Zechariah 10, Whistled Home

The prosperous new age, in which Israel reigns under the presence of YHWH, was described in chapter 9. That description continues into chapter 10.

Zechariah 10:1, Spring rains

    Ask 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.

It is YHWH who rewards his people with rain showers and allows the crops to grow. (Both Barker and Baldwin see verse 1 as the conclusion to 9:14-17.)

Zechariah 10:2a, False visions

   The idols speak deceit, 

diviners see visions that lie; 

they tell dreams that are false, 

they give comfort in vain. 

Why do people follow idols, whose worshipers tell lies and give false comfort?

Zechariah 10:2b-3, Without a shepherd

Therefore the people wander like sheep 

oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

    "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.

Those who follow idols have no shepherd king to guide them. They wander, lost. Indeed the leaders of Judah and the false shepherds will be punished. YHWH Himself will be the Shepherd and lead the flock. (See Ezekiel 34 for a longer prophetic description of the need for a shepherd in Israel.)

The NIV translates the Hebrew attud ("male goats") as "leaders."; God's "anger burns against the shepherds" and He will punish the "male goats." (Baldwin says that "male goats" is a derogatory term.)

There is wordplay in verse 3, for the same Hebrew word, paqad is use twice. That word apparently means to visit or to focus on and can have both negative and positive connotations. It is translated by the NIV first as "punish" and then as "care". In the first place the variant, ’ep̄·qōḏ, describes a negative visitation, a punishment, and in the second, the variant, p̄ā·qaḏ, implies a positive visitation. (The second version shows up in 1 Samuel 2:21, where God visits -- "is gracious to" -- Hannah and she has five more children.)

Zechariah 10:4-5, Cornerstones and tent pegs

From Judah will come the cornerstone, 

from him the tent peg, 

from him the battle bow, 

from him every ruler.

    Together they will be like mighty men 

trampling the muddy streets in battle. 

Because the LORD is with them, 

they will fight and overthrow the horsemen.

Judah will be the foundation for the future, a cornerstone or tent peg in building, and the source of all rulers. Those of Judah will lead the fight, with YHWH beside them, and defeat the enemy. According to Barker (p. 669) the Targum viewed the cornerstone/tent peg as the coming Messiah. 

Zechariah 10:6-8, Judah and Joseph gathered in

    "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.

    The 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.

    I will signal for them and gather them in. 

Surely I will redeem them; 

they will be as numerous as before.

Both Judah (southern kingdom) and Joseph (former northern kingdom) will be savedd; YHWH will be their God. The people of Ephraim (that is, the former northern kingdom) will rejoice in God and be brought back into Israel. The final joyous redemption will create a nation at least as numerous and prosperous as any previous time.

Verse 6 is a chiasmus, literally

I will strengthen

the house of Judah

and the house of Joseph

I will save.

(Barker p. 670.)

The Hebrew word ’eš·rə·qāh, is translated "I will signal" by the NIV but it means literally, "I will whistle." That word continues the shepherd metaphor -- in this future Day, the Good Shepherd will whistle and His flock will come running.

Zechariah 10:9-10, Scattered people return

    Though I scatter them among the peoples, 

yet in distant lands they will remember me. 

They and their children will survive, 

and they will return.

    I 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.

The people of God will be brought back from faraway lands, like Egypt and Assyria. There will be so many returning that there will be no room for them!

Zechariah 10:11-12, Walking through sea

    They 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.

    I will strengthen them in the LORD 

and in his name they will walk," 

declares the LORD.

The future Return will look to the Exodus, to God's power over the seas. All enemies (represented here by Egypt and Assyria) will have no power and will be defeated.

There is poetic assonance in verse 11: "Brought down will be ’aš·šūr (Assyria) and Egypt will yā·sūr (pass away)."

The Hebrew prophet who speaks about enemies Egypt and Assyria, in that order in verse 10, naturally reverses the order in verse 11. The ancient Hebrew storytellers and writers instinctively used both parallelisms and chiasmi in their writings. 

Some Random Thoughts

Good Shepherd, we are ready for your whistle. We are lost and confused and have no useful guides or leaders.

