Zechariah (Person)

Several people named Zechariah appear in the Bible. This article covers the prophet Zechariah, who was active after the return from exile.

Biblical Record

Zechariah 1:1 introduces him as "Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet." In Ezra 5:1 and 6:14 he appears alongside the prophet Haggai of the Book of Haggai. The two men urged the people who had returned from the Babylonian exile to resume the rebuilding of the temple, which had been halted. Nehemiah 12:16 lists a Zechariah as the head of the priestly house of Iddo, and many interpreters identify this man with the prophet. On this basis, some regard him as a member of a priestly family.

His prophetic activity is recorded from the second year (Zechariah 1:1) to about the fourth year (7:1) of the Persian king Darius. Chapters 1–6 of the Book of Zechariah contain eight visions seen in a single night: the man riding a red horse, the four horns and the four carpenters, the measuring line, the high priest Joshua accused by Satan, the golden candlestick and the two olive trees, the flying roll, the woman in the ephah, and the four chariots. This section also contains the word given to Zerubbabel: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit" (Zechariah 4:6). Chapters 7–8 answer a question about fasting and call for justice and mercy, while chapters 9–14 prophesy the coming king and the Day of the Lord.

Significance Within Scripture

The New Testament frequently cites the Book of Zechariah. "Riding upon an ass" (Zechariah 9:9) is quoted in the accounts of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:5; John 12:15), and "smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered" (13:7) is applied to the prediction that the disciples would be scattered (Matthew 26:31). "Whom they have pierced" appears in the crucifixion account (John 19:37) and in a description of the Second Coming (Revelation 1:7). "The two olive trees, and the two candlesticks" of Revelation 11:4 recall the vision of Zechariah 4.

Interpretation and Debates

• "The Branch": Christian tradition reads "the BRANCH" of Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12 as a messianic prophecy pointing to Christ. Another interpretation holds that it refers primarily to Zerubbabel, the leader of that time.
• Authorship: In critical scholarship, the view that chapters 9–14 were written by a different, later author is widespread. Conservative Protestant scholars regard the entire book as the work of the prophet Zechariah.
• Matthew 27:9: Although this verse about the thirty pieces of silver closely resembles Zechariah 11:12–13, it is attributed to "the prophet Jeremiah" ("Jeremy the prophet" in the KJV). Various explanations have therefore been offered, including the view that it is a composite citation combining material from the Book of Jeremiah.
• Zacharias son of Barachias: Opinions differ on whether "Zacharias son of Barachias," who according to Matthew 23:35 was slain between the temple and the altar, is this prophet or Zechariah the son of Jehoiada in 2 Chronicles 24:20–22.
• The eschatological prophecy of chapter 14: Dispensationalism tends to read scenes such as the splitting of the Mount of Olives as literal future events, while other traditions tend to read them symbolically.
• Later writings contain traditions about his final years and his tomb, but these do not appear in the biblical text.

The father of John the Baptist, whose name is spelled differently in the Korean Revised Version (Sagarya) and who is called Zacharias in the KJV, is a different person from this prophet (see Zacharias and Elisabeth).

In the Korean Church

Zechariah 4:6 is frequently cited at church plantings, the construction of church buildings, and the launching of ministries. "For who hath despised the day of small things?" (Zechariah 4:9–10) is likewise used in sermons that encourage small beginnings. In Palm Sunday sermons, Zechariah 9:9 is treated together with Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.