IV. Two Burdens of Zechariah (9:1–14:21)

IV. Two Burdens of Zechariah (9:1–14:21)

I. Call to Repentance (1:1–6) II. Eight Night Visions of Zechariah (1:7–6:15)

A. Man Among the Myrtle Trees (1:7–17)

B. Four Horns and Four Craftsmen (1:18–21) C. Man with Measuring Line (2:1–13) D. Cleansing of High Priest (3:1–10)

E. Gold Lampstand and Two Olive Trees (4:1–14)

F. Flying Scroll (5:1–4) G. Woman in Basket (5:5–11) H. Four Chariots (6:1–8)

I. Appendix: Coronation of Joshua the High Priest (6:9–15) III. Four Messages of Zechariah (7:1–8:23)

A. Question about Fasting (7:1–3)

B. Four Responses (7:4–8:23)

1. Rebuke for wrong motives (7:4–7) 2. Repentance required (7:8–14) 3. Restoration of favor (8:1–17) 4. Fasts become feasts (8:18–23) IV. Two Burdens of Zechariah (9:1–14:21)

A. Messiah's Rejection at First Advent (9:1–11:17)

B. Messiah's Acceptance at Second Advent (12:1–14:21)

Zechariah

A Call to Return to the LORD

ZECHARIAH 1 ‡†In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, 2†"The LORD was very angry with your fathers. 3†Therefore say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. 4†Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.' But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD. 5†Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6†But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, As the LORD of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us."

A Vision of a Horseman

7‡‡†On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, 8†"I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. 9†Then I said, 'What are these, my lord?' The angel who talked with me said to me, 'I will show you what they are.' 10†So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, 'These are they whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth.' 11†And they answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, 'We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest.' 12†Then the angel of the LORD said, 'O LORD of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?' 13†And the LORD answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. 14†So the angel who talked with me said to me, 'Cry out, Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15†And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. 16‡Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it,

declares the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. 17Cry out again, Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.'"

A Vision of Horns and Craftsmen

18‡† [1] And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four horns! 19And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these?" And he said to me, "These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem." 20†Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. 21And I said, "What are these coming to do?" He said, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it."

A Vision of a Man with a Measuring Line

ZECHARIAH 2 ‡† [1] And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! 2Then I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length." 3†And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him 4†and said to him, "Run, say to that young man, 'Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. 5†And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.'"

6‡†Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the LORD. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the LORD. 7Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. 8†For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me [2] to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: 9"Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me. 10‡Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD. 11‡And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 12†And the LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem."

13†Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

A Vision of Joshua the High Priest

ZECHARIAH 3 ‡†Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan [1] standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2†And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand [2] plucked from the fire?" 3†Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4†And the angel said to those who were standing before him, "Remove the filthy garments from him." And to him he said, "Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments." 5†And I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by.

6‡And the angel of the LORD solemnly assured Joshua, 7"Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here. 8†Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. 9†For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, [3] I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. 10†In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree."

A Vision of a Golden Lampstand

ZECHARIAH 4 ‡†And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 2†And he said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3†And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." 4†And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?" 5Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord." 6†Then 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 of hosts. 7†Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'"

8Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 9†"The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 10†For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

"These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth." 11Then I said to him, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?" 12And a second time I answered and said to him, "What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil [1] is poured out?" 13He said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord." 14†Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones [2] who stand by the Lord of the whole earth."

A Vision of a Flying Scroll

ZECHARIAH 5 ‡‡Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll! 2And he said to me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits." [1] 3†Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely [2] shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. 4†I will send it out, declares the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones."

A Vision of a Woman in a Basket

5‡‡Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, "Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out." 6And I said, "What is it?" He said, "This is the basket [3] that is going out." And he said, "This is their iniquity [4] in all the land." 7‡And behold, the leaden cover was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! 8And he said, "This is Wickedness." And he thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down the leaden weight on its opening.

9†Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. 10Then I said to the angel who talked with me, "Where are they taking the basket?" 11†He said to me, "To the land of Shinar, to build a house for it. And when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base."

A Vision of Four Chariots

ZECHARIAH 6 ‡†Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze. 2‡The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, 3the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong. [1] 4Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?" 5†And the angel answered and said to me, "These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the LORD of all the earth. 6‡The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country." 7When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, "Go, patrol the earth." So they patrolled the earth. 8†Then he cried to me, "Behold, those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country."

The Crown and the Temple

9‡And the word of the LORD came to me: 10†"Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. 11†Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12‡‡†And say to him, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. 13It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."' 14†And the crown shall be in the temple of the LORD as a reminder to Helem, [2] Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.

15"And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the LORD. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God."

A Call for Justice and Mercy

ZECHARIAH 7 ‡†In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. 2†Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the LORD, 3†saying to the priests of the house of the LORD of hosts and the prophets, "Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?"

4Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me: 5‡†"Say to all the people of the land and the priests, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? 6And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? 7†Were not these the words that the LORD proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?"

8‡And the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, 9"Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart." 11But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. [1] 12†They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts. 13†"As I [2] called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear," says the LORD of hosts, 14†"and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate."

The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion

ZECHARIAH 8 ‡And the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying, 2†"Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. 3†Thus says the LORD: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain. 4‡Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. 6†Thus says the LORD of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the LORD of hosts? 7‡Thus says the LORD of hosts: behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, 8†and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness."

9‡†Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 10‡For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. 11But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the LORD of hosts. 12‡For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong."

14‡For thus says the LORD of hosts: "As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the LORD of hosts, 15so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. 16‡These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; 17do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD."

18‡And the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 19†"Thus says the LORD of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.

20‡"Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.' 22Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. 23†Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"

Judgment on Israel's Enemies

ZECHARIAH 9 ‡‡†The burden of the word of the LORD is against the land of

Hadrach and Damascus is its resting place. For the LORD has an eye on mankind and on all the tribes of Israel, [1] 2†and on Hamath also, which borders on it, Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise. 3‡Tyre has built herself a rampart and heaped up silver like dust, and fine gold like the mud of the streets. 4But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions and strike down her power on the sea, and she shall be devoured by fire. 5‡Ashkelon shall see it, and be afraid; Gaza too, and shall writhe in anguish; Ekron also, because its hopes are confounded. The king shall perish from Gaza;

Ashkelon shall be uninhabited; 6a mixed people [2] shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of Philistia. 7†I will take away its blood from its mouth, and its abominations from between its teeth; it too shall be a remnant for our God; it shall be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites. 8†Then I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that none shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again march over them, for now I see with my own eyes.

The Coming King of Zion

9‡†Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10‡†I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off,

and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to

sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. 11†As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. 12Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double. 13‡For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have made Ephraim its arrow. I will stir up your sons, O Zion,

against your sons, O Greece, and wield you like a warrior's sword.

The LORD Will Save His People

14Then the LORD will appear over them, and his arrow will go forth like lightning; the Lord GOD will sound the trumpet and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south. 15†The LORD of hosts will protect them, and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones, and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine, and be full like a bowl, drenched like the corners of the altar. 16‡On that day the LORD their God will save them, as the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown

they shall shine on his land. 17For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the young

women.

The Restoration for Judah and Israel

ZECHARIAH 10 †Ask rain from the LORD

in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers

of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field. 2†For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams

and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep;

they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd. 3†"My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; [1] for the LORD of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make

them like his majestic steed in battle. 4†From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow,

from him every ruler—all of them together. 5†They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the LORD is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses. 6†"I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall

be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them. 7†Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children shall see it and be glad;

their hearts shall rejoice in the LORD. 8†"I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before. 9‡Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return. 10I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till there is no

room for them. 11†He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the waves of

the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low,

and the scepter of Egypt shall depart. 12†I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name," declares the LORD.

The Flock Doomed to Slaughter

ZECHARIAH 11 ‡‡Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour

your cedars! 2†Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan,

for the thick forest has been felled! 3†The sound of the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is ruined! The sound of the roar of the lions, for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined!

4‡‡Thus said the LORD my God: "Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. 5Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, 'Blessed be the LORD, I have become rich,' and their own shepherds have no pity on them. 6For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the LORD. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand."

7‡†So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named Favor, the other I named Union. And I tended the sheep. 8†In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me. 9†So I said, "I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another." 10†And I took my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11†So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD. 12†Then I said to them, "If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them." And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13†Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter"—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD, to the potter. 14†Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15‡Then the LORD said to me, "Take once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.

17†"Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm

and his right eye! Let his arm be wholly withered, his right eye utterly blinded!"

The LORD Will Give Salvation

ZECHARIAH 12 ‡†The burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus declares the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 2†"Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. 3†On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. 4†On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5†Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the LORD of hosts, their God.'

6†"On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.

7†"And the LORD will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. 8†On that day the LORD will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD, going before them. 9†And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Him Whom They Have Pierced

10†"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11†On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12‡The land shall mourn, each family [1] by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14and all the families that are

left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.

ZECHARIAH 13 †"On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.

Idolatry Cut Off

2‡†"And on that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more. And also I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness. 3†And if anyone again prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, 'You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the LORD.' And his father and mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies.

4‡"On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive, 5but he will say, 'I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil, for a man sold me in my youth.' [1] 6†And if one asks him, 'What are these wounds on your back?' [2] he will say, 'The wounds I received in the house of my friends.'

The Shepherd Struck

7‡†"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me," declares the LORD of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand

against the little ones. 8†In the whole land, declares the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. 9†And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name,

and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are my people';

and they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"

The Coming Day of the LORD

ZECHARIAH 14 ‡†Behold, a day is coming for the LORD, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. 2†For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3‡Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 4†On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. 5†And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

6‡On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. [1] 7And there shall be a unique [2] day, which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.

8†On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea [3] and half of them to the western sea. [4] It shall continue in summer as in winter.

9†And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one.

10†The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. 11†And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction. [5] Jerusalem shall dwell in security.

12‡And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.

13And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each

will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. 14Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. 15And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps.

16‡†Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. 17†And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them. 18And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; [6] there shall be the plague with which the LORD afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. 19This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.

20‡And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, "Holy to the LORD." And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar. 21†And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader [7] in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day.