First published December 20, 2025; updated December 20, 2025

Zechariah 9, YHWH Sounds a Trumpet

In the first half of the book of Zechariah, he relayed a total of nine visions given him by God. These were given at the end of the exile (about 519 BC) as the exiles headed back to Jerusalem. Now the last half of the book includes some prophecies probably made later in life. (Barker suggests this portion of the book was written just prior to 480 BC, almost four decades later.)

Zechariah 9:1-2a, Against Syria

A prophecy:

The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach 

and will rest upon Damascus-- 

for the eyes of men and all the tribes of Israel 

are on the LORD- 

and upon Hamath too, which borders on it, 

Zechariah now has some prophecies about neighboring kingdoms. To the northeast was Damascus. Hamath was north of Damascus; Hadrach was probably north of Damascus.

Much has been written about the opening word of this chapter. The Hebrew massa' roughly translates as "burden" and has been translated "oracle" or "prophecy." It opens both chapters 9 and 12 and appears to represent a "burden" that the prophet must communicate.

Zechariah 9:2b-4, Against Tyre and Sidon

and upon Tyre and Sidon, 

though they are very skillful.

Tyre has built herself a stronghold; 

she has heaped up silver like dust, 

and gold like the dirt of the streets. 

But the Lord will take away her possessions 

and destroy her power on the sea, 

and she will be consumed by fire.

On the Mediterranean coast, northwest of Israel, were Lebanon cities, Tyre and Sidon. They are identified here as being rich, with silver and gold, but they will eventually be destroyed and burned. The prophet, Ezekiel, also speaks against Tyre and Sidon, across three chapters in Ezekiel 26-28.

In the past, Israel's enemies (such as Assyria and Babylon) have attacked from the north. Here it is YHWH who moves down from the north.

Zechariah 9:5-6, Against Philistia

Ashkelon 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.

Foreigners will occupy Ashdod, 

and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. 

I 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. 

Philistine cities, Gaza, Ekron, Ashkelon and Ashdod (all west of Israel) will be conquered and consumed. (Ashkelon, now part of Israel, was a city on the coast, west of Jerusalem.) The survivors left in Gaza and the coast will turn over to God and become leaders. The town of Ekron (inland from the coast) will be like the Jebusites (the original settlers in Jerusalem) in being assimilated into the nation of Israel.

In Joshua 13:3 the Philistines are described as rulers of five cities (Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron) and all five cities are mentioned in 1 Samuel 6:17. Sometime after that, Gath disappears from the historical accounts. The four remaining cities are mentioned here and also in similar prophecies in Jeremiah 25:20, Amos 1:6-8, and Zephaniah 2:4-7.

The judgment of these coastal cities moves from north to south, starting in Lebanon and ending in Philistia. Barker suggests that this follows Alexander the Great's campaign against the region in 332 BC. An account of Alexander's march through Lebanon and Palestine is recorded by Flavius Josephus in Chapter 8 of Book XI of his Antiquities. In that account, although Alexander conquers the enemies of Israel, he spares Jerusalem.

In New Testament times, Ashdod is called Azotus. The apostle Philip preaches there in Acts 8:40.

Zechariah 9:8, Never again

But I will defend my house against marauding forces. 

Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, 

for now I am keeping watch.

Despite the judgment on nearby kingdoms, Jerusalem and Israel will be protected. Although Alexander the Great spared Jerusalem in the fourth century BC, many commentators (including Barker) consider this chapter to be a prophecy about a future millennial kingdom.

Zechariah 9:9-10, A king on a lowly donkey

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! 

Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! 

See, your king comes to you, 

righteous and having salvation, 

gentle and riding on a donkey, 

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

    I 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 to the ends of the earth.

These twelve lines form a triumphal poem. A king approaches Jerusalem. The king is gentle, humble, riding on a lowly donkey. The mechanism of war: chariots, war-horses, battle bows, are all broken and gone. Peace will rule from "sea to sea", throughout all the earth. ("Sea to sea", like "east to west", is a merism, indicating totality.)

Genesis 49:10-12 has a strange prophecy (by Jacob) about Judah. It includes a ruler who rides on a donkey.

