy contributed annual tribute and was ruled by a Persian governor. Nevertheless, Persian imperial policy beginning with Cyrus the Great and continuing under Darius encouraged a significant degree of local autonomy.³ An extension of this policy led to Persian support for the construction of local temples and sanctuaries (2Ch 36:23; Isa 44:26–28). Haggai’s central concern within this historical context was to encourage the full reconstruction of the temple in Jerusalem. His messages were directed at the principal leaders of the Jerusalem community—Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest.

Certain aspects of Haggai’s imagery have led some to conclude that this prophet hoped not only for the rebuilding of the temple but also for the restoration of the Davidic monarchy. In his final oracle Haggai applied lofty titles to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel and grandson of the last Davidic king, Jehoiachin:

• Zerubbabel is called “my servant” (Hag 2:23), a title frequently applied to David (1Ki 11:34; Ps 78:70; Eze 34:23) and to Isaiah’s Messianic “servant” (Isa 42:1; 49:6; 52:13; 53:11).

• God declared that he would shake the heavens and the earth, overthrowing thrones of kingdoms and the power of the nations (Hag 2:21–22). The Messianic kingdom was about to begin, with Zerubbabel at the top.

• Zerubbabel is said to have been chosen and honored like a royal signet ring (v. 23).⁴

Two questions have been raised: Did Haggai believe Zerubbabel to be the Messiah? Did the prophet call for a rebellion against Persian rule?

In reality, Haggai neither exhorted Zerubbabel to claim a Messianic office nor urged the Jews to revolt against Persia.⁵ Nothing in the book suggests an expectation on Haggai’s part that the promises of Zion’s final exaltation would be imminently fulfilled or that Zerubbabel would be the agent of their fulfillment. To the contrary, Zerubbabel was simply exhorted to perform his task in rebuilding the Jerusalem temple in anticipation of a greater future yet to come. Zerubbabel was called upon to live up to the heritage handed down from his ancestor David, but beyond the rebuilding of the temple no specific actions were called for.

It is true that the book of Haggai reflects the hope, common to all the prophets, for a glorious future for Zion:

• God will shake the universe (vv. 6, 21).

• He will remove the dominion of the nations (v. 22) and bring their tribute to Israel (vv. 7–8; cf. Ex 12:35–36).

• He will accomplish a second exodus (Hag 2:5, 22) and install his chosen king (v. 23).

• He will once again dwell in the midst of his people (1:13; 2:4, 9).

1. See Glossary for definitions of bolded words.

2. See “Darius I.”

3. See “Cyrus the Great.”

4. See “Signet Rings.”

5. See “Ancient Persian History Through Darius” and “Ancient Persian History From Xerxes Forward.”

⁶“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while^† I will once more shake the heavens and the earth,^† the sea and the dry land. ⁷I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house^† with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. ⁸‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ⁹‘The glory ^† of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

Blessings for a Defiled People

¹⁰On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,^† in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: ¹¹“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests^† what the law says: ¹²If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?^†’ ”

The priests answered, “No.”

¹³Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”

“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.^†”

¹⁴Then Haggai said, “ ‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the LORD. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer^† there is defiled.

¹⁵“ ‘Now give careful thought^† to this from this day on^[2]—consider how things were before one stone was laid^† on another in the LORD’s temple.^† ¹⁶When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.^† ¹⁷I struck all the work of your hands^† with blight,^† mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,’ declares the LORD.^† ¹⁸‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation ^† of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: ¹⁹Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.

“ ‘From this day on I will bless you.’ ”

Zerubbabel the LORD’s Signet Ring

²⁰The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: ²¹“Tell Zerubbabel ^† governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. ²²I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms.^† I will overthrow chariots^† and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.^†

²³“ ‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant^† Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

ZECHARIAH

Author, Place and Date of Writing

The author of this book was a priest named Zechariah, the son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo (1:1). Zechariah is mentioned alongside Haggai in Ezra 5:1 and 6:14, and he played a role in the restoration of the postexilic community. Today, however, many scholars believe that Zechariah wrote only chapters 1–8 of the book by his name, not chapters 9–14; these researchers refer to the two sections of the book, respectively, as “Proto-Zechariah” and “Deutero-Zechariah.” The arguments for dividing the text can be satisfactorily answered, however, allowing interpreters to affirm that Zechariah did indeed write the entire book (see “Zechariah’s Authorship”).

The prophecies of chapters 1–8, dated in the text (1:1, 7; 7:1), were delivered from 520 to 518 B.C. Those of chapters 9–14, on the other hand, are undated, and there are reasons to believe that Zechariah wrote these later chapters long after the initial eight. It is perhaps significant that Zechariah and Haggai did not undertake any leadership role in the community until 520 B.C., about 18 years after the return from exile (c. 538). The suggestion that they were children at the time of the return is probably confirmed in 2:4, where the prophet in 520 B.C. is called a “young man.”