Footnotes

Footnotes for Zechariah, Chapter 1

[1] 1:18 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew

Footnotes for Zechariah, Chapter 2

[1] 2:1 Ch 2:5 in Hebrew

[2] 2:8 Or he sent me after glory

Footnotes for Zechariah, Chapter 3

[1] 3:1 Satan means the accuser

[2] 3:2 That is, a burning stick

[3] 3:9 Or facets

Footnotes for Zechariah, Chapter 4

[1] 4:12 Hebrew lacks oil

[2] 4:14 Hebrew two sons of new oil

Footnotes for Zechariah, Chapter 5

[1] 5:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [2] 5:3 Hebrew lacks

falsely (supplied from verse 4) [3] 5:6 Hebrew ephah; also verses 7-11. An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters [4] 5:6 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts eye

Footnotes for Zechariah, Chapter 6

[1] 6:3 Or and the fourth chariot strong dappled horses

[2] 6:14 An alternate spelling of Heldai (verse 10)

Footnotes for Zechariah, Chapter 7

[1] 7:11 Hebrew and made their ears too heavy to hear

[2] 7:13 Hebrew he

Footnotes for Zechariah, Chapter 9

[1] 9:1 A slight emendation yields For to the LORD belongs the capital of Syria

and all the tribes of Israel

[2] 9:6 Or a foreign people; Hebrew a bastard

Footnotes for Zechariah, Chapter 10

[1] 10:3 Hebrew the male goats

Footnotes for Zechariah, Chapter 12

[1] 12:12 Or clan; also verses 13, 14

Footnotes for Zechariah, Chapter 13

[1] 13:5 Or for the land has been my possession since my youth

[2] 13:6 Or on your chest; Hebrew wounds between your hands

Footnotes for Zechariah, Chapter 14

[1] 14:6 Compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, Targum; the meaning of the

Hebrew is uncertain [2] 14:7 Hebrew one

[3] 14:8 That is, the Dead Sea

[4] 14:8 That is, the Mediterranean Sea [5] 14:11 The Hebrew term rendered

decree of utter destruction refers to things devoted (or set apart) to the Lord (or by the Lord) for destruction [6] 14:18 Hebrew lacks rain

[7] 14:21 Or Canaanite

Study Notes

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:1–6 The opening six verses provide an introduction to the entire prophecy in which the prophet calls upon the people to repent and never again repeat the past sins of their fathers (cf. 1 Cor. 10:11).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:1 eighth month, in the second year of Darius. C. October/November 520 B.C. See Introduction: Author and Date. Zechariah began his ministry two months after the start of Haggai's ministry (cf. Hag. 1:1) and the resumption of the rebuilding of the temple (cf. Hag. 1:12–15). Most OT prophets who dated their prophecies did so according to the reign of a king in Israel, Judah, or both. Haggai and Zechariah date their prophecies according to the reign of the Gentile king, indicating that the times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24) had begun. Zechariah. See Introduction: Author and Date.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:2 The Lord was very angry. This actually means "to break out in long-controlled indignation," reminding the people of the severity of God's wrath and the necessity of his judgment on their past sins in preexilic times.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:3 the Lord of hosts. This frequently used name for God shows his might as the commander of the hosts, whether they are the armies of Israel (cf. 2 Chron. 26:11), the armies of the heathen nations (cf. Judg. 4:2), or the heavenly inhabitants (cf. 1 Kings 22:19). Return to me. Though primarily a book of consolation, the prophet begins with a call to repentance, to preclude any false security on the part of Israel, i.e., thinking that God would bless his chosen people regardless of their spiritual condition. This expresses the ongoing desire of God (cf. Gen. 17:7; Lev. 26:12; Ezek. 37:27; 2 Cor. 6:16; James 4:8; Rev. 21:3), and the constant condition for blessing.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:4 Do not be like your fathers. The disobedient, obstinate behavior of their fathers was not so much directed toward the prophets, but at God himself. The people were well aware of their fathers' sins (cf. Ezra 9:7) and could look around them and see the results. History should have taught them to repent. the former prophets. A reference to the preexilic prophets who all preached the same message of repentance before the exile, e.g., Isaiah and Jeremiah. Cf. "my servants" (Zech. 1:6).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:5 While both their fathers and the former prophets were dead, the legacy of their fathers' failure to heed the prophets' warnings was vividly before them, exemplified by the city of Jerusalem and the temple lying in ruins, needing to be rebuilt.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:6 God's word accomplishes all that he designs (Isa. 55:10–11), in blessing and in judgment. His warnings, so precisely fulfilled, overtook and destroyed their fathers, who recognized God's hand in the judgment (cf. Lam. 2:17; Ezra 9:6ff.). The exile was positive proof that God punishes those who sin and reject his warnings. they repented. Cf. Dan. 9:1–19.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:7–6:15 God gave Zechariah these visions for the comfort of the postexilic remnant of Israel who had been commissioned to return from Persia to the land promised to Abraham (cf. Gen. 12). They were to rebuild the temple (cf. 1 and 2 Chronicles) and to anticipate the day of Messiah's return, when all of God's promises to Israel would finally, fully, and ultimately be fulfilled. Some portions of the visions have been fulfilled, but the large number await the second advent of Jesus Christ. The following summary will help to distinguish the contribution of individual visions and clarify the whole. Vision 1 —Man among the myrtle trees (Zech. 1:7–17), God promises prosperity to Israel. Vision 2—Four horns and four craftsmen (1:18–21), God judges the nations who attacked Israel. Vision 3—Man with a measuring line (2:1–13), God rebuilds Jerusalem. Vision 4—Cleansing of the high priest (3:1–10), God purifies both high priest and people. Vision 5—Golden lampstand and two olive trees (4:1–14), God rebuilds the temple. Vision 6—Flying scroll (5:1–4), God removes imparted sin/idolatry. Vision 7—Woman in basket (5:5–11), God removes the system of false religion. Vision 8—Four chariots (6:1–8), God brings peace and rest to Israel. Appendix—Coronation of the high priest (6:9– 15), Messiah assumes the office of both King and Priest.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:7–17 This is the first of eight night visions that Zechariah saw in a single night. It summarized all the other seven by giving the general theme, leaving the details to the other visions. Reassuring words are provided to the exiles by revealing God's purpose for the future of his chosen people.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:7 the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month. C. January/February 519 B.C. Approximately three months after Zechariah's opening call to repentance.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:8 I saw in the night. This is the first vision revealing God's plan for Jerusalem, which begins with the sight of "a man riding on a red horse." The man is identified as the angel of the Lord (cf. v. 11). The other riders report to him, indicating his authority over them. Because of the strength of horses, they became symbols of war. Red is often the symbol of blood, hence judgment (cf. Isa. 63:1–4; Rev. 6:3ff.). among the myrtle trees in the glen. Myrtle trees were associated with booth-making at the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles (Lev. 23:33–44; Neh. 8:15), and with messianic blessing (cf. Isa. 41:19; 55:13), and thereby possibly speak of restoration and blessing. Their location in the ravine has been thought to refer to a low place where such shrubs would flourish. Because of the lowliness (these shrubs would never exceed eight feet in height), commonness, fragrance (from white blossoms), and abundance in flourishing places, it is best to see these as representing Israel, God's people. They are the lowly and yet enriched people. Their lowliness in the ravine could also refer to Israel's current humiliation. red, sorrel, and white. Presumably these other horses had riders as well. The colors may speak of the work of the riders: red speaking of bloodshed and judgment (cf. Isa. 63:1–2), white speaking of victory (cf. Rev. 19:11), and sorrel or a brownish color is possibly a combination of the others. A similar picture is found in Rev. 6:1–8. These horses are about to gain a victorious judgment. Since they are messengers of vengeance, they likely represent angels, so frequently employed as God's instruments of judgment.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:9 The angel who talked with me. This interpreting angel (1:13–14, 19; 2:3; 3:1; 4:1) is to be distinguished from the angel of the Lord (1:11–12).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:10 patrol. A symbolic military description of angelic movement patrolling and reconnoitering on a global scale. The purpose is to ascertain the state of the enemy and to respond to God's will in engaging that enemy triumphantly.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:11 the angel of the Lord. Elsewhere the angel of the Lord is frequently identified with the preincarnate Lord himself (e.g., Gen. 16:11, 13; 18:1–2, 13, 17; 22:11–18; Ex. 3:2, 4; Josh. 5:13; 6:2; Judg. 6:12, 14; 13:21–22). In Zech. 1:13, this angel is called Lord, and is the divine commanderin-chief of this angelic army. all the earth remains at rest. In contrast to the difficulties facing the exiles, without temple or city walls, the heathen nations were superficially at rest, occupied with their own selfish interests (cf. v. 15).