Zechariah 9:11-13, Prisoners restored

    As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,

 I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.

    Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; 

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

    I 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.

Although blood has played a significant symbolic role in God's relationship with His people, whether with circumcision (see Exodus 4:24-26) or animal sacrifice, the phrase "blood of my covenant" is quite rare, only appearing elsewhere in Exodus 24:8 (says Baldwin.) where the phrase "blood of the covenant" is used. The phrase was used in the New Testament by Jesus, eg., Mark 14:23-25.

Israel will be restored, her imprisoned people set freed. Judah will be roused to defend its country. Here an enemy is named Greece (Hebrew Yavan.) Some see this as a prophecy about the upcoming invasion by Alexander the Great.

Zechariah 9:14-17, Lightning, thunder, trumpet blast

    Then 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,

    and 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 the corners of the altar.

    The 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.

    How attractive and beautiful they will be! 

Grain will make the young men thrive, 

and new wine the young women.

In this future day, YHWH will appear with dramatic light and sound, with an arrow flashing like lightning and the sound of a trumpet and thunderstorm. This description echoes the appearance of YHWH at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19:16-19.

"They" -- presumbably the people of Israel -- will have slingshots and will triumph in victory, celebrating as if filled with wine. A bowl will be full (of blood?) as used for sprinkling on the altar during sacrifices. (See Leviticus 4:3-7.) YHWH will save the nation, which will become jewels in His crown.

Prosperity, represented in parallel lines of good crops and good wine, will be in abundance.

First published December 19, 2025; updated December 19, 2025

Zechariah 8, Following Jews to Jerusalem!

After the eight visions in chapters 1 through 6, Zechariah now passes on (in chapters 7 and 8) a set of messages from YHWH, stimulated by questions from a group of former exiles now residing in Bethel.

Zechariah 8:1-3, City of Truth

Again the word of the LORD Almighty came to me. This is what the LORD Almighty says: 

"I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her."

This 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."

YHWH will make Jerusalem His home. It will be called the City of Truth and Mount Zion will be the Holy Mountain. The Hebrew of verse 2 is a chiamus -- a literal translation might be

I am zealous for Zion

with great zeal 

and great fervor 

I am zealous for her,

beginning and ending with God's zealousy for Zion. The Hebrew word qanah carries jealousy and envy; here the "jealousy" is positive, a zeal for the people of Jerusalem.

Zechariah 8:4-6, Old men, young children
This 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. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there."

This 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.

In that future day of peace, men and women will grow old. They will sit and watch joyful boys and girls play in the city streets. (See Isaiah 65:20-25 for Isaiah's description of this time.) The people will view that future day as marvelous, but it is not difficult for God to accomplish.

Zechariah 8:7-8, From all directions
This is what the LORD Almighty says: 

"I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I 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." 

People from the east and west -- from all directions -- will return to Israel, to live there. The old covenant will be restored -- the people of Israel will be closely aligned with God.

Zechariah 8:9-11, Be strong!

This 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. Before 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. But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past," 

declares the LORD Almighty.

The message returns to that of Haggai a few years before. (See Haggai 1:6-11.) Be strong and finish the task! Advance the covenant by finishing the temple!

Zechariah 8:12-13, Bounty

"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. As 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."

As the people follow God, the land will prosper.

Zechariah 8:14-17, I will do good to Jerusalem
This 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, 

"so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah.

 

Do not be afraid. These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this," 

declares the LORD.

Now, in this time of the new Second Temple, the people are to return to the basic morality of justice. As mentioned just previously in 7:9-10, justice is important even than observing the fasts -- the people are to speak the truth to each other, are to give sound judgment, must avoid evil and false witness.

Zechariah 8:18-22, Joyous fasts, 
Again the word of the LORD Almighty came to me. This 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."

This is what the LORD Almighty says: 

"Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and 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.' And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him."

 

Finally the original question (7:2-3) is answered. Should the people still fast? Yes, but the fasts should be joyful events! In the future, people will go to each other and say, "Hurry! Let us go to Jerusalem." People from many other nations will hurry to Jerusalem to worship YHWH, the Almighty God. The people are "to love (aheb) truth and peace" (see Amos 5:15.)

