Zechariah: Edit history

Definition and Meaning

Zechariah is the eleventh of the twelve Minor Prophets of the Old Testament and contains fourteen chapters. "Minor Prophets" is the collective term for the comparatively short prophetic books. The Hebrew name Zechariah is understood to mean "the LORD remembers." Zechariah 1:1 introduces the prophet as "the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo." The father of John the Baptist, who appears in the Gospel of Luke, is a different person. In Korean translations, Catholic Bibles use their own spelling of the prophet's name, and Protestant Bibles use a distinct spelling for the father of John the Baptist to distinguish the two.

Biblical and Historical Background

Zechariah was active during the same period as Haggai. According to Zechariah 1:1, he began to prophesy in the second year of the Persian king Darius, around 520 BC. At that time the people who had returned from the Babylonian exile had halted the work of rebuilding the ruined Temple in Jerusalem, and Zechariah encouraged them to resume construction.

In terms of content, the book falls into two parts.

• Chapters 1–8: These center on eight night visions. The high priest Joshua and the governor Zerubbabel appear, and the messianic expression "my servant the BRANCH" (3:8) occurs.
• Chapters 9–14: These are prophecies concerning a coming king and shepherd and the events that will take place "in that day."

The two parts appear to differ in style and historical setting. For this reason, the view that chapters 9–14 were written by a different author is widely held in critical scholarship. By contrast, the seminaries of conservative Korean denominations generally regard the entire book as the work of Zechariah himself.

The New Testament quotes Zechariah on several occasions.

• The king riding upon a colt (9:9) is quoted in Matthew 21:5 and John 12:15.
• The thirty pieces of silver (11:12–13) are connected with the prophecy in Matthew 27:9–10.
• Looking upon him whom they pierced (12:10) is quoted in John 19:37.
• The smiting of the shepherd and the scattering of the sheep (13:7) is quoted in Matthew 26:31.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant churches, Zechariah 4:6, as rendered in the New Korean Revised Version, is one of the most frequently quoted verses (KJV: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts"). This verse, together with 4:10, "For who hath despised the day of small things?", is commonly used in sermons at church-planting services, for church building projects, and at dedication services, because the account of Zerubbabel's rebuilding of the Temple suits such occasions. Zechariah 9:9 is often read on Palm Sunday, and 12:10 and 13:7 during Holy Week.

The interpretation of chapter 14 varies by denomination and theological tradition.

• Dispensationalists regard the splitting of the Mount of Olives (14:4) as an event that will be literally fulfilled at the Second Coming and read it in connection with the millennial kingdom. In Korea, this interpretation appears in some sermons from Full Gospel and Baptist circles.
• Presbyterian theologians in the covenant theology and Reformed tradition generally interpret the scene as a symbolic depiction of the restoration of the kingdom of God accomplished through Christ and the church.