This was generally the condition in the second year of Darius. The contrast makes the plight of Israel all the more distressing and the hope for the fulfillment of Hag. 2:7, 22 more intense.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:12 The angel of the Lord interceded to God the Father on behalf of Israel, pleading for the withdrawal of God's chastening hand. The "seventy years" refers to God's words to Jeremiah concerning the length of Judah's exile (Jer. 25:11–12; 29:10).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:13 gracious . . . comforting words. The content of these words is given in vv. 14–17: God still loved Jerusalem (v. 14), he was angry with the nations who afflicted them (v. 15), and he will bring prosperity to Jerusalem (vv. 16–17).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:14 I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem. God first described himself as jealous when making his covenant with Israel (Ex. 20:5; 34:14). This same jealousy had been experienced by Israel in punishment (cf. Deut. 29:18–28; Ezek. 5:13). That same jealous love is expressed emphatically in the city's defense.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:15 Moved by his great love for his people, the Lord acted in anger (cf. v. 2) against the nations that mistreated his people. Although they were his instrument of judgment against Israel, they had exceeded God's instructions in meting out punishment. They did not understand that God's intention was to punish for a time and then show compassion (cf. Isa. 54:7–8).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:16–17 Not only would the temple be rebuilt, which at that time had only foundations (cf. Hag. 2:18), but the city itself would again expand due to the prosperity (cf. Isa. 40:9–10). The wall was completed 75 years later. God would again comfort Jerusalem (cf. Isa. 40:1–2; 51:3, 12) and would again choose it as the place of his earthly throne (cf. Ps. 132:13). This will be fulfilled in the millennial kingdom of Messiah (cf. Rev. 20). Given the fact that the returning Jews lost sight of their priorities (cf. Hag. 1:1–12), this message reaffirmed God's plan. It should be noted that the millennial kingdom will provide the presence of God in Jerusalem (Ezek. 48:35), a glorious temple (Ezek. 40–48), a rebuilt Jerusalem (Jer. 31:38–40), the nations punished (Matt. 25:31–46), the prosperity of Judah's cities (Isa. 60:4–9), the blessedness of the people (Zech. 9:17), and the comfort of Zion (Isa. 14:1).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:18–21 The second of eight night visions adds details to the judgment of the nations who persecuted his Israel, building upon God's promise to comfort his people (1:13, 17).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:18 four horns! Horns were symbols of power and pride (cf. Ps. 75:10; 89:17; 92:10; Dan. 7:24; 8:20–21; Mic. 4:13). In the context of judgment each symbolizes either a nation or the head of that nation (cf. Dan. 7:21, 24; 8:3; Rev. 17:12). Here the horns represent nations that attacked God's people (Zech. 1:19, 21), referring either to Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and MedoPersia or perhaps, more likely, to the four world empires of Dan. 2; 7: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, all of which oppressed Israel.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 1:20 four craftsmen. The word is literally the term for stone workers, metal workers, and wood workers—those who shape material with hammers and chisels. These "hammers" represent the nations that overthrow the four horns (v. 18). As with the four beasts of Daniel 7, each empire is overthrown by the subsequent one, the last being replaced by Messiah's kingdom (cf. Dan. 2:44; 7:9–14, 21–22). Babylon was hammered in a night attack by the Medo-Persians (539 B.C.). With the victory of Alexander over Darius in 333 B.C. at Issus, the Greeks hammered the Medo-Persian "horn." In the second century B.C., the Roman hammer fell and one by one the nations fell (Israel in 63 B.C.). The Roman Empire, revived in the last days, according to Daniel, will be hammered by the returning Messiah (cf. Dan. 2:34–35, 45).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:1–13 The third vision reveals a man with a measuring line. Like the second vision, it also builds on God's promise to comfort his people (1:13, 17). The restoration of Jerusalem after the return from Babylon is only a foretaste of the future messianic kingdom, for the language of the vision cannot be fulfilled historically. Its scope extends beyond the time of Zechariah to the rule of the Messiah on earth.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:1 a man with a measuring line. The restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem is symbolized. It is very possible that the surveyor is the angel of the Lord (cf. 1:11; 6:12; Ezek. 40:2–3), who is laying out the future dimensions of the city.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:3 angel . . . talked with me. This is the instructing angel of 1:9.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:4 The news was so wonderful that it was to be heralded immediately. An angel arrived to explain that Jerusalem will become so large that it will extend beyond any walls (cf. Isa. 49:19–20; Ezek. 38:11). The conditions here described have at no time been true historically (cf. Neh. 7:4; 11:1–2); full realization must be assigned to a future earthly kingdom (cf. Isa. 49:19–20). A counterfeit of this unwalled safety will exist under Antichrist in the time of tribulation (see notes on Ezek. 38:8–12).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:5 a wall of fire all around. Though without walls, Jerusalem will dwell securely because of divine protection. The phrase is reminiscent of the pillar of fire at the exodus (cf. Ex. 13:21; 2 Kings 6:15–17; Isa. 4:5–6). I will be the glory in her midst. More than protection, the glory depicts the Messiah's blessing and personal presence in his earthly kingdom (cf. Isa. 4:2–6; 40:5; 60:17–18; Ezek. 42:1–7).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:6–9 The prophet turned from the distant future (vv. 4–5) to the present, summoning those Israelites still in Babylon (referred to as the land of the north, cf. v. 7, because of the direction from which it invaded Israel) to flee before God poured out his judgment on it. This also implied a future call to leave a future Babylon (cf. Rev. 17:3–5; 18:1–8).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:6 I have spread you. According to 2 Kings 17:6, they were scattered from the Gozan River, 200 miles west of Nineveh, to Media, 300 miles east. Some had even taken refuge in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Egypt (cf. Jer. 40:11–12; 43:7).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:8 after his glory sent me. The Messiah is sent by the "Lord of hosts" (v. 9) to procure his glory and to vindicate him in the nations who have spoiled Israel. the apple of his eye. See note on Deut. 32:10. Harming God's chosen people is like striking the pupil of God's eye.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:10–13 The language is once again messianic, describing the personal presence of the Messiah, dwelling on the throne of David in Jerusalem during the millennium.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:11–12 Echoing the promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:3), many nations will join themselves to the Lord (cf. Zech. 6:15; 8:20–23; Isa. 2:2– 4; 56:6–7; 60:3). But this will not alter God's choice of his people, they will still be "the Lord's portion . . . his allotted heritage." (cf. Deut. 32:9).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:12 holy land. Used only here, the expression is made not because it is the Promised Land but because it will be the site of Messiah's earthly throne when the land has been cleansed. A holy land is appropriate and expected for its holy Lord (Isa. 6:1–5).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:13 his holy dwelling. God's dwelling in heaven (cf. Ps. 15:1; 24:3).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 3:1–10 The fourth night vision emphasizes Israel's cleansing and restoration as a priestly nation. The vision itself is given in vv. 1– 5, followed by the explanation and significance in vv. 6–10. The revealer was most likely God himself.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 3:1 The scene is invested with a judicial character as Joshua, the high priest of the restoration who came back in the first group with Zerubbabel (cf. Ezra 3:2; 5:2; Hag. 1:1), was accused by Satan, who was standing at the right side, the place of accusation under the law (cf. Ps. 109:6). That Joshua was representative of the nation is evident from: 1) the emphasis on the nation in these visions; 2) the fact that the rebuke in Zech. 3:2 is based on God's choice of Jerusalem, not Joshua; 3) the identification in v. 8 of Joshua and his fellow priests as symbolic of future Israel; and 4) its application to the land in v. 9. Satan. This could also be translated "adversary" and thus the person's identity would be unknown. However, because the activity of accusation is so in keeping with Satan (cf. Job 1–2; Rev. 12:10), his identification is preferable. The malicious adversary stands in the presence of the Lord to proclaim Israel's sins and their unworthiness of God's favor. The situation is crucial: If Joshua is vindicated, Israel is accepted; if Joshua is rejected, Israel is rejected. The entire plan of God for the nation was revealed in the outcome. Israel's hopes would either be destroyed or confirmed.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 3:2 the Lord said. The angel of the Lord is identified as the Lord, thus verifying this "messenger" as deity. See notes on 1:11; Judg. 6:11. And the message was crucial in confirming that 1) God had not cast off the Jews, but was consistent with his covenants with them in Abraham and David, and 2) his election takes their side against Satan's accusations. God will do this rebuking, as reported in Rev. 20:10. See note on Jude 9. chosen Jerusalem. God's favor rested on Israel above any nation on earth (cf. Deut. 7:6–11). He snatched them from potential disappearance in their captivity, like pulling a stick out of the fire just before it is torched (cf. Amos 4:11). Thus, God confirmed his

purposes for Israel, sweeping from Zechariah's time to the consummation of human history (cf. Rev. 12:3–17).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 3:3 filthy garments. Employing the most loathsome, vile term for filth, the phrase pictures the habitual condition of defilement of the priesthood and the people (cf. Isa. 4:4; 64:6), which became the basis of Satan's accusation that the nation is morally impure and unworthy of God's protection and blessing.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 3:4 The removal of filthy garments by the angels ("who were standing before him") depicted the promised future forensic justification, the salvation of the nation (cf. v. 9; 12:10–13:1; Rom. 11:25–27). The high priest was symbolically clothed with rich robes, which spoke of righteousness imputed (cf. Isa. 61:10) and the restoration of Israel to her original calling (cf. Ex. 19:6; Isa. 61:6; Rom. 11:1–2).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 3:5 a clean turban. The turban, part of the high priest's dress, was inscribed with the words: "Holy to the Lord" (Ex. 28:36–37; 39:30– 31). Zechariah joined the scene, calling for this because it strongly symbolized that Israel's priestly place with God was restored.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 3:6–7 Although God will keep his promise to justify Israel, reinstate the nation as his priestly people to serve in his house, keep his courts, and have complete access to his presence—all based on his sovereign, electing love and not by merit or works of man—that will not be fulfilled until Israel is faithful to the Lord. It awaits the fulfillment of 12:10–13:1.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 3:8 men who are a sign. The companion priests sitting before Joshua were symbols of future Israel, foreshadowing the coming Messiah. my servant the Branch. Two messianic phrases are here combined. "My Servant" is used by earlier prophets to depict the Messiah (Isa. 42:1; 49:3, 5; 52:13; 53:11; Ezek. 34:23–24) and speaks of his complete obedience and his humble estate. "Branch" also points to the Messiah (cf. Zech. 6:12–13; Isa. 4:2; Jer. 23:5; 33:15) and denotes his rise from humble beginnings (Isa. 11:1; Jer. 23:5–6) and his fruitfulness (Zech. 6:12; Isa. 11:1).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 3:9 the stone. Here is another reference to Messiah. In Ps. 118:22–23; Isa. 8:13–15; 28:16; Dan. 2:35, 45; Matt. 21:42; Eph. 2:19–22; 1 Pet. 2:6–8, he is a rejected stone, a stone of stumbling, a stone of refuge, a destroying

stone, and a foundation stone. Here he is the precious foundation stone, with "seven eyes" symbolic of his omniscience and infinite intelligence (cf. Zech. 4:10; Isa. 11:2; Col. 2:3; Rev. 5:6). The engraving may be a reference to the cornerstone of the temple building, on which will be engraved an inscription attesting to the Divine Builder and the purpose for which the building was erected. As such, it is closely tied to the removal of "the iniquity of this land in a single day," symbolized by the removal of filthy garments in Zech. 3:4. The phrase looks to the future day when there will be cleansing and forgiveness for the nation as a whole (12:10–13:1; Rom. 11:25–27), made possible through Christ's redemptive provision at Calvary.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 3:10 invite his neighbor to come under. A common expression in Israel for peace and prosperity (cf. 1 Kings 4:25; Mic. 4:4), here depicting the peace during the millennial rule of Messiah.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 4:1–14 The fourth vision focused on Joshua the high priest and, by extension, the cleansing and restoration of the nation to her divinely appointed role as priest. This fifth vision focuses on the civil leader Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, to encourage him in the work of rebuilding the temple. The faithful completion of the work would then enable Israel to again bear light of God's grace (testimony) to the world.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 4:1 like a man who is awakened. Once again the interpreting angel comes to awaken the prophet out of spiritual exhaustion from the holy trauma of the previous vision. Cf. Dan. 10:9.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 4:2 seven lips on each of the lamps. The lampstand is the seven-branched kind used in the tabernacle, with the addition of a bowl on the top of it in order to maintain an abundant supply of oil and spouts to carry the oil to keep the seven lamps burning. The picture is of an abundant supply.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 4:3 two olive trees. Olive oil was used in those days to fuel the lamps. The two olive trees supply oil to the bowl. The graphic picture is of limitless oil, supplied automatically without human agency, flowing from the trees down to the bowl, down to the lamps.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 4:4 What are these. Zechariah wanted to know the meaning of the two olive trees. Because of Zechariah's priestly background, his query surprised the interpreting angel (v. 5). His question goes unanswered until