Baldwin argues that the fast on the fifth month, mentioned in 7:3, was in mourning over the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC. She suggests that the fasts of the tenth and fourth months correspond to the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's seige and the breaking through the city wall, respectively (Jeremiah 39:1-2.) The fast on the seventh month might remember the murder of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 41:1-3.)

Zechariah 8:23, Grabbing the hem of his robe

This 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.'" 

If verse 22 was not explicit, the next verse clarifies this future. God says that men from all languages and nations (clearly including Gentiles!) will grab the hems of the robes of their Jewish friends and beg to follow them. The Jewish people will lead Gentiles to God.

The Hebrew word "Jehudi" ("Jew") appears in the Old Testament after the exile. It is quite rare in the prophetic books, occurring only late in Jeremiah and in this verse.

First published December 18, 2025; updated December 18, 2025

Zechariah 7, Why Did You Fast?

After the eight visions in chapters 1 through 6, we have a later ninth vision. This one occurs several years after the previous ones and is stimulated by a question from returning exiles.

Zechariah 7:1-3, Should I mourn?
In 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. The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech, together with their men, to entreat the LORD by 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?"

People living in Bethel sent representatives to Jerusalem to ask Zechariah some questions. The main question seems to be whether they should continue the mourning and fasting of the fifth month, something that had been part of the Babylonian captivity. The fifth month was the month in which the temple had been burned by Nebuchadnezzar seventy years earlier (2 Kings 25:8-12.) But now the temple was being rebuilt. The religious leaders wanted to know if there was a need to fast any longer.

Baldwin notes that the men arrive early on the ninth month, asking a question about the fifth month. The delay can be explained by travelers originating from Babylon, asking questions raised by Jewish leaders still residing there.

Zechariah 7:4-7, For what did you fast?
Then the word of the LORD Almighty came to me: 

"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? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? Are 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?'"

The question by the men from Bethel is not answered until the end of chapter 8.  God's response, given through Zechariah, instead focuses on the motivation behind the fifth-month fasting -- and the another fast during the seventh month.  These fasts have been continuing for the seventy years of exile.  During this time, why did the people fast? And what were their motives when they broke the fasts? We they focusing on YHWH? Or for some other reason? Implied, in this response, is that the people have followed religious rites without real desire for God.

Zechariah 7:8-10, Administer justice
 And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah:

"This is what the LORD Almighty says: `Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'

More important even than the fasts are basic things like justice, mercy and compassion. The people are to administer justice, show mercy and compassion. They are to protect the vulnerable: the widow, fatherless, alien, poor. And to "not think evil of each other."

Zechariah 7:11-14, Administer justice

"But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They 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.

"`When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,' 

says the LORD Almighty. 

`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.'"

But, says YHWH, the people of Israel, before the exile, did not follow these commands. They disobeyed YHWH and in His anger He scattered them throughout the nations. (Later Nehemiah repeats this charge; see Nehemiah 9:29-31.)

In verse 12, the earlier messages of the prophets is identified as action by God's Spirit (ruah.) This statement, emphasizing the Spirit, is unusual and does not appear elsewhere in the Old Testament prophetic books, says Baldwin. In the New Testament it is emphasized in places such as 2 Peter 1:19-21.

The people have not received a clear Yes/No answer to their question -- instead they have been reminded of their real duties and the principles behind their religious acts. The people are to learn from the past how to act in the future. This teaching will continue into the next chapter.

First published December 17, 2025; updated December 17, 2025

 

Zechariah 6, Four Chariots and a Golden Crown

In the night Zechariah has had a sequence of seven visions. Here is the eighth.

Zechariah 6:1-8, Four chariots
I looked up again--and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains--mountains of bronze! The first chariot had red horses, the second black, the third white, and the fourth dappled--all of them powerful.

I asked the angel who was speaking to me, "What are these, my lord?"

The angel answered me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south."

When 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.

Then he called to me, "Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north."