Audience

Zechariah encouraged the Jews who had returned from exile in Babylon to complete the rebuilding of the temple and prophesied concerning Jerusalem’s future place in God’s kingdom.

Cultural Facts and Highlights

The book of Zechariah was essentially a message of hope and encouragement for the postexilic Jews. The prophet’s earlier messages in the first eight chapters, like those of Haggai, aimed at prompting the Jews to put an end to their procrastination and defeatism and to give themselves wholeheartedly to the task of rebuilding the community and the temple (e.g., 1:16–17; 2:10–13; 4:7–10). In the latter part of the book, despite a critique of the nation’s leadership (10:3), the positive tone continues (e.g., ch. 9). In short, the book of Zechariah served as an encouragement to the postexilic community—a people who thought that all of Israel’s glory was in the past—that far greater realities lay ahead. They must, however, perform their duty in the present.

Timeline

As You Read

Zechariah’s name, fittingly, means “The LORD (Yahweh) remembers.” As you engage with this prophet, who was a contemporary of Haggai and shared his overall viewpoint, look for evidences that confirm the assertion that God does indeed remember.

Did You Know?

Zechariah experienced all eight visions during the course of one night. They were not dreams, for the prophet was fully awake (1:8).
The “land of the north” was Babylonia, which in fact lay to the east. But since a desert separated Assyria and Babylonia from Israel/Judah, invading armies regularly attacked from the north (2:6).
Taking off his filthy clothing deprived Joshua of his priestly office but was also symbolic of the removal of sin. Putting a clean turban on his head reinstated him to his high-priestly function so that Israel once again had a divinely authorized priestly mediator (3:4–5).
A “waterless pit” or empty cistern was sometimes used as a detention cell (9:11).
Wounds on a person’s body were at times suspected to have been self-inflicted as a component of idolatrous worship practices (13:6).

Themes

Zechariah’s themes include:

Israel’s near future. The first eight chapters of Zechariah fit its historical setting and focus on the near future of the restored Jewish community. Zechariah encouraged the returnees as they struggled to rebuild the temple, all the while calling them to repent of their sins (1:2–6) and exhorting them to exhibit compassion and mercy toward the vulnerable (7:4–14). Zechariah’s night visions expressed God’s continuing 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 Zerubbabel and Joshua in God’s plan (3:1–4:14; 6:9–15).
Israel’s distant future. The last six chapters of Zechariah focus on the distant future of the restored Jewish community. These prophecies reveal God’s plan to bring further and greater blessings to Jerusalem: God would avenge his people by destroying their enemies (9:1–8); Israel’s ultimate King would arrive in Jerusalem, ushering in a time of peace (9:9–17); and God would gather his scattered people (10:1–11:3). The final chapters culminate in a vision of God’s ultimate victory over those who continue to resist his will (12:1–9) and of his cleansing of the land and people (13:1–9). The Divine Warrior will return, and all humans will submit to his rule (14:1–21). Zechariah’s vision of a coming king and an ultimate, divine victory over evil points not only to Christ’s earthly ministry but also to his ultimate return as described in the book of Revelation.

Outline

I. A Call to Repentance (1:1–6)

II. Eight Night Visions and Prophecies (1:7–6:8)

III. The Crowning of Joshua the High Priest (6:9–15)

IV. Fasting and the Future (7–8)

V. The Advent and Rejection of Messiah (9–11)

VI. The Advent and Reception of Messiah (12–14)

Zechariah 1

A Call to Return to the LORD

¹In the eighth month of the second year of Darius,^† the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah^† son of Berekiah,^† the son of Iddo:^†

Angels and Guardian Spirits in the Bible and the Ancient Near East

Protective spirit; relief from Assyria

Preserving Bible Times; © Dr. James C. Martin; permission of The British Museum

Zechariah 1 Both the Hebrew and the Greek words that are translated into English as “angel” also mean “messenger.” This reflects the fact that an angel is a messenger from God. It was sometimes difficult to determine whether a messenger from God during Bible times was human or angelic (Jdg 13:2–22), since angels were often perceived as humanlike in appearance and evidently seemed to be either male or female (Zec 5:9). The situation is also confusing in the case of “the angel of the LORD,” since this being sometimes appears to have been a mere angel but at other times God himself.

Human messengers in the ancient Near East acted as heralds, envoys and ambassadors, bearing the authority of the sender. In like manner angels functioned in the Bible as God’s representatives. The “message” an angel carried may have been verbal, but it may also have been an action indicative of a judgment (2Sa 24:15–17), a ministry to believers (1Ki 19:5–8) or a service as a guardian of God’s people (Ps 91:11).