later (v. 14).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 4:6 This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel. The purpose of the vision was to encourage Zerubbabel to complete the temple rebuilding, to assure him of divine enablement for that venture and the endless supply for the future glory of Messiah's kingdom and temple. The lampstand pictured Israel fully supplied by God to be his light then and in the future. It must be noted that the church has temporarily taken this role presently (cf. Eph. 5:8–9; Rev. 1:12–13, 20), until Israel's salvation and restoration to covenant blessing and usefulness. Cf. Rom. 11:11–24. Not by might . . . power, but by my Spirit. Neither human might, wealth, or physical stamina would be sufficient to complete the work. Only an abundant supply of the power of the Holy Spirit, pictured by the "bowl" (Zech. 4:2) would enable him to carry out the task, and enable Israel in the Messiah's kingdom to be a light again to the world by the operation of the Spirit (cf. Ezek. 36:24).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 4:7 Who are you, O great mountain? Because the outcome is guaranteed (vv. 6, 9), any mountain-like opposition will be leveled by God to become like a flat surface. No obstacle will be able to stop the completion of the temple in Zerubbabel's time or in the final kingdom of Messiah (cf. Ezek. 40–48). the top stone. The final stone of the building will be put into place, signifying its completion. Grace, grace to it! This blessing signifying shouts of joy and thanksgiving came to pass (cf. Ezra 3:11–13) over the completion of the temple. Contrast this attitude with that of the people seeing the unfinished temple (Hag. 2:3).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 4:9 me. This is the angel of the Lord (see note on 1:11), the Protector, Deliverer, Defender of Israel, sent to bring this to fulfillment. In the future, he will come as Messiah to set up worship in the temple in his kingdom.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 4:10 the day of small things. Though the rebuilding of a temple smaller than Solomon's may have been discouraging to some (cf. Ezra 3:12; Hag. 2:3), the Lord announced that his pleasure was upon this work, and that his omniscient care was watching over and taking pleasure in its completion. He said in effect, "Don't despise what God is pleased with." This was only a picture of the glorious restoration when Messiah comes to reign. That temple will make all others pale by comparison (cf. Ezek. 40–48).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 4:14 These are the two anointed ones. The two olives trees (vv. 3, 11) represent the kingly and priestly offices in Israel through which the blessing of God was to flow. The two olive branches (v. 12) are the two men who occupied the supreme positions in those offices at that time: Zerubbabel, as a descendant of David, and Joshua, the high priest, a descendant of Eleazar. Together, they foreshadow the Messiah, in whom these two offices are combined (cf. 6:13; Ps. 110) and who is the true source of blessing to make Israel the light to the nations (cf. Isa. 60:1–3). They had positions of responsibility in service to "the Lord of the whole earth," a millennial term that points to the final kingdom (cf. Mic. 5:4).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 5:1–4 This sixth vision of the flying scroll depicts the word of God, which has been disobeyed by Israel and the entire world. It calls for God's righteous judgment of the sinner according to his standard, clearly set forth in his word.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 5:1–2 This flying scroll, unfurled for all to read both sides, measured 30 feet long and 15 feet wide (a cubit being 18 inches), exactly the size of the Holy Place in the tabernacle. The scroll represents, then, a divine standard, by which man is to be measured.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 5:3 curse. The scroll, symbolizing the law of God, is a figure for a curse or punishment on all who disobeyed it and for blessing on all who obeyed it (cf. Deut. 27:26; 28:15–68). A similar picture is presented in Rev. 5:1–9 and 10:1–11. everyone who steals . . . everyone who swears. Written on both sides, the scroll probably contained the Ten Commandments, not just two. The two singled out, the third and eighth, are most likely representative of all commands of God's law, for which Israel was guilty of violations (cf. James 2:10). It has an immediate message to those of Zechariah's time that God will root out and destroy the sinners who reject his word; but it also has a future message for Israel and the world prior to Messiah's kingdom (cf. Ezek. 20:33– 38; Matt. 25:31–46).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 5:4 There is no escape from the judgment of God. His word will enter the place of sinners and remain there until it has accomplished its purpose (Isa. 55:10–11), which will be particularly true in the kingdom. The promise of the land in Deut. 30:1–10 will be fulfilled in the future day, as will consuming judgment (cf. Rev. 6–19).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 5:5–11 The previous vision dealt with the purging of sinners from the land. This seventh vision of a woman in a basket continues the theme, focusing on the removal of the whole sinful system from Israel, which will happen before the kingdom comes (cf. Ezek. 20:38).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 5:5–6 The wicked system is represented as a basket with a woman held captive inside under a lead cover. An ephah (basket) was smaller than a bushel, holding about 5 gallons. Like the flying scroll (cf. vv. 1–4), this was obviously enlarged for the purpose of the vision. The people of Israel are seen as pieces of grain, perhaps indicating that the wickedness is particularly materialistic. This was a sin that Israel picked up in Babylon, and it has influenced them through the centuries until removed by the Messiah in the last days. This secular commercialism is central to the final world system (cf. Rev. 18).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 5:7–8 woman. Inside the basket was sitting a woman, personifying this final wickedness (cf. Rev. 17:3–5), which is not dormant, since the lead cover is required to restrain it in the basket (cf. 2 Thess. 2:6–8).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 5:9 two women . . . wind was in their wings. Since storks are unclean birds (Lev. 11:19; Deut. 14:18) these must be agents of evil, demonic forces, protective of the wicked secularism, who set up the final system of evil. God allows them to set up the world system that the Lord destroys when he returns (cf. Rev. 19:11–16).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 5:11 Shinar. The destination of the women bearing the basket was Shinar, an older word designating Babylon (cf. Gen. 10:10). The older word is used possibly to recall the Tower of Babel as a symbol of opposition against God (cf. Gen. 11:2). There it will be placed in a "temple" and set on a base or pedestal as an idol. Again the vision is unmistakably looking forward to the final Babylon of Rev. 17–18 at the second coming of Christ (cf. Mal. 4:1–3).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:1–8 The eighth and final vision completes the cycle and connects with the first vision. It pictures four chariots with the horses introduced in the first vision (1:8), symbolizing God's angelic agents (cf. 6:5) swiftly carrying out his judgment on the nations just prior to the establishment of the messianic kingdom.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:1 two mountains . . . bronze. Representing the reality of God's judgment on the nations who attack Israel, the two mountains are probably Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives, where the Lord will return and judge (cf. Joel 3:2, 12, 14; Zech. 14:4). This valley, called Jehoshaphat ("Jehovah judges") could refer to the Kidron Valley between these two mountains. Jews, Christians, and even Muslims have long taught that the last judgment will be there. The bronze has a symbolic relationship to judgment as in the case of the bronze serpent (Num. 21:9) and/or the bronze altar (Ex. 27:2), where sin was dealt with by God.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:2–3 The judgment scene is further dramatized by these chariots and horses. For the significance of the horses' colors, see note on 1:8. The addition of "black" horses may represent famine and death. The "sorrel" horse has been replaced with "dappled" (i.e., spotted) horses. A similar picture is found in Rev. 6:1–8, where the horsemen of the apocalypse appear in judgment imagery, riding forth in vengeance on the nations.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:5 four winds of heaven. This imagery represents divine angelic agents sent out to execute judgment on behalf of the "Lord of all the earth," a millennial title designating the universal rule of the Messiah in the kingdom age (cf. 4:14; Mic. 4:13).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:6–7 Go, patrol the earth. These angelic judgment carriers unleash catastrophic judgment on the earth (cf. Rev. 6:1–19:16 for similarities). Nothing is said about going east and west because of the sea and the desert. Israel's enemies came from the north (Assyria, Babylon, Seleucids, and Romans) and the south (Egyptians). This north and south exit leads to a worldwide unleashing of judgment on the nations all over the earth (cf. Matt. 25:31–46).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:8 set my Spirit at rest. As a result of God's judgment of his enemies, his wrath can rest. God has been avenged by this action, particularly in regard to the power from the north being judged finally. This likely refers to the final Babylon (cf. Rev. 17–18). Until this judgment is done and God's wrath rests, the kingdom can't be established (Rev. 19–20) with the Messiah on his throne.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:9–15 Joshua served as an illustration of the Messiah in this passage in that Zechariah's crowning of Joshua, the high priest, was a

miniature, advance illustration of the future coronation of Messiah, the Branch, who will unite the two offices of priest and king (v. 13). This appendix supplements visions four and five (3:1–10; 4:1–14) and culminates the series of eight visions with the climax of history—the coronation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:10 Take from the exiles. Jewish exiles who remained in Babylon, but who had come bearing gifts for the building of the temple are identified. Zechariah was told to meet them that same day and receive their gifts.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:11 a crown. Zechariah was to make not a high priest's crown or turban, but an ornate crown, one constructed of many circlets, a majestic crown (like the one on the returning Messiah in Rev. 19:12). This crown was to be set on the head of the high priest, Joshua. In the OT, the kingly and priestly offices were kept rigidly distinct. The office of king belonged only to the house of David, while the office of priest was only for the house of Levi. Uzziah's mingling of the two brought about his death (cf. 2 Chron. 26:16–23). But here this act is ordered by God to depict the coming King/Priest Messiah.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:12 name is the Branch. Though the crown was placed on the head of Joshua, the high priest (v. 11), the act was a symbol of that future crowning of Messiah, the Branch (cf. 3:8). In Messiah, the offices of king and priest will be united.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:12–15 In this brief section, eight facts are given about Messiah, the Branch: 1) he will come from Israel (v. 12); 2) he will build the millennial temple (vv. 12b–13a); 3) he will be glorious (v. 13); 4) he will be king and priest (v. 13); 5) he makes peace (v. 13); 6) he opens the kingdom to Gentiles (v. 15a); 7) he will corroborate God's word (v. 15b); and 8) he demands obedience (v. 15c). This, as always, is the essential matter. After Israel believes, the Messiah will come to set up his kingdom (cf. 12:10–13:1; 14:9–21). Faith and cleansing must come first.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:12–13 he shall build the temple. The building of the restoration temple was promised to Zerubbabel (cf. 4:9–10). The building of this temple, promised to Messiah, points to the construction of the millennial temple (cf. Isa. 2:2–4; Ezek. 40–43; Hag. 2:6–9).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:14 The crown was not to be kept by Joshua, but was to serve as both a memorial to the devotion of the men who came from Babylon