In his first vision, Zechariah saw a red horse, accompanied by red, brown and white horses. Here he sees four chariots, led by red, black, white and dappled horses coming from between two bright mountains made of bronze. These chariots, he is told, represent four spirits of heaven, reaching out to the four corners of the compass. The black horse that goes to the north gives rest in the land to the north (Babylon.) Barker suggests that the two mountains represent Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives, with the Kidron Valley between them; the "rest in the land of the north" represents peace with Babylon.

In the New Testament, four horses with these colors appear in Revelation 6:1-8. The supernatural white horse reappears in Revelation 19:11-16.

Zechariah 6:9-14, A golden crown
The word of the LORD came to me:

"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. Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak. 

Tell 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. It 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.'

The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the LORD.

Now Zechariah is to crown the high priest Joshua, with a crown made of silver and gold. Joshua is here called "the Branch." He will "branch out" and build the temple. He will be a priest, but sitting on a throne. The messianic image of king and priest is mingled here. According to Barker (p. 640), this passage has long been viewed by Jewish scholars as messianic. (The priest-king messiah also appears in Psalm 110.)

Four men, Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and a son of Zephaniah are involved in the crowning of Joshua. At the beginning of the message, the son of Zephaniah is called Josiah; at the end he is called Hen. Barker suggests Josiah and Hen are the same person with Hen being an honorific term.

Zechariah 6:15, Those far away

Those 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."

In the future day of the messianic priest-king, people (non Jews) will come from far away to help build a new, future temple. The messianic invitation will be emphasized later in 8:23; Gentiles will follow Jews as the Messiah welcomes all nations. 

First published December 16, 2025; updated December 16, 2025

Zechariah 5, Flying Scroll, Flying Basket

Zechariah describes his sixth vision. It is a flying banner with messages on each side.

Zechariah 5:1-4, Flying banner with two messages
I looked again--and there before me was a flying scroll!

He asked me, "What do you see?" 

I answered, "I see a flying scroll, thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide."

And 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.

The 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 scroll is 20 cubits by 10 cubits, a rectangular banner, flying in the air, much like the modern advertising banners one might see pulled behind an airplane. One side of the scroll accuses the people of theft; the other side accuses the people of swearing falsely in the name of YHWH. These accusations correspond to violations of the eighth and third commandments. The people violating these commandments will be removed from the kingdom. (Presumably these sins are representative -- the accusation is more generally that the people are disobeying the Covenant, both in their relations to each other and in their relationship with God.)

Zechariah 5:5-8, Loaded ephah
Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, "Look up and see what this is that is appearing."

I asked, "What is it?" 

He replied, "It is a measuring basket." And he added, "This is the iniquity of the people throughout the land."

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

Zechariah's seventh vision involves looking up to see an ephah. The ephah basket would be used to accurately measure out an ephah of grain and so the NIV translates ephah as "measuring basket." Here, however, the basket carries a woman identified as "wickedness". The woman is pushed into basket and contained there.

Zechariah 5:9-11, An ephah to Babylonia
Then 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.

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

He replied, "To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When it is ready, the basket will be set there in its place."

The loaded basket, with the woman in it, is now carried away by two flying women. They lift the basket full of wickedness and carry it off. As in the vision of the flying scroll, evil is being banished from Israel. In this vision, evil is carried off to Babylonia and so Babylonia will be the residence of wickedness. (Throughout the Old and New Testament, Babylon symbolizes opposition to God and Israel. This symbolism appears, for example, in Revelation 14:8 in the New Testament.)

First published December 15, 2025; updated December 15, 2025

The Future of Jerusalem, An Introduction to Zechariah

In a few days we will look at the fourteen chapters of the book of Zechariah. Most of the minor prophets in the Old Testament spoke prior to the Babylonian captivity. But the last three prophets, those at the very end of the Old Testament, spoke after the exile, when the people of Israel had returned to Judah and were rebuilding the temple and the city. Haggai and Zechariah began their prophecies about 520 BC, as the temple was being rebuilt. (Haggai and Zechariah are explicitly mentioned in Ezra 5:1-2.) Malachi, the last Old Testament prophet, probably spoke around 460 BC, when Ezra and then Nehemiah were active.