Beings analogous to angels also appear in the mythology of Israel’s neighbors:

• Lists of gods from Mesopotamia¹ often name the servants of the great gods. These lesser divinities purportedly functioned as messengers and agents for the high gods. Sometimes the myths present these lower gods as a kind of heavenly peasant class who did menial work for the high gods but who, if pushed too hard, were inclined to rebel against their heavenly overlords.²

• Lesser deities or “personal gods” in the ancient world also functioned as protective spirits with regard to individuals (analogous to the idea of guardian angels or patron saints). They were thought to watch over the lives of devotees in return for their allegiance.³

• Another group of lower deities encompassed the gatekeepers, typically depicted as fearsome, hybrid creatures, such as winged bulls or lions with human heads. Colossal statues of such creatures flanked the entrances of temples and palaces and were thought to ward off evil spirits, serving as guardians and attendants of both gods and kings. The British Museum now houses several of these statues, averaging over 9.8 feet (3 m) in height. Their Egyptian counterparts were the sphinx and the uraeus serpent.

Biblical cherubim and seraphim are analogous to the supernatural gatekeepers of the ancient Near East. Cherubim secured the way into Eden after the expulsion of the man and woman (Ge 3:24), and figures of winged cherubim also symbolically guarded the ark of the covenant and the Tent of Meeting (Ex 25:18–22; 26:1).⁴ Seraphim served as attendants in the heavenly throne room in Isaiah’s vision (Isa 6). Cherubim are sometimes described in terms reminiscent of the hybrid creatures of ancient Near Eastern art (Ex 37:9; Eze 10:1–11), and some interpreters believe that the seraphim were serpentine. Both cherubim and seraphim are closely associated with God’s holiness, sovereignty and purity.

1. See Glossary for definitions of bolded words.

2. See “Humanity and the Divine: Comparing the Bible to the Myth of Atra-Hasis.”

3. See “A Man and His God.”

4. See “The Tabernacle and the Ark.”

²“The LORD was very angry^† with your forefathers. ³Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’^† says the LORD Almighty. ⁴Do not be like your forefathers,^† to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways^† and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me,^† declares the LORD. ⁵Where are your forefathers now? And the prophets, do they live forever? ⁶But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your forefathers?

“Then they repented and said, ‘The LORD Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve,^† just as he determined to do.’ ”

The Man Among the Myrtle Trees

⁷On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo.

⁸During the night I had a vision—and there before me was a man riding a red^† horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.^†

⁹I asked, “What are these, my lord?”

The angel^† who was talking with me answered, “I will show you what they are.”

¹⁰Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the LORD has sent to go throughout the earth.”^†

¹¹And they reported to the angel of the LORD, who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.”^†

¹²Then the angel of the LORD said, “LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy^† years?” ¹³So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.^†

¹⁴Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous^† for Jerusalem and Zion, ¹⁵but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure.^† I was only a little angry, but they added to the calamity.’^†

¹⁶“Therefore, this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return^† to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line^† will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the LORD Almighty.

¹⁷“Proclaim further: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort^† Zion and choose^† Jerusalem.’ ”^†

Four Horns and Four Craftsmen

¹⁸Then I looked up—and there before me were four horns! ¹⁹I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these?”

He answered me, “These are the horns ^† that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.”

²⁰Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. ²¹I asked, “What are these coming to do?”

He answered, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise his head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns ^† against the land of Judah to scatter its people.”^†

Zechariah 2

A Man With a Measuring Line

¹Then I looked up—and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand! ²I asked, “Where are you going?”

He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”^†

³Then the angel who was speaking to me left, and another angel came to meet him ⁴and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls ^† because of the great number^† of men and livestock in it. ⁵And I myself will be a wall ^† of fire around it,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will be its glory^† within.’

⁶“Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,”^† declares the LORD.

⁷“Come, O Zion! Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!”^† ⁸For this is what the LORD Almighty says: “After he has honored me and has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye^†— ⁹I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them.^[1] ^† Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me.^†

¹⁰“Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion.^† For I am coming,^† and I will live among you,”^† declares the LORD. ¹¹“Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. ¹²The LORD will inherit^† Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose^† Jerusalem. ¹³Be still ^† before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”

Zechariah 3

Clean Garments for the High Priest

¹Then he showed me Joshua^[2] ^† the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan^[3] ^† standing at his right side to accuse him. ²The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you,^† Satan! The LORD, who has chosen^† Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”^†

³Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. ⁴The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”

Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin,^† and I will put rich garments^† on you.”

⁵Then I said, “Put a clean turban^† on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by.

⁶The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: ⁷“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house ^† and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.

⁸“ ‘Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic^† of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.^† ⁹See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes ^[4] on that one stone,^† and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin^† of this land in a single day.

¹⁰“ ‘In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree,^†’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

Zechariah 4

The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees

¹Then the angel who talked with me returned and wakened^† me, as a man is wakened from his sleep.^† ²He asked me, “What do you see?”^†

zechariah’s authorship

Zechariah 4 Before the seventeenth century A.D. the authorship of Zechariah was uncontested. The book was believed to have been written in its entirety by the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo (1:1). Zechariah began his ministry in 520 B.C., a mere two months after Haggai commenced his own.