and, more important, as a reminder of the coming of Messiah and the ultimate hope of Israel. Helem . . . Hen. Helem is apparently another name of Heldai, and Hen another name for Josiah the son of Zephaniah (see v. 10).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 7:1–8:23 As a result of the night visions which described the future of Israel, including the subjugation of her enemies, the final regathering to the land, her cleansing, restoration, and the coming of Messiah and his kingdom, the Jews were greatly encouraged and comforted. The temple was more than half done, all obstacles to the construction were removed by the decree of Darius confirming the decree of Cyrus (cf. Ezra 6:1–14), and all was going very well. This gave rise to a question by the delegation from Bethel. The question involved the continuation of a national fast to mourn the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. Though Jerusalem had no walls yet and there were many ruins (cf. Hag. 1:4), now that the temple was being finished, they were sent to inquire of the Lord and the priests whether they needed to continue the fast. The question is answered negatively in Zech. 7 with two messages and positively in ch. 8 with two messages. Each of the four messages was given to impress upon the people the need to live righteously. As with chs. 1–6, the prophet began historically and then moved prophetically to the time of the second advent of Christ.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 7:1 the fourth year of King Darius. November/December 518 B.C., two years after Zechariah's first message (cf. 1:1) and the night visions (cf. 1:7), and two years before the temple was completed.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 7:2 Bethel. The town of Bethel was 12 miles north of Jerusalem. Since the return from Babylon, the Jews had rebuilt and reinhabited Bethel (cf. Ezra 2:28; Neh. 7:32).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 7:3 weep and abstain in the fifth month. The Day of Atonement was the only annual fast required by God's law (Lev. 23:27), and other occasional fasts were called for by God (cf. Joel 1:12, 14). The fall of Jerusalem was remembered by four fasts (cf. 2 Kings 25; Jer. 39:1–4; 41; 52:13), in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months (see note on Zech. 8:19). Because the temple was burned in the fifth month (July/August), that fast was considered the most serious and thus the delegation uses it as the test case (cf. 2 Kings 25:8; Jer. 52:12). They had kept this wailing and fasting for "many years," but it seemed only a wearisome ritual in light of the present prosperity.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 7:5 seventh. This fast mourned the death of Gedaliah, the governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:22–26; Jer. 41) after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 7:5–6 was it for me that you fasted? Zechariah pointed out that they were not fasting out of genuine sorrow and repentance, but out of self-pity (cf. Isa. 1:10–15; 58:3–9).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 7:7 words . . . the Lord proclaimed. The important matter is not ritual, but obedience. It is obedience to God's word that brought in the past great joy, peace, and prosperity to Israel, and that covered the land during the time of David and Solomon. If the present generation in Zechariah's time substitutes ritual for obedience, they too will lose the joy, peace, and prosperity they were enjoying. South . . . lowland. A reference to the area south of Beersheba and the Mediterranean coastal plain, encompassing the land from south to west.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 7:8–14 This is the second of the four messages in answer to the question (v. 3). Harkening back to his opening call (1:4) and to the warnings of earlier prophets (cf. Isa. 1:11–17; 58:1–7; Amos 5:10–15), the prophet alerts the delegation to produce the fruits of righteousness that demonstrate obedience to God's word (Zech. 7:9–10) and to revisit the actions of their fathers who deliberately rejected God's word (vv. 11–12a), which activated the fury of God against them (v. 12b). Cf. Deut. 28:15–68 and 2 Chron. 36:14– 16.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 7:12 by his Spirit. The Holy Spirit served a vital function in the revelation and inspiration of God's word through human authors (cf. 1 Cor. 2:10; 2 Pet. 1:21).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 7:13 I would not hear. This reflects a severe form of God's wrath by which he abandons disobedient sinners. See note on 11:9; cf. Judg. 10:13–14; 16:18–21; Prov. 1:24–31; Hos. 4:17; Matt. 15:14; Rom. 1:18– 32.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 7:14 I scattered them. This refers to the captivity and dispersion of the people and the desolation of the land in their absence (cf. Deut. 30:3–10).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:1–23 Continuing his response to the delegation from

Bethel, Zechariah contrasted Israel's past judgment with the promised future restoration. In light of past captivity, the nation was to repent and live righteously; in light of promised future blessings, Israel is to repent and live righteously. The last two messages (vv. 1–17 and 18–23) look positively to the future, when Israel will be brought to a place of special blessing and fasts will become feasts.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:2 jealous. See note on 1:14. This very strong language expresses the idea that God can't bear the estrangement from his chosen people brought about by their sin, nor can he always tolerate the enemies of Israel. His love for Israel is so great that he will come in full presence to Israel again and dwell with his people. Ezekiel had the vision of God leaving Jerusalem (Ezek. 8–11) and of his presence returning (Ezek. 43:1–5). Zion. The mountain on which ancient Jerusalem was built, which became a name for the city.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:3 the faithful city. A city that is characterized by truth, both in word and in deed (vv. 8, 16) because it is ruled over by Messiah who is characterized by truth (John 14:6). the holy mountain. Zion is holy because the King who lives there is holy (Isa. 6:3).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:4–5 The most defenseless of society will live in tranquility, peace, and security (cf. Isa. 65:20–22).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:6 Men tend to limit God (cf. Ps. 78:19–20, 41), but nothing is too hard for the Lord (cf. Gen. 18:14; Jer. 32:17, 27). "Just because they seem too difficult for you," the Lord asks, in effect, "must they be too hard for me?"

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:7–8 east . . . west. The context assures that this return speaks of a worldwide regathering at the second advent of Christ. The return from Babylon cannot be in view also, since Israel had not been scattered to the west until the diaspora engineered by the Romans in the first century A.D.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:8 See note on Zech. 1:3. This refers to Israel's national conversion, spoken of in 12:10–13:1, and by Jeremiah (Jer. 32:38–41) and Paul (Rom. 11:25–27).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:9–17 The practical results of vv. 1–8 were laid out for the people. In view of such a glorious future, the people were exhorted to renew their energy toward the building of the temple and toward righteous living.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:9 the prophets. This refers to Haggai and Zechariah for sure; possibly there were non-writing prophets also.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:10–11 Zechariah recalled the immediate years prior to 520 B.C., described in Hag. 1:6–11, when their hassles and intrigues with the Samaritans and their love of ease and comfort developed their indifference toward building the temple, resulting in divine punishment. But, since they had begun again to build the temple, God would not treat the people as he had those described in Zech. 8:10.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:12–13 The richness and comprehensiveness of these promises of prosperity look beyond the historical moment to the time when Messiah reigns in his millennial kingdom. This will be a reversal of Deut. 28:15–68 and Jer. 24:9; 25:18; 29:22.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:14–15 The sorrows of past judgment became the pledges of future blessings (cf. Jer. 32:42).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:16–17 As always, the promised blessings are connected with obedience to God's righteous standards. Such obedience can only be brought about by the power of the Spirit in the life of one who has been transformed by God's grace through faith. These standards are reminiscent of Ps. 15:1–5; 24:4; Prov. 6:20–22.

Other Names for Jerusalem

Other Names for Jerusalem Lit., "The city of peace" • The city of our God (Ps. 48:1) • The city of the great King (Ps. 48:2) • The city of the Lord of hosts (Ps. 48:8) • Salem (Ps. 76:2) • Zion (Ps. 76:2) • The city of righteousness (Isa. 1:26) • The faithful city (Isa. 1:26) • Ariel, i.e., Lion of God (Isa. 29:1) • The holy city (Isa. 52:1) • City of the Lord (Isa. 60:14) • "My Delight Is in Her" (Isa. 62:4)

• The throne of the Lord (Jer. 3:17) • The Lord is our righteousness (Jer. 33:16) • The perfection of beauty (Lam. 2:15) • The joy of all the earth (Lam. 2:15) • The Lord Is There [YHWH Shammah] (Ezek. 48:35) • The holy mountain (Zech. 8:3) ©1997 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:18–19 The fourth and final response to the delegation from Bethel notes how national days of fasting and mourning will be transformed into joyous feasts. This was really the answer to the original question in 7:3. Turn the fasts into feasts of joy in light of the promised blessings of God.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:19 In addition to the fasts of the fifth and seventh months (see notes on 7:3, 5), two additional fasts were held. In the fourth month they commemorated the breaching of the wall of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:3; Jer. 39:2–4) and in the tenth month they remembered the beginning of the final siege of Jerusalem, which began in 588 B.C. (2 Kings 25:1; Jer. 39:1).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:20–22 Israel restored in millennial glory will be the means of blessing to all the world (cf. Isa. 2:2–4; Mic. 4:1–5). Gentiles from around the world will make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to entreat the Lord. This signifies salvation of people from all over the world during the kingdom, fulfilling Ps. 122.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 8:23 In those days. In the days in which the messianic kingdom on earth is inaugurated (see note on Joel 3:18), the Jews will truly be God's messengers as originally intended, and will bring multitudes to Christ. The 10-to-1 ratio represents a vast number of Gentiles who will come (cf. Gen. 31:7; Lev. 26:26; Num. 14:22; 1 Sam. 1:8; Neh. 4:12). The Messiah, in the midst of millennial Israel, will be the attraction of the world. People, seeing the Jews so blessed in their kingdom, will demand to go and meet the Savior King.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:1–14:21 Employing the phrase "in that day," Zechariah places primary focus in his final two undated oracles on: 1) the downfall of the nation; 2) the salvation of Israel; and 3) the establishment of the Messiah as King. The first oracle (9:1–11:17) deals with the first and third features and ends with prophecies of the rejection of Christ at his first coming; the second oracle