Zechariah 1:1 reads:

In 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:

This is probably December of 520 BC. Some Jews began returning from the exile in Babylon in 537 BC (Ezra 1:1-4) and began rebuilding the temple. In 520 BC, Haggai scolded the Jews for their procrastination in completing the temple; this is the message of the book of Haggai. After this, in chapters 1-8, Zechariah will tell of visions about the temple and its people, visions he received in 519 BC.

Beginning with the night visions at this time, eight visions possibly all in one night, Zechariah lays out the future of Jerusalem, beginning with the standards and expectations after the exile. Two chapters focus on a question of fasting, with a digression that avoids the triviality of that question and circles back to the real motive for worship. Those two chapters are then followed by six strange chapters describing role of Israel and Jerusalem in the messianic and apocalyptic age, as evil is finally defeated. (Indeed it is this book that probably has the greatest influence on the New Testament apocalyptic book of Revelation (says Baldwin.)

Zechariah was presumably familiar with earlier writings of Isaiah and Amos and at times echoes them.

Themes from the Feast of Tabernacles run throughout the book, from myrtle trees (sometimes used at that feast) in chapter 1, through living water, and a celebration of that feast at the end of time, in chapter 14.

Outline

The commentary by Joyce Baldwin gives a nice outline of Zechariah. It uses a chiastic structure. It has long been noted that the first 8 chapters of Zechariah have a chiastic structure but apparently a chiastic structure for the second half of the book was noted by P. Lamarche. (Baldwin has a nice section on chiasmi, pp.74-81, in her commentary. The chiastic structure of  theoutline below is guided by Baldwin's outline on pp. 85 and 86 of her commentary. The titles and subtitles are mine.

Zechariah 1-6, Visions and Prophetic Statements from 520 BC.

1:1-6, Introduction

1:7-17, Rider on a red horse

1:18-21, Four horns punish Israel

2, Measuring the city

3, A new high priest

4, A high priest and a prince

5:1-4, Flying scroll accuses the city

5:5-11, Wickedness removed from Israel

6, Four chariots and horses

Zechariah 7-8, The ninth vision, 518 BC.

7:1-3, A question about fasting 

7:4-14, A sermon on justice

8:1-8, A series of questions and sayings

8:9-17, A sermon on the return to Jerusalem

8:18-19, The answer to the fasting question

Zechariah 9-11, Later Prophecy. 1

9:1-8, YHWH triumphs over northern nations

9:9-10, King on a lowly donkey

9:11-10:1, Jubilation and restoration in Jerusalem

10:2-3a, Rebuke of sham leaders

10:3b-11:3, Jubilation and restoration in Jerusalem

11:4-17, Good shepherd & bad shepherd

 

Zechariah 12-14, Later Prophecy, 2

12:1-9, Jerusalem, immovable and on fire

12:10-13:1, The pierced one

13:2-6, False prophets removed

13:7-9, Shepherd slaughtered, people scattered

14:1-15, Jerusalem surrounded

14:16-21, YHWH worshiped as king over all

Resources and References

For the book of Zechariah, I have relied on the following resources:

• a commentary by Joyce Baldwin in Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: An Introduction & Commentary (The Tyndale Old Testament Commentary Series) 1981
• a commentary by Kenneth Barker in the seventh volume of the Expositor's Bible Commentary, Zondervan 1985.
• a commentary by Thomas E.McComiskey in The Minor Prophets: A Commentary on Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, edited by Thomas Edward McComiskey, 2018. 

If I refer to Baldwin, Alden, or McComiskey in the notes, it is in reference to the commentaries above. There are other resources online.

I have been impressed with the commentaries by Joyce Baldwin. She was apparently the Carmen Imes of the twentieth century, As I worked through the commentary by Barker, I noticed that he often both quoted Baldwin and praised her insight into Zechariah. For that reason, I purchased the commentary by Baldwin and have relied on it extensively.

• Amongst the online commentaries provided by EasyEnglishBible, is an online commentary on Zechariah.
• The Gospel Coalition now has a set of online commentaries. Their commentary on Zechariah is here.
• The Bible Project videos are always excellent. I recommend their video on Zechariah.