Kidron Valley: the traditional (not actual) tomb of Zechariah

Photograph: © Todd Bolen/Bible Places.com

During the seventeenth century A.D., on the basis of Matthew 27:9 (which quotes Zec 11:12–13 but ascribes it to the prophet Jeremiah), the suggestion was made that the latter half of Zechariah (chs. 9–14) was actually written by Jeremiah. Since then the unity of Zechariah has been questioned by many critical scholars. Some hold that the entire work was written before the time of Zechariah, while others are convinced that it was written long after his day. The various arguments include:

• The first eight chapters allude to the historical situation during the restoration of the temple and include the dates when the visions occurred, while the last six chapters contain no such allusions or dates.

• There are marked differences in style and vocabulary between chapters 1–8 and 9–14.

• The reference to Greece in 9:13 suggests to some scholars a composition date in the late fourth century B.C., after Greece under Alexander the Great had conquered the Near East. Since Persia, not Greece, was the prevailing power in Zechariah’s day, many believe this particular verse to have been written after the fall of the Persian Empire.¹

There is little disagreement that chapters 9–14 are different from 1–8 or that the two sections were written at different times. This does not necessarily preclude, however, the assumption that Zechariah did in fact write the entire book.

• The fact that Zechariah 1–8 dates its prophecies, while chapters 9–14 do not, can be accounted for without postulating a second author:

The first section relates to the crucial events of 520 to 518 B.C., focusing on specific individuals and time frames. This specificity in purpose requires a more concrete historical setting.

The second section is for the most part eschatological (focused on the end times) and oriented toward the distant future.

The first section was most likely written well before the second. Zechariah was a young man in 520 B.C. (2:4) but may have written chapters 9–14 decades later.

• The prophet need not have maintained one writing style throughout his ministry. The apocalyptic-type visions of chapters 1–8 are reminiscent of what we see in Ezekiel (completed c. 575 B.C.) and Daniel (completed c. 530 B.C.). Zechariah 9–14, on the other hand, returns to a more classical style of prophecy.

• With regard to 9:13, the Hebrew Scriptures already refer to Greece (“Javan”) before Zechariah’s time (Isa 66:19; Eze 27:13); Greece was a significant power already in the sixth century B.C.² By 520 B.C. the Greeks were a considerable irritation to the Persian Empire, and within a few decades the Persians would assemble one of the greatest armies of ancient history to deal with them—and suffer a catastrophic defeat. Indeed, the Persians may already have experienced a major setback in Greece by the time of the writing of Zechariah 9–14, and yet those chapters could still be the work of Zechariah himself (the battle of Marathon was fought in 490 B.C.).

Several solutions have been offered for Matthew’s reference to Jeremiah. Some have argued that since the Talmud places Jeremiah at the head of the collection of prophetic books, any prophetic quote might be considered as belonging to the literary collection of Jeremiah. Others suggest that Matthew originally ascribed the passage to Zechariah but that the name Jeremiah crept in through scribal error. Matthew may have been quoting Zechariah but referring the reader to the prophecy found in Jeremiah 19:1–13 and 32:6–8, which had been repeated and expanded in Zechariah’s work.

In addition to the arguments presented above, the work shows internal signs of unity. The first and second sections are both concerned with the divine protection of Jerusalem, judgment against Israel’s enemies, the Messiah (Zec. 3:8; 9:9) and the outpouring of the Spirit (4:6; 12:10).

1. See “Ancient Persian History Through Darius” and “Ancient Persian History From Xerxes Forward.”

2. See “The Greeks and the Old Testament” and “Greece: From Independent City-states Through Alexander the Great .”

I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand^† with a bowl at the top and seven lights^† on it, with seven channels to the lights. ³Also there are two olive trees ^† by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”

⁴I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”

⁵He answered, “Do you not know what these are?”

“No, my lord,” I replied.^†

⁶So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:^† ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’^† says the LORD Almighty.

⁷“What^[5] are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground.^† Then he will bring out the capstone^† to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ”

⁸Then the word of the LORD came to me: ⁹“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation ^† of this temple; his hands will also complete it.^† Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me^† to you.

¹⁰“Who despises the day of small things?^† Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

“(These seven are the eyes^† of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)”

¹¹Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees^† on the right and the left of the lampstand?”

¹²Again I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?”

¹³He replied, “Do you not know what these are?”

“No, my lord,” I said.

¹⁴So he said, “These are the two who are anointed^† to^[6] serve the Lord of all the earth.”

Zechariah 5

The Flying Scroll

¹I looked again—and there before me was a flying scroll!^†

²He asked me, “What do you see?”