(12:1–14:21) deals with the second and third, culminating with the kingdom of Messiah Christ.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:1–8 This oracle features a series of judgments announced against the nations surrounding Israel (vv. 1–7), with deliverance promised for his people (v. 8). Most understand this to be a prophecy of the famous Greek conqueror, Alexander the Great's victories, given approximately 200 years before he marched through Palestine. He provides an analogy of Christ returning to judge the nations and save Israel at the end of the great tribulation (cf. Matt. 24:21).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:1 burden. A heavy, burdensome message (i.e., oracle), the prediction of a threatening event, in this case the judgment of the nations. Hadrach. The location is uncertain. Possibly it is ancient Hatarika, a city mentioned in the annals of Assyrian Kings, in the vicinity of Hamath. The old Jewish tradition made it a compound name, Had meaning sharp and rach meaning soft. The sharp/soft land could be a reference to the dual Medo-Persian kingdom. Media was thought to be the sharp side because of its powerful conquerors like Cyrus, and Persia the soft side because of its debauchery. The cities in vv. 1–2 were major cities under Medo-Persian power. Damascus. This city was to be the main target of the judgment of God through Alexander upon the capital of Syria, one of Israel's worst enemies from c. 900–722 B.C. the Lord has an eye on mankind. God's judgment through Alexander the Great would be visible to all mankind, especially Israel.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:2 Hamath. A major city, 125 miles north of Damascus on the Orontes River. Alexander conquered these cities of the Syrian interior under Medo-Persian control, then turned to the coast moving south, conquering the cities of the Phoenicians and Philistines on the way to Egypt. Tyre and Sidon . . . are very wise. These Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast were known for their skill and wisdom (cf. Ezek. 28:12–15) and satanic influence (Ezek. 28:11–19).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:3–4 Tyre. This city was occupying an island one-half mile offshore, and thought itself to be invincible (cf. Isa. 23:1–4). With walls 150 feet high in some places, it was such an impregnable city that the Assyrian Shalmaneser besieged it for five years and failed to conquer it. Nebuchadnezzar tried for 13 years unsuccessfully. But Alexander, God's judgment instrument, using the rubble of the mainland city destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, built a

causeway out to the island and destroyed it in seven months (c. 334–332 B.C.).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:5–6 The cities of Philistia were terrified at the swiftness with which Alexander the Great's army was able to conquer Tyre. Then, Alexander marched south, conquering all these Philistine cities and killing their national pride.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:7 This judgment put an end to idolatry for many Philistines who turned to the God of Israel. In the imagery of this verse, the nation is seen as a man with blood in his mouth (from eating sacrifices to idols) and abominations (the other defiled food of idol worship) which are removed. The picture is of conversion to worship the true God. like the Jebusites. These ancient inhabitants of Jerusalem were conquered by David (cf. 2 Sam. 5:6–11) and amalgamated into Israel. So it will be with these Philistines.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:8 This is the pledge of God's protection of Jerusalem from Alexander. It came true when, on his way south, Alexander treated Jerusalem with kindness. After having subjugated Egypt, he returned through Palestine again without doing Israel harm. no oppressor shall again march over them. The supernatural and lasting protection here promised must anticipate the second advent of Messiah, whose coming is the subject through the rest of this message. The transition from Alexander to Christ can be understood in this way: If God can use a pagan king to judge the nations and save Israel, how much more will he use his righteous Messiah? So v. 8 bridges to the final judgment and deliverance of Messiah.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:9–10 The two advents of Christ are here compressed as though they were one as in Isa. 61:1–3 (cf. Luke 4:16, 21). Actually, Zech. 9:9 refers to his first coming and v. 10 is his second. OT prophets didn't see the great time period between the two comings. The church age was a "mystery" hidden from them (cf. Eph. 3:1–9; Col. 1:27).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:9 king . . . mounted on a donkey. Unlike Alexander the Great, this King comes riding on a donkey (cf. Jer. 17:25). This was fulfilled at Christ's triumphal entry (Matt. 21:1–5; John 12:12–16). The Jews should have been looking for someone from the line of David (cf. 2 Sam. 7; 1 Chron. 17). Four elements in this verse describe Messiah's character: 1) he is King; 2) he is just; 3) he brings salvation; and 4) he is humble.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:10–15 Zechariah moves to the second advent of Christ and the establishment of his universal kingdom (see notes on 9:9–10; 11:15–16). Not characterized by bloodshed, Messiah's rule will be a kingdom of peace in which weapons of warfare will be destroyed or converted to peaceful uses (cf. Isa. 2:4; 9:5–7; 11:1–10; Mic. 5:2, 10–15), and peace spreads from the Euphrates River (the terminus of civilization) to the world.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:10 Ephraim. This is another name for Israel, used often in the OT for the northern kingdom and occasionally for the whole nation.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:11 blood of my covenant. Why is Israel to be so blessed? It is not because of her faithfulness through the centuries, but because of God's unfailing devotion to his covenant of blood made with Abraham (Gen. 15:1–10), which is in force as long as God lives. from the waterless pit. Prisoners in ancient times were often kept in dry wells or pits, as Joseph was (Gen. 37:24, 28). The exiles of Israel, pictured as being in a dry well of captivity, suffering, and despair, will be freed because of his unbreakable covenant with them. They are thus called "prisoners of hope" (Zech. 9:12) who are to receive "double" blessing (cf. Isa. 61:7).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:13–15 Reminiscent of the exodus (Ex. 19:16–19; Hab. 3:3–15), the Lord will protect and empower them (cf. Isa. 11:11–16; Zech. 12:6, 8). The initial historical fulfillment of this prophecy came when the Maccabees defeated the Greeks c. 167 B.C.; the final, complete fulfillment will occur at his Second advent. The Maccabean triumph is only a pledge and a preview of final triumph over all enemies.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:15 tread down . . . sling stones. This may mean the Jews will easily subdue their enemies as David did Goliath (1 Sam. 17). Or better, it could mean they will contemptuously tread on the harmless missiles cast at them by their enemies. This could depict the futility of Armageddon when the armies of the God-hating world gather in Israel and are destroyed by the Messiah (cf. Rev. 16:12–16; 19:11–16). The bloodshed of the godless will be visible in that day, from one end of the land of Palestine to the other, like blood splattered on the corners of the altar of sacrifice from basins that caught it when the animal was slain (cf. Rev. 14:20). drink . . . roar. This describes Israel's excitement and exuberance over their victory.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 9:16–17 Abundant prosperity, such as the world has never

seen, results in excessive rejoicing and praise results from God "saving" his people, Israel (cf. Deut. 33:28; Ps. 4:7–8).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 10:1 Ask rain from the Lord. In light of the promised blessings of 9:17, the prophet encourages the people to request these blessings from the Lord, with confidence. There will be literal rain and spring rain (April/May) in the kingdom (cf. Isa. 35:1–7) making the land flourish, but the promise here extends to refer to spiritual blessings (cf. Hos. 6:1–3). The "spring rain" of spiritual grace and goodness from God will bring refreshment to people's souls (cf. Isa. 44:3).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 10:2 household gods . . . diviners. In contrast to God who provides abundance, idols or household gods (cf. Gen. 31:19, 34) and demonic fortunetellers left Israel as sheep without a shepherd (cf. Ezek. 34:6– 10). God will judge them all for that false leadership (Zech. 10:3). The implication of these words is that a similar deception will occur in the end times. The NT confirms this (cf. Matt. 24:5, 11, 22–28; 2 Thess. 1:8–12).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 10:3 majestic steed. Though like sheep, Israel will become like an invincible majestic war-horse when strengthened by the Lord to conquer his foes (12:8).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 10:4 cornerstone. A frequently used messianic title (cf. Isa. 28:16; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6–8). Christ is the foundation on which his kingdom rests. tent peg. This may refer to a peg attached to the tent's center pole on which utensils and valuables were hung. Messiah is the peg in the midst of his kingdom, for all the glory of the kingdom will hang on him (cf. Zech. 6:13; Isa. 22:23–24). battle bow . . . ruler. Another reference to the Messiah (cf. Zech. 9:13; Rev. 19:11–16), under whose authority every ruler will be sanctioned.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 10:5 the Lord is with them. The prophet pictured foot soldiers overpowering the cavalry (cf. 12:1–9) in battle. This analogy was to illustrate the power of God's people when he is "with them."

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 10:6 house of Judah . . . Joseph. Both the southern and northern kingdoms of Israel will be restored to a position of blessing, as the whole nation is restored in millennial blessing (cf. Jer. 32:37). I am the Lord their God. The reason for Israel's restoration was because of God, the covenant keeper, who gave a strong reiteration of his continuing, unconditional commitment to them. The curses of Deut. 28:15–68 expressed in the Assyrian and Babylonian deportations did not abrogate God's promised blessings to Israel

or transfer them to another people. Even after they had crucified the Messiah, Peter told them they were still able to receive the promise (cf. Acts 2:39) because the Abrahamic Covenant was still in place and they were the people of God's promise (Acts 3:25).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 10:7 The joy of the restored nation of Israel at the beginning of the millennium is likened to those who have been drinking wine (cf. Isa. 66:10–14; Zeph. 3:14–20).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 10:8 I will whistle for them. The prophecy summarized what had been said, namely the Messiah's call for Israel to be redeemed and for them to regather in his land (cf. Isa. 5:26). As in Egypt (cf. Ex. 1:8–22), those of Israel who are protected by God because of their faith in Messiah will survive the tribulation and enter the Millennium to multiply greatly (cf. Zech. 2:4; Isa. 54:1–3).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 10:9–10 Another summary is given stating that, as God had previously scattered them all over the world (A.D. 70), he would bring them back to populate his messianic kingdom (cf. Isa. 11:11–12; 49:20–22).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 10:11 Similar to Israel crossing the Red Sea, God will remove both geographical and political obstacles to Israel's return for the Kingdom of Messiah. Assyria and Egypt, traditional enemies of Israel, symbolize any nation that would try to withstand God from fulfilling his will (cf. Isa. 11:11–12).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 10:12 they shall walk in his name. The people of Israel will be the messengers of their Messiah in the millennial kingdom. This is the complete spiritual restoration spoken of by Ezekiel (cf. Ezek. 36:21–38; 37:1– 14, 22–28).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:1–17 In stark contrast to chs. 9–10, in which Messiah is pictured as a wonderful Shepherd, this passage presents an ugly picture of the rejection of the Messiah, the true Shepherd. The prophet turns from the glories of the accepted Messiah at his second coming to the national apostasy and rejection of Messiah at his first coming.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:1–3 As a fire sweeping down to ravage the whole land of Israel, Zechariah described a fire of judgment that would consume the ungodly as a conflagration consumes trees. The devastation is not limited to

