Zechariah son of Jehoiada

Biblical Account

The story of Zechariah appears only in 2 Chronicles 24:17–25. His father, Jehoiada, was a priest who hid the young Joash in the temple, raised him there, and later placed him on the throne (2 Chronicles 22–23). Joash ruled rightly as long as Jehoiada lived (2 Chronicles 24:2).

After Jehoiada died, the princes (high officials) of Judah came to the king, and the people forsook the temple and served Asherah poles and idols. Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah. Standing before the people, he rebuked them, declaring that because they had forsaken the LORD, the LORD had also forsaken them (24:20). At the king's command, the people stoned him to death in the court of the temple. Chronicles records that Joash did not remember the kindness Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son. As he died, Zechariah said, "The LORD look upon it, and require it" (24:22), a plea for God to redress the wrong done to him.

Afterward, the Syrian (Aramean) army attacked Judah. Joash's servants conspired against him "for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada" and killed him, and he was not buried in the sepulchres of the kings (24:23–25). 2 Kings 12 also reports the assassination of Joash but does not mention the death of Zechariah.

Significance Within the Bible

Through this episode, Chronicles makes clear the theme that those who forsake God will be forsaken by him. The same expression recurs in Zechariah's words (24:20) and in the reason given for the Syrian invasion (24:24).

In the New Testament, Jesus said that this generation would be held accountable for the blood shed from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias, who was slain "between the temple and the altar" (Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:51). Because this Zacharias died in the temple precincts, and because Zechariah's final words called for retribution, many commentators identify him with the son of Jehoiada.

Interpretations and Issues

• The "son of Barachias" problem: The Gospel of Matthew calls Zacharias "the son of Barachias." Views on his identity therefore differ, varying by commentator rather than by denomination.
• The view that he is the son of Jehoiada: The Hebrew Bible ends with Chronicles, so "from Abel to Zacharias" is taken to refer to the deaths of the righteous from the beginning of Scripture to its end. The name "Barachias" is explained as a scribal confusion, an alternate name, or the like.
• The view that he is the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 1:1, the son of Berechiah): The Old Testament, however, contains no record of his being murdered.
• Other views: Some identify him with the Zacharias, reported by Josephus, who was killed in the temple during the Jewish War. Others, on the basis of apocryphal traditions, identify him with the father of John the Baptist.
• Contrast with a prayer of forgiveness: Christian interpreters often contrast Zechariah's words seeking retribution with the prayer of Stephen (Acts 7:60). Some also connect his words with Hebrews 12:24, "the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel."
• Extra-biblical stories: Later Jewish literature, including the Talmud, contains a legend that his blood seethed in the temple. This story is not found in the Bible.
• Family relationships: Because Jehoshabeath, who hid Joash (2 Chronicles 22:11), was the wife of Jehoiada, some regard Zechariah as Joash's cousin. The Bible, however, does not identify Zechariah's mother.