I answered, “I see a flying scroll, thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide.^[7] ”

³And he said to me, “This is the curse^† that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief^† will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely^† will be banished. ⁴The LORD Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in his house and destroy it, both its timbers and its stones.^†’ ”

The Woman in a Basket

⁵Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what this is that is appearing.”

⁶I asked, “What is it?”

He replied, “It is a measuring basket.^[8]” And he added, “This is the iniquity^[9] of the people throughout the land.”

⁷Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! ⁸He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed the lead cover down over its mouth.^†

⁹Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork,^† and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.

¹⁰“Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me.

¹¹He replied, “To the country of Babylonia^[10] ^† to build a house^† for it. When it is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.”^†

Zechariah 6

Four Chariots

¹I looked up again—and there before me were four chariots^† coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze! ²The first chariot had red horses, the second black,^† ³the third white,^† and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. ⁴I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?”

⁵The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits ^[11] ^† of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. ⁶The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west,^[12] and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”

⁷When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth.^† And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.

⁸Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit^[13] rest^† in the land of the north.”

A Crown for Joshua

⁹The word of the LORD came to me: ¹⁰“Take [silver and gold] from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon.^† Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. ¹¹Take the silver and gold and make a crown,^† and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua^† son of Jehozadak.^† ¹²Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch,^† and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD.^† ¹³It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest ^† on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ ¹⁴The crown will be given to Heldai,^[14] Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen^[15] son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the LORD. ¹⁵Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the LORD,^† and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.^† This will happen if you diligently obey^† the LORD your God.”

Zechariah 7

Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting

¹In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.^† ²The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech, together with their men, to entreat ^† the LORD ³by asking the priests of the house of the LORD Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn ^† and fast in the fifth^† month, as I have done for so many years?”

⁴Then the word of the LORD Almighty came to me: ⁵“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted^† and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? ⁶And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? ⁷Are these not the words the LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets^† when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest^† and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills^† were settled?’ ”

⁸And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: ⁹“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice;^† show mercy and compassion to one another. ¹⁰Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien^† or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’^†

¹¹“But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears.^† ¹²They made their hearts as hard as flint ^† and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.^† So the LORD Almighty was very angry.^†

¹³“ ‘When I called, they did not listen;^† so when they called, I would not listen,’^† says the LORD Almighty.^† ¹⁴‘I scattered ^† them with a whirlwind^† among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land was left so desolate behind them that no one could come or go. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.^†’ ”

Zechariah 8

The LORD Promises to Bless Jerusalem

¹Again the word of the LORD Almighty came to me. ²This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”

³This is what the LORD says: “I will return^† to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem.^† Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.”

⁴This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem,^† each with cane in hand because of his age. ⁵The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.^†”

⁶This is what the LORD Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time,^† but will it seem marvelous to me?^†” declares the LORD Almighty.

⁷This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west.^† ⁸I will bring them back ^† to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people,^† and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”

⁹This is what the LORD Almighty says: “You who now hear these words spoken by the prophets^† who were there when the foundation was laid for the house of the LORD Almighty, let your hands be strong^† so that the temple may be built. ¹⁰Before that time there were no wages ^† for man or beast. No one could go about his business safely because of his enemy, for I had turned every man against his neighbor. ¹¹But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,”^† declares the LORD Almighty.

¹²“The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit,^† the ground will produce its crops,^† and the heavens will drop their dew.^† I will give all these things as an inheritance^† to the remnant of this people. ¹³As you have been an object of cursing ^† among the nations, O Judah and Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing.^† Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”

¹⁴This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster^† upon you and showed no pity when your fathers angered me,” says the LORD Almighty, ¹⁵“so now I have determined to do good ^† again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid. ¹⁶These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth^† to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts;^† ¹⁷do not plot evil^† against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely.^† I hate all this,” declares the LORD.

¹⁸Again the word of the LORD Almighty came to me. ¹⁹This is what the LORD Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth,^† fifth,^† seventh^† and tenth^† months will become joyful^† and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth^† and peace.”

²⁰This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, ²¹and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat ^† the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself am going.’ ²²And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him.”^†

²³This is what the LORD Almighty says: “In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’ ”^†

Zechariah 9

Judgment on Israel’s Enemies

An Oracle

¹The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach

Sidon

Zechariah 9 Sidon is located at a natural harbor on the coast of Lebanon, in ancient Phoenicia,¹ between Tyre and Beirut (“Map 7”). It was, in fact, one of the oldest and most important cities in the region. Sidon’s prominence is reflected in the fact that it is mentioned in Hittite, Ugaritic, Egyptian and Assyrian records. The Sidonians were engaged throughout their long history in fishing, seafaring, commerce and the manufacture of purple dye. An enormous mound of murex shells, from which this striking dye was extracted, still exists in modern Sidon. Its inhabitants were also known for their fine craftsmanship; they produced beautiful works in materials such as ivory and silver.² References to “Greater Sidon” in Joshua 11:8 and 19:28 reflect a precise knowledge of the name of the town. The Assyrian record of Sennacherib’s campaign in 701 B.C. states that he captured both “Greater Sidon” and “Little Sidon.”