Like most Old Testament writings, there is considerable wordplay. There is alliteration, punning, chiasmi, and so on. I do not know Hebrew and so I lean on the commentators to alert me to some of the wordplay. 

My practice is to read through the text from the New International Version (NIV), copied into the blog and italicized in blue.  At the head of each blue paragraph of text I place a short title; after the text I place my thoughts or comments in black.  I begin this process with my own reactions and thoughts and then supplement these comments with gleanings from a commentary or two. (All the text in black, unless noted otherwise, is mine.) I place hyperlinks in pink, created so that one can click on a link and see the linked site open in another window... and go down a rabbit hole if one wishes!

Abbreviations

Anyone serious about study in the Old Testament must become aware of the ancient Near Eastern culture in which these works were written. If I discuss that culture in a blogpost, I will often fall back on the abbreviation ANE for "ancient Near East."

Zechariah 4, A Lampstand and Two Olive Trees

Zechariah has had four visions. The last one involved the High Priest Joshua, a stone with seven eyes and a future "Branch" that will redeem Israel. Here is Zechariah's fifth vision.

Zechariah 4:1-3, Golden lampstand

Then the angel who talked with me returned and wakened me, as a man is wakened from his sleep. He asked me, "What do you see?" 

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. Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left."

Zechariah is "awakened" as if he were sleeping. A supernatural being asks him to describe what he sees. A golden menorah of seven candles was to be placed in the temple (Exodus 25:31-40.) Here Zechariah sees a similar gold lampstand with seven lights and a bowl at its top, with "channels" to the lights. He also sees two olive trees, one on each side of the lampstand.

Zechariah 4:4-6, By His spirit

I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"

He answered, "Do you not know what these are?" 

"No, my lord," I replied.

So 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.

Zechariah does not understand the meaning of these images. He is told to tell Zerubbabel that God will act out of the power of His Spirit (ruah), instead of some physical might. 

Zechariah 4:7-10, Zerubbabel lays a foundation
"What 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!'"

Then the word of the LORD came to me: 

"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.

"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.)"

Zerubbabel is ordained to bring forward the capstone of the temple. Zerubbabel will lay the foundation of the temple and see it completed. There will be rejoicing when something as simple as the plumb line is being carried by Zerubbabel.

Apparently the Hebrew of verse 10 is difficult. This version of the NIV translates the Hebrew bedil (meaning "tin") as "plumb line". But a different edition of the NIV, here, translates that word as "capstone". The sentence about eyes is also confusing. This version of the NIV treats it as a parenthetical statement, appearing to come out of the blue. But one could also assume that the seven eyes (roaming the earth) are rejoicing at the capstone being laid. That fits with the previous vision in which there is a stone with seven eyes (3:9.)

Zechariah 4:11-14, Two Olive Trees

Then I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?" Again I asked him, "What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?"

He replied, "Do you not know what these are?" 

"No, my lord," I said.

So he said, "These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth."

The chiastic structure of the eight visions of Zechariah places emphasis on the middle two visions, the visions making up chapters 3 and 4 of the book. In those two chapters, God has chosen two men to bring forth His plans with the second temple in Jerusalem.  Apparently these anointed men are Joshua and Zerubbabel. They are represented, in this vision, as olive trees or olive branches. These two men have been anointed (with oil) to serve God, as both governor and high priest. 

Leaning on the explanation in 3:8, it is easy to see this passage as a continuation of earlier messianic messages and Zerubbabel and Joshua as forerunners of the future Messiah. Baldwin says that the Qumran community (of the Dead Sea Scrolls) expected two Messiahs, one a ruler in David's line, the other a high priest. Christians see these two roles carried out by the single Messiah Yeshua.

First published December 13, 2025; updated December 13, 2025

Zechariah 3, Another Joshua

Zechariah has described three visions, one of horses, one of four horns and the third a vision of Jerusalem being measured by a supernatural being. His fourth vision involves a local figure named Joshua.

Zechariah 3:1-5, Joshua and an Accuser
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.