spiritual judgment only, but includes the death of people as the land of Israel is judged. The language is the book's most poetic. "Lebanon," "Bashan," and "Jordan" represent the whole land as judgment sweeps from top to bottom covering the entire nation from the north, inland, and down the Jordan Valley to the southern border.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:2 Wail, O cypress. If the mighty cedars have fallen, surely the more vulnerable smaller trees will be unable to stand. oaks of Bashan. The poem moves from Lebanon, on the northern border of Israel, to Bashan, east of the Sea of Galilee, known for its oaks and lush pastures (cf. Amos 4:1; Mic. 7:14).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:3 wail of the shepherds. The shepherds lament the loss of their pastures, and the young lions their homes and food. Both are poetic figures of the misery that will occur in the land under the ravaging judgment. As the chapter unfolds, it becomes clear that this most likely prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the subsequent devastation of the whole land, which resulted in the dissolution of the Jewish state.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:4–14 The cause for the calamity of vv. 1–3 is here given: the rejection of the true Shepherd. God used the prophet Zechariah as an actor playing the part of a shepherd to illustrate the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and the rejection he encountered. Instructions given in vv. 4–6 are enacted in vv. 7–14.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:4–6 The Lord God said that his people were to be treated like sheep fattened for the slaughter, whose shepherds have no pity, but are only interested in money for the meat. Thus God will serve up his sheep for slaughter without pity. With God's pity (cf. Hos. 1:6) and protection withdrawn, they will be given over to their Roman "neighbors" and to their "king" Caesar (cf. John 19:14–15), who will ultimately lead them to their destruction in A.D. 70 by the Roman army (cf. John 11:47–50). Over one million Jews were slaughtered in that assault, and almost half a million in subsequent Roman attacks in Palestine.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:7–14 Here is the record of Zechariah playing a dramatic role to act out the rejection of Christ that will lead to the judgment of Israel outlined in vv. 1–3.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:7 I tended the sheep. The prophet did feed the truth of God to his people as a picture of what Messiah would do when he came. the flock doomed to be slaughtered. Only the poor responded when Jesus came to feed the flock (cf. Matt. 11:5; 1 Cor. 1:26). They were the lowly who would not follow the pride of the priest, scribes, and Pharisees, but believed on Jesus. Favor . . . Union. The prophet's symbolic act called for him to take "two staffs." Eastern shepherds often carried two sticks, a rod to ward off wild beasts and a staff to guide and retrieve wayward sheep (cf. Ps. 23:4). The staff speaks of Christ the good shepherd who expressed the love and grace of God by tenderly leading and protecting his people (Mark 6:34), while the rod speaks of his unifying ministry, binding together the scattered house of Israel into one fold (cf. Zech. 11:14; Matt. 15:24).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:8 destroyed the three shepherds. Though difficult to identify, one of the oldest interpretations is that this refers to the priests, elders, and scribes of Israel (see Introduction: Interpretive Challenges). Jesus bestowed grace and unity upon the populace, but confronted the hypocrisy of these religious leaders, and because they rejected him all three offices were obliterated in a short time. God ended the traditional offices of the mediators and in their place brought a new priesthood of believers (cf. 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6). I became impatient with them. Lit., it means "My soul was short with them," referring to the limits of God's patience toward the unrepentant.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:9 flesh of one another. See note on 7:13. In this drama, Zechariah played the unnatural role of a shepherd who abandons his sheep and stops teaching and protecting them. Those who refused to believe were to be given over to pursue their own desires and left exposed to deadly enemies. In the Roman siege of A.D. 70, some of the starving inhabitants did resort to cannibalism (cf. Jer. 19:9).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:10 annulling the covenant. Apparently this refers to God's promise to restrain the nations from decimating Israel if she would consistently obey (Deut. 28:1–14). God set aside his kind and gracious protection and his providential care for his people, allowing Rome to invade and destroy Israel (cf. Luke 19:41–44; 21:24).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:11 The believing remnant of Christ's day knew God's word was being fulfilled. They knew judgment was coming, but avoided the long-term consequences by faith in Christ.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:12 thirty pieces of silver. Zechariah carried on the drama by symbolically picturing Jesus asking those he came to shepherd what they felt he was worth to them. In a mocking response, the leaders offered 30 silver pieces, which was the amount of compensation paid for a slave gored by an ox (cf. Ex. 21:32). This is exactly what Judas Iscariot was paid to betray the great shepherd (Matt. 26:14–16). The Jews of Jesus' day who offered that amount were saying he was worth no more than a common slave.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:13 The prophet received further instruction in acting out the drama that pictures the rejection of Christ, namely to throw the 30 pieces into the temple. This was fulfilled when Judas Iscariot, laden with guilt, went back and threw the blood money on the temple floor. The priests gathered the money and used it to buy a field from a potter (cf. Matt. 27:3–10). lordly price. This ultimate sarcasm from God greeted the ultimate insult from humanity.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:14 The breaking of the first staff (v. 10) preceded the Jews' rejection of the Shepherd, while the breaking of this rod once symbolizing the nation's unity (v. 7) followed his rejection, being fulfilled in the Roman breakup of the Jewish commonwealth. Josephus recorded that in the Roman conquering, the internal dissension among the people in their conflicting parties set Jew against Jew so that they struck each other as cruelly as the Romans struck them.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:15–16 With the removal of the true Shepherd, the drama called for the prophet to play a foolish shepherd, who depicted the Antichrist of Daniel's seventieth week (cf. 2 Thess. 2:3; John 5:43; Dan. 9:27). Zechariah's prophecy jumped from the first century A.D. to the last days before the second coming, omitting the present mystery of the church age (see notes on Zech. 9:9–10; 9:10–15). This foolish (wicked) shepherd had a broken staff or club that he used to beat stubborn sheep into submission, something clearly inappropriate for a shepherd who thoughtfully and tenderly cared for his sheep. God permitted this wicked shepherd to arise, to destroy the sheep. Because they did not choose the good shepherd, Israel will receive a foolish one who will do absolutely the opposite of what is expected of shepherds, he will destroy the sheep (11:16). This is exactly what Antichrist does (cf. Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15– 22).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 11:17 his arm . . . right eye. Zechariah condemned the worthless shepherd, noting that his strength ("arm") and his intelligence ("eye")

would be taken away from him (cf. Dan. 7:9–14, 24–27; 8:23–25; 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19:20; 20:10).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:1–14:21 The second and final burden of Zechariah presents the familiar theme of Israel's ultimate deliverance and salvation. In contrast to initial judgment, he now encourages God's covenant people with a description of her restoration and blessing in the millennial kingdom, as true to his character and Zechariah's name, "the Lord remembers."

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:1 burden . . . concerning Israel. See note on 9:1. The prophecy described a future siege against the nation, indicating that there would be significant devastation before there was repentance and conversion in Israel (cf. 14:1–2). stretched . . . founded . . . formed. The God who performed the work of creation will ultimately do the work of consummation.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:2 cup of staggering. Jerusalem is pictured as a large basin from which the nations will figuratively drink with eagerness, only to find themselves becoming intoxicated, disoriented, and thus easy prey for divine judgment at the end of Daniel's seventieth week in the battle of Armageddon when nations gather to attack Jerusalem (cf. Ezek. 38:1–6, 14–16; Dan. 11:40– 44; Rev. 9:13–16; 14:20; 16:12–16).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:3 surely hurt themselves. Like lifting a heavy weight, Jerusalem will "surely hurt" any people that try to gain victory over it. This is due to divine intervention (cf. vv. 4–5).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:4 Horses, ancient symbols of strength, emphasize God's superior power over Israel's enemies. Confusion, madness, and blindness are noted as curses on Israel in Deut. 28:28; here they are promised to Israel's enemies.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:5 Knowing that God had chosen Jerusalem as the city of his special affection will give confidence to the "clans" (leaders) all over the land (cf. Ps. 46:5). This verse has overtones indicating the saving faith of the Jews in that day, since they are claiming to have trust in God.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:6 Two similes describe the operation of God's power: a "blazing pot" used to carry hot coals to start a wood fire and a "torch" used to light dry grain. Thus will the power of God devour the armies that attack Israel in the latter days.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:7 Judah first. God will first deliver the defenseless country people before the well-fortified capital, demonstrating that the battle was not won by military might or strategy.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:8 The Lord will make the feeble like David, the greatest soldier in Israel's history (cf. 1 Sam. 18:7). The "house of David," like the "angel of the Lord," most likely refers to the Messiah himself, who will be the strength of his people.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:9 See note on 12:2 for important cross references.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:10 I will pour. God, in his own perfect time and by his own power, will sovereignly act to save Israel. This was prophesied by other prophets (cf. Ezek. 39:29; Joel 2:28–32), and by the apostle Paul (cf. Rom. 11:25–27). spirit of grace and pleas for mercy. The Holy Spirit is so identified because he brings saving grace and because that grace produces sorrow that will result in repentant prayer to God for forgiveness (cf. Matt. 5:4; Heb. 10:29). look on me, on him whom they have pierced. Israel's repentance will come because they look to Jesus, the One whom they rejected and crucified (cf. Isa. 53:5; John 19:37), in faith at the second advent (Rom. 11:25–27). When God says they pierced "me," he is certainly affirming the incarnation of deity—Jesus was God. See note on John 10:30.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:11 Hadad-rimmon . . . Megiddo. The bitter mourning of that day is likened to the death of righteous king Josiah at Hadad-rimmon in the Megiddo plain (cf. 2 Chron. 35:20–24), located northwest of Jerusalem (cf. James 4:8–9).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 12:12–14 The royal (David and his son Nathan) and priestly (Levi and his grandson Shimei) lines, who in the past had set an evil example, were foremost in their contrition and mourning (cf. Num. 3:17–21; 2 Sam. 5:14). It is possible that Isa. 53:1–9 comprises the content of their confession. This mourning and deep penitence is not some corporate emotion, but each person individually is brought to sorrow and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. See note on Rev. 11:13.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 13:1 house of David . . . inhabitants of Jerusalem. The totality of cleansing is noted by its effect on both royalty and commoners. a fountain . . . sin and uncleanness. A symbolic reference to the means of