When Joshua divided the promised land, Sidon was allotted to the tribe of Asher, but this tribe was unable to drive out the Sidonians (Jdg 1:31; 3:1–3). Later, during the divided monarchy period, Ahab married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon, in a union that resulted in the introduction of pagan worship into the northern kingdom (1Ki 16:31–33). The prophets Jeremiah (Jer 25:22; 27:3–6; 47:4), Ezekiel (Eze 28:20–24), Joel (Joel 3:4–8) and Zechariah (Zec 9:1–2) all pronounced judgment against Sidon. She was among the cities God had given to Nebuchadnezzar³ of Babylon (Jer 27:6), and a text excavated at Babylon lists the king of Sidon among Nebuchadnezzar’s captives. Sidon was also a center for the Persian fleet during the reign of Xerxes.

Excavations at ancient Sidon have been limited by recent military hostilities, as well as by urban development. Recently there have been indications of the possibility of excavating remains of ancient Sidon under the sea (Greek historians indicate that in 146 B.C. the city was struck by an earthquake, which caused a large portion of it to sink beneath the sea).

1. See “Phoenicia.”

2. See “Ancient Craftsmanship.”

3. See “Nebuchadnezzar.”

and will rest upon Damascus^†—

for the eyes of men and all the tribes of Israel

are on the LORD —^[16]

²and upon Hamath^† too, which borders on it,

and upon Tyre^† and Sidon, though they are very skillful.

³Tyre has built herself a stronghold;

she has heaped up silver like dust,

and gold like the dirt of the streets.^†

⁴But the Lord will take away her possessions

and destroy her power on the sea,

and she will be consumed by fire.^†

⁵Ashkelon will see it and fear;

Gaza will writhe in agony,

and Ekron too, for her hope will wither.

Gaza will lose her king

and Ashkelon will be deserted.

⁶Foreigners will occupy Ashdod,

and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

⁷I will take the blood from their mouths,

the forbidden food from between their teeth.

Those who are left will belong to our God

and become leaders in Judah,

and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.

⁸But I will defend my house

against marauding forces.

Never again will an oppressor overrun my people,

for now I am keeping watch.^†

The Coming of Zion’s King

⁹Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!

Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!

See, your king^[17] comes to you,

righteous and having salvation,^†

gentle and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.^†

¹⁰I will take away the chariots from Ephraim

and the war-horses from Jerusalem,

and the battle bow will be broken.^†

He will proclaim peace to the nations.

His rule will extend from sea to sea

and from the River^[18] to the ends of the earth.^[19] ^†

¹¹As for you, because of the blood of my covenant^† with you,

I will free your prisoners^† from the waterless pit.

¹²Return to your fortress,^† O prisoners of hope;

even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

¹³I will bend Judah as I bend my bow

and fill it with Ephraim.^†

I will rouse your sons, O Zion,

against your sons, O Greece,^†

and make you like a warrior’s sword.^†

The LORD Will Appear

¹⁴Then the LORD will appear over them;^†

his arrow will flash like lightning.^†

The Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet;

he will march in the storms^† of the south,

¹⁵and the LORD Almighty will shield^† them.

They will destroy

and overcome with slingstones.

They will drink and roar as with wine;

they will be full like a bowl

used for sprinkling^[20] the corners^† of the altar.

¹⁶The LORD their God will save them on that day

as the flock of his people.

They will sparkle in his land

like jewels in a crown.^†

¹⁷How attractive and beautiful they will be!

Grain will make the young men thrive,

and new wine the young women.

Zechariah 10

The LORD Will Care for Judah

¹Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime;

it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds.

He gives showers of rain to men,

and plants of the field to everyone.

²The idols^† speak deceit,

diviners see visions that lie;

they tell dreams that are false,

they give comfort in vain.

Therefore the people wander like sheep

oppressed for lack of a shepherd.^†

³“My anger burns against the shepherds,

and I will punish the leaders;^†

for the LORD Almighty will care

for his flock, the house of Judah,

and make them like a proud horse in battle.

⁴From Judah will come the cornerstone,

from him the tent peg,^†

from him the battle bow,^†

from him every ruler.

⁵Together they^[21] will be like mighty men

trampling the muddy streets in battle.^†

Because the LORD is with them,

they will fight and overthrow the horsemen.^†

⁶“I will strengthen the house of Judah

and save the house of Joseph.

I will restore them

because I have compassion on them.^†

They will be as though

I had not rejected them,

for I am the LORD their God

and I will answer^† them.

⁷The Ephraimites will become like mighty men,

and their hearts will be glad as with wine.^†

Their children will see it and be joyful;

their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.