The 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?"

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The 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."

Then 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.

Joshua is a high priest at the beginning of the Second Temple period, at the end of the exile. In Ezra 5:1-2. Joshua, Zerubbabel and Haggai form a partnership attempting to build this new temple.

In this vision, Joshua the High Priest, stands before an angel of YHWH and one called "the Accuser" (or "adversary", Hebrew satan) accuses Joshua. Yet YHWH defends Joshua and calls him a "burning stick". Joshua is honored, with dirty clothes replaced by clean ones. A clean turban is placed on his head. His filth is replaced by honor and righteousness. He is ready to lead Israel.

The burning stick snatched from the fire describes something precious, quickly saved from destruction in the fireplace. An earlier prophet, Amos (Amos 4:11) uses this same metaphor.

Zechariah 3:6-7, Return to Me
The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: "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.

 

Joshua is charged to lead a revival as people turn back to God.

Zechariah 3:8-10, The Branch

"`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. See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes 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.

 

"`In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree,' 

declares the LORD Almighty."

As Joshua is honored, we hear a message in which God promises to bring a Servant, the Branch, as a sign of things to come. Indeed, in this future Day, sin will be removed from the land. 

A stone with seven eyes (or openings) is in front of Joshua and an inscription will be placed on the stone. The rock may represent Israel or the coming Messiah or a foundation stone for the temple. The Hebrew word ayin, translated "eye" here, can be an eye, an opening, or even a spring of water. (A sudden explanatory comment is made on eyes in the next chapter, in 4:10.) The seven eyes may represent God's all seeing power or springs of water refreshing the land. Regardless, in a single day, sin will be removed from the land.

Sitting under one's own vine and fig tree was the image of peace and prosperity in the ancient Near East. The future Day will bring prosperity.

First published December 12, 2025; updated December 12, 2025

Zechariah 2, A City Without Walls

Zechariah, living in the reign of Darius the Great in Babylon, has dreamed of horses and horns, in relation to the future of Israel. We now have his third dream-vision.

Zechariah 2:1-5, Measuring line
Then I looked up--and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand!

I asked, "Where are you going?" 

He answered me, "To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is."

Then the angel who was speaking to me left, and another angel came to meet him and 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. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,' declares the LORD, `and I will be its glory within.'

Jerusalem is being measured for a future. Some day it will be so large that it will be a city without walls, protected only by YHWH, who will Himself be a wall of fire. 

The "young man" in verse 4 is most likely Zechariah.

The Hebrew of verse 5 is emphatic. Hebrew rarely expressed the verb "to be", instead just putting equal nouns together. For example, a common Hebrew phrase for "I will be its glory" would be something like "I its glory." However in verse 5, twice ’eh·yeh, ("will be") appears. Baldwin quotes a commentator, Chary, who suggests that this emphasis echoes Exodus 3:14, that God says, "I AM, Myself" will be the wall and its glory."

The remainder of this chapter is a poem, Zechariah speaking to the exiles and then to the returning Jews (Baldwin.)

Zechariah 2:6-9, Flee!

"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.

"Come, O Zion! Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!"

For 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-- I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me.

The people of Israel are to flee Babylon and return to Zion/Jerusalem, for Israel is the "apple" (pupil) of God's eye, getting God's full attention.

YHWH speaks of a warrior who raises his hand against the enemy nations. Is that warrior YHWH? Or the Messiah? This vision becomes increasingly messianic.

Zechariah 2:10-13, Live among us
"Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD. 

"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. The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling."

In a future day, YHWH will live among His people. And many nations will join and reside in Judah. This is most surely a messianic passage, for its speaks to a future time in which YHWH appears present (a "theophany") within the city. Christian writers see this future time beginning with the appearance of Yeshua/Jesus (see John 1:14.)

The Hebrew word has is translated "be still" (or "be silent".) Like the English word "hush", it is an onomatopoeia, imitating the sound it describes. In English, "hush!" is almost always said in a whisper, with a finger across the lips. In the Hebrew passage here, has is a command to settle down, be still and quietly listen to YHWH.

First published December 11, 2025; updated December 11, 2025