⁸I will signal^† for them

and gather them in.

Surely I will redeem them;

they will be as numerous^† as before.

⁹Though I scatter them among the peoples,

yet in distant lands they will remember me.^†

They and their children will survive,

and they will return.

¹⁰I will bring them back from Egypt

and gather them from Assyria.^†

I will bring them to Gilead^† and Lebanon,

and there will not be room^† enough for them.

¹¹They will pass through the sea of trouble;

the surging sea will be subdued

and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.^†

Assyria’s pride^† will be brought down

and Egypt’s scepter^† will pass away.

¹²I will strengthen them in the LORD

and in his name they will walk,^†”

declares the LORD.

Zechariah 11

¹Open your doors, O Lebanon,^†

so that fire may devour your cedars!

²Wail, O pine tree, for the cedar has fallen;

the stately trees are ruined!

Wail, oaks of Bashan;

the dense forest^† has been cut down!

³Listen to the wail of the shepherds;

their rich pastures are destroyed!

Listen to the roar of the lions;

the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!^†

Two Shepherds

⁴This is what the LORD my God says: “Pasture the flock marked for slaughter. ⁵Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the LORD, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.^† ⁶For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the LORD. “I will hand everyone over to his neighbor ^† and his king. They will oppress the land, and I will not rescue them from their hands.”^†

⁷So I pastured the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I pastured the flock. ⁸In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.

The flock detested me, and I grew weary of them ⁹and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish.^† Let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.”

¹⁰Then I took my staff called Favor^† and broke it, revoking^† the covenant I had made with all the nations. ¹¹It was revoked on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the LORD.

¹²I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.^†

¹³And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter.^†

¹⁴Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵Then the LORD said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. ¹⁶For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hoofs.

¹⁷“Woe to the worthless shepherd,^†

who deserts the flock!

May the sword strike his arm^† and his right eye!

May his arm be completely withered,

his right eye totally blinded!”^†

Zechariah 12

Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed

An Oracle

¹This is the word of the LORD concerning Israel. The LORD, who stretches out the heavens,^† who lays the foundation of the earth,^† and who forms the spirit of man^† within him, declares: ²“I am going to make Jerusalem a cup ^† that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling.^† Judah^† will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. ³On that day, when all the nations^† of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock^† for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure^† themselves. ⁴On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the LORD. “I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.^† ⁵Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the LORD Almighty is their God.’

Megiddo

Zechariah 12 The city of Megiddo (“Map 6”) controlled the pass between the Valley of Jezreel and the Sharon plain. Routes that traveled northwest to the Phoenician coast and east to Damascus were also controlled by this city¹ Many critical battles took place at Megiddo, one of the most strategic cities in the region now called Palestine.

An archaeological excavation of Tell el-Mutesellim during the first decade of the twentieth century located the city, including numerous layers of occupation. Megiddo was first inhabited during the Neolithic Age.² The Megiddo of the Early Bronze I period boasted the largest known temple in the Levant (Syria-Palestine) for that time period. Excavation revealed numerous levels of occupation through the Middle Bronze and Late Bronze Ages; some levels indicate periods when the city was prosperous and others when it was impoverished. During the earlier part of the Late Bronze Age Megiddo was under Egyptian domination, having been captured by Pharaoh Thutmose III in approximately 1479 B.C. Several of the Amarna Letters³ from the ruler of Megiddo profess loyalty to Egypt.

During the conquest of the promised land Megiddo was allotted to the tribe of Manasseh (Jos 17:11).⁴ The king of Megiddo is listed among those defeated by Joshua (Jos 12:21), but Manasseh could not take the city (Jdg 1:27). It appears that Megiddo was subsequently a Canaanite city with a Philistine presence. Apparently David conquered it for Israel.

An occupation level from the tenth century B.C., the age of Solomon, indicates that the city was used as a government administrative center for Israel. This level evidences the same kind of multichambered gates and double walls (called casemate walls) found in Hazor and Gezer during the same time period.⁵ On the basis of 1 Kings 9:15 we can conclude that the style of construction used in these cities was of a sort favored by Solomon’s engineers.⁶ Pharaoh Shishak (r. c. 945–924 B.C.) appears to have destroyed Megiddo during a campaign that included an attack on Judah and Jerusalem.⁷

Early Bronze Age temple and altar at Megiddo

Megiddo was rebuilt and used again as a military or administrative center during the ninth and eighth centuries B.C. However, the city once again fell to a foreign power when Tiglath-Pileser III, king of Assyria, conquered it around 733 B.C., after which it was used as an Assyrian administrative center. With the fall of the Assyrian Empire, Megiddo came under the control of Judah. It was the location of the confrontation between King Josiah and Pharaoh Neco that resulted in Josiah’s death.⁸ In Zechariah 12:11 “the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo” probably refers to mourning over this calamity. During the Persian Age the city was abandoned.

A number of remarkable archaeological finds have emerged from Megiddo:

• A large, round sacrificial area from an Early Bronze temple complex

• A plaque depicting a Hittite king standing beneath a winged sun disk

• A fragment of an Akkadian tablet containing a part of the Gilgamesh epic

• Ivory carvings of the Egyptian god Bes and of lotus patterns

• A painted pitcher, called the “Orpheus Jug,” portraying a lyre player leading a procession of animals

• Palace structures dating from the Israelite period (tenth—eighth centuries B.C.) reflecting that the city was for a time a significant Israelite administrative center

• A stele from Pharaoh Shishak, confirming that this Egyptian monarch did take the city during the time of Rehoboam

• A remarkable jasper seal with a roaring lion and the inscription “of Shema, servant of Jeroboam” (i.e., Jeroboam II)

• A large building excavated there with three aisles running its length, separated by rows of pillars. (Its function has been debated, with some suggesting a storehouse or barracks, but it was probably a stable for horses from the time of Ahab.)

These finds, from different ages and from across the ancient Near East, attest to the abiding significance of Megiddo.

1. See “Phoenicia” and “Damascus.”

2. See “Archaeological Periods Chart” in the front of this Bible.

3. See “The Amarna Tablets and the Habiru.”

4. See “The Conquest of Canaan.”

5. See “Hazor” and “Gezer.”

6. See “The Building Activity of Solomon.”

7. See “The Campaign of Shishak.”

8. See “Josiah, Zechariah and Neco II.”

⁶“On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot^† in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume^† right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.

⁷“The LORD will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.^† ⁸On that day the LORD will shield ^† those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God,^† like the Angel of the LORD going before^† them. ⁹On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.^†

Mourning for the One They Pierced

¹⁰“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit^[22] of grace and supplication.^† They will look on^[23] me, the one they have pierced,^† and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. ¹¹On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.^† ¹²The land will mourn,^† each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, ¹³the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, ¹⁴and all the rest of the clans and their wives.

Zechariah 13

Cleansing From Sin

¹“On that day a fountain^† will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse^† them from sin and impurity.

²“On that day, I will banish the names of the idols^† from the land, and they will be remembered no more,” declares the LORD Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets^† and the spirit of impurity from the land. ³And if anyone still prophesies, his father and mother, to whom he was born, will say to him, ‘You must die, because you have told lies in the LORD’s name.’ When he prophesies, his own parents will stab him.^†

⁴“On that day every prophet will be ashamed^† of his prophetic vision. He will not put on a prophet’s garment^† of hair^† in order to deceive. ⁵He will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.^[24] ’^† ⁶If someone asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your body^[25]? ’ he will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’

The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered

⁷“Awake, O sword,^† against my shepherd,^†

against the man who is close to me!”

declares the LORD Almighty.

“Strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered,^†

and I will turn my hand against the little ones.

⁸In the whole land,” declares the LORD,

“two-thirds will be struck down and perish;

yet one-third will be left in it.^†

⁹This third I will bring into the fire;^†

I will refine them like silver^†

and test them like gold.

They will call^† on my name

and I will answer^† them;

I will say, ‘They are my people,’^†

and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.^†’ ”

Zechariah 14

The LORD Comes and Reigns

¹A day of the LORD^† is coming when your plunder will be divided among you.

The Mount of Olives

Zechariah 14 The Mount of Olives forms a ridge running north and south for about two miles (three km) just across the Kidron Valley (“Map 10”) east of Jerusalem.¹ Zechariah 14:4 speaks of a split in this mountain that will run from east to west in the eschatological (end times) future. This gulch will provide an avenue of escape, so the text tells us, when Jerusalem comes under a terrible siege (v. 2).

The Mount of Olives is explicitly mentioned in the Old Testament only here and in 2 Samuel 15:30; however, the “hill east of Jerusalem” where Solomon constructed shrines to pagan gods (1Ki 11:7–8; cf. 2Ki 23:13) was probably the same location. In these Old Testament references there seems to be some association of the Mount of Olives with crisis and judgment. This trend continues in the New Testament, where the Mount of Olives is prominent in the ministry of Jesus:

• When Jesus in his triumphal entry approached Jerusalem, moving downward from the Mount of Olives, he wept over the city’s coming destruction (Lk 19:30–44).

• The cursing of the fig tree (Mt 21:17–19), a symbol of judgment on Israel, appears to have occurred there.

• From this vantage point Jesus delivered his “Olivet Discourse” (Mt 24; Mk 13), a prophecy of judgment.

• Jesus’ agony in the garden of Gethsemane (Mt 26:30–42), as well as Judas’s betrayal of him (Jn 18:1–3), both occurred there.

The Kidron Valley and the Mount of Olives as seen from the City of David

1. See “Jerusalem.”

²I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.^†