cleansing and purification through the atoning death of the pierced One (cf. 1 John 1:7). This has direct reference to the New Covenant of Jer. 31:31–34; Ezek. 36:25–32; Rom. 11:26–29. So the storm that broke upon Israel for the crime of Calvary and has raged with unmitigated fury for long, tragic centuries, will suddenly end, and salvation will turn sin into righteousness in the gladness and glory of the kingdom of Messiah Jesus.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 13:2–6 When Christ returns and cleanses Israel from her defilement, he is also going to cleanse the nation from the deception of false prophets and their demonic religion.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 13:2 spirit of uncleanness. The agents of idolatry are false prophets, but the spiritual power behind it is demonic. The wicked spirits who energize false prophets are unclean because they hate God and holiness and drive their victims into moral impurities and false religion (cf. Deut. 32:17; 1 Kings 22:19–23; Ps. 106:34–39; 1 Cor. 10:20).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 13:3 Because of the salvation of God that has cleansed God's people and made them love him and his truth, hatred of false prophecy will overrule normal human feelings, causing even a father and mother to put their own apostate child to death (cf. Deut. 13:6–9, 12–15; 18:18–22). This is a stern reminder of how God feels about and will eventually treat those preachers who misrepresent the truth.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 13:4–5 a hairy cloak. Because of these stern measures, false prophets will cease wearing the traditional clothing of a prophet (cf. 2 Kings 1:8; Matt. 3:4). They will adopt a clandestine approach to propagating their demon-inspired lies (cf. Jer. 22:22; Mic. 3:7), and lie if they are asked whether they are prophets, claiming to be farmers.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 13:6 wounds on your back. The phrase cannot refer to Messiah, but is a continuation of the false prophet's behavior in vv. 4–5. When the false prophet denies any association with pagan practices, others will challenge him to explain the suspicious wounds on his body. False prophets would cut themselves to arouse prophetic ecstasy in idolatrous rites (cf. Lev. 19:28; Deut. 14:1; 1 Kings 18:28; Jer. 16:6; 48:37), but they will claim the scars represent some attack they suffered from friends. See Introduction: Interpretive Challenges.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 13:7–9 Zechariah turned from the false prophets wounded in "friends"' houses to the true prophet wounded in the house of his friends, Israel. He compressed events of both the first (13:7) and second (13:8–9) advents into this brief section. It spoke of Christ's crucifixion (v. 7) and the Jewish remnant at his second coming (vv. 8–9).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 13:7 my shepherd . . . man who stands next to me. God spoke of the true Shepherd, that mighty man who is his intimate associate, thus he identified Christ as his co-equal, affirming the deity of Christ (cf. John 1:1; 10:30; 14:9). Strike the shepherd. In Zech. 11:17, it was the worthless shepherd who was to be struck; now it is the good shepherd (cf. 12:10) whose death was designed by God from before the foundation of the world (cf. Isa. 53:10; Acts 2:23; 1 Pet. 1:18–20). sheep . . . scattered. See notes on Matt. 26:31; Mark 14:27, where Jesus applies this prophecy to the disciples who defected from him after his arrest (Matt. 26:56; Mark 14:50), including Peter's denial (Matt. 26:33– 35, 69–75). the little ones. The same as the "flock doomed to be slaughtered" (Zech. 11:7). The reference is to the remnant of believers, among the Jews, who were faithful to the Messiah after his crucifixion. Turning God's hand "against" them could mean they would suffer persecution, which they did (cf. John 15:18, 20; 16:2; James 1:1), or it could be translated "upon" and refer to God's protection of the faithful.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 13:8 two thirds. Only a portion of the people of Israel will remain faithful to Christ and be alive in the end. The spiritual survivors will be the remnant who look upon Christ in repentance at his return (cf. 12:10– 13:1), which will include those who make up the 144,000 (cf. Rev. 7:4). These will be the sheep of the sheep-goat judgment after Christ's return who enter the kingdom alive (cf. Isa. 35:10; Jer. 30:11; Matt. 25:31–46).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 13:9 they will say. From the midst of their fiery refinement, the elect remnant of Israel will see Jesus Christ, their Messiah, and call on him as their Savior and Lord. Israel will thus be saved and restored to covenant relationship with the Lord.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:1–21 Chapter 14 is an amplification of 13:8–9. Prior to Israel's national conversion (cf. 12:10–13:1), the Jews will make a pact with a false messiah (cf. Dan. 9:27), known as the foolish shepherd (cf. Zech. 11:15– 17) or Antichrist. In the middle of that seven-year covenant, Antichrist will break his treaty with Israel and require the worship of him alone (Dan. 9:24–27;

Matt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:3, 4). When Israel refuses, the armies of the world will gather to do battle, climaxing in a great siege of Jerusalem and the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19). Following the Lord's victory at that battle (cf. Rev. 19:11–16), will come the full restoration of Israel as anticipated in Hos. 14:4–7; Joel 3:18–21; Amos 9:13–15; Mic. 4:1–3; Zeph. 3:14–20.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:1 a day is coming for the Lord. The "day of the Lord" is a technical term for God's wrath unleashed against sinners. Here, Zechariah is looking at the day of the Lord when his wrath is unleashed against the whole world of sinners, which results in the establishment of the Lord's millennial reign on earth. See note on Isa. 2:12 and Introduction to Joel: Historical and Theological Themes. spoil . . . divided in your midst. Jerusalem will be so overcome by the enemy that the spoil will be leisurely divided in the midst of the city, illustrating how completely Jerusalem will be overthrown. This atrocity then triggers the wrath of God against the world in the day of the Lord.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:2 I will gather all the nations. God himself will gather the nations, using them to purge, refine, and judge (cf. Rev. 16:13–14, 16). Their presence results in an unprecedented time of national calamity. This is the climax of "the time of distress for Jacob" (Jer. 30:5–7).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:3–4 his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives. To prevent the eradication of his remnant, the Lord will personally intervene to fight against the gathered nations. Just as he fought for his people in the past, so he will do in the future as the ultimate Warrior-King. Jesus will literally return to the Mount of Olives, located east of the Kidron Valley, just as the angels announced at his ascension (cf. Acts 1:11). When he does, there will be a tremendous topographical upheaval (perhaps an earthquake), a phenomenon not uncommon when God announces his coming in judgment (cf. Mic. 1:2–4; Nah. 1:5; Rev. 16:18–21). The reaction of people is given in Rev. 6:15–17.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:4 the Mount of Olives shall be split in two. A valley running east and west will be created as the mountain is pulled northward and southward (cf. Mic. 1:2–4; Nah. 1:5; Rev. 16:18–19).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:5 Azal. It is best understood as a place east of Jerusalem, marking the eastern end of the newly created valley. Though exact identification is unknown, it is possibly the Valley of Jehoshaphat or Valley of Decision (cf. Joel 3:12–14), which will be for judgment of the nations and for

the escape of the half who were not captured (Zech. 14:2). all the holy ones with him. This term could refer to angels, Jewish believers, or Gentile Christians together (cf. Rev. 19:14).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:6–7 As these Jews are fleeing through this newly created valley, the lights in the world will go out (cf. Isa. 13:9–10; 24:23; Joel 2:10; 3:14–16; Matt. 24:29–30; Rev. 6:12–14) and be replaced by the light of Christ's glory (cf. Isa. 60:19–20). Only the Lord knows the fullness of the plan for that day—when the lights go out and are lit again in the millennial kingdom (cf. Isa. 30:26; Mal. 4:2).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:8 The highest elevation of the temple mount in Jerusalem is more than 300 feet lower than the Mount of Olives, but the topographical alterations described in vv. 4, 10 will allow the spring to flow toward the Dead Sea (east) and the Mediterranean Sea (west) (see notes on Ezek. 47:1–12). It will not dry up in summer, as most Palestinian streams do, but will flow all year, making the desert "blossom like the crocus" (Isa. 35:1).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:9 Lord will be one and his name one. Cf. Rev. 11:15. There will be only one religion in the entire world during the millennial reign of Christ. Ruling with a rod of iron (cf. Rev. 19:15), Christ will have done away with all false religions spawned by Satan. This will be the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant providing a Jewish people, the nation of Israel, and the land given to Abraham; the Davidic Covenant, which promised a king from the tribe of Judah and the line of David; and the New Covenant, which held out the hope of spiritual redemption for Jew and Gentile. All of this will be fulfilled in and by the Lord Jesus Christ.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:10 whole land . . . into a plain. The term "plain" pictures the Jordan Valley, extending from Mount Hermon (elevation 9,100 feet) to the Gulf of Aqabah. Here the entire land, from Geba 6 miles to the north to Rimmon in the south, would be leveled to become like the well-watered and fertile lowlands of the Jordan Valley (cf. Gen. 13:10), causing Jerusalem to be exalted above like a solitaire diamond on a ring. Jerusalem, having been rebuilt according to these dimensions, will be exalted in both place and purpose, the prominent royal city containing the temple of God and the throne of Jesus Christ (cf. Ezek. 40–48). The locations of these landmarks would be the equivalent of meaning "all Jerusalem, east to west and north to south."

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:11 dwell in security. Jerusalem, the city of peace, has been fought over more frequently than any other city on earth, and prayed for over the millennia (Ps. 122:6–9). As promised by God (2 Sam. 7:10–17; Ps. 2:6; Ezek. 37:24–28; Joel 3:16–17), she will know permanent righteousness and with it peace, rest, and safety.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:12–15 The prophet, one final time, cycles back over the judgment that precedes the kingdom. God will strike the heathen forces gathered against Israel (vv. 1–3) with a supernatural plague similar to his judgment of the Assyrian army (Isa. 37:36), causing a panic so great that they begin to attack one another (cf. Judg. 7:22; 1 Sam. 14:15–20; 2 Chron. 20:23), aiding in the escape of the half (cf. Zech. 14:2, 5). God will enable his people to fight (cf. Isa. 11:13–14). Then he will send a widespread plague that even extends to their animals, preventing their use for military endeavors or escape. This depicts the thwarting of their efforts as God ultimately destroys them by the Messiah (Rev. 19:11–16).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:16–19 This very important passage reveals that some Gentiles will go into the millennial kingdom alive along with the redeemed Jews. A converted remnant from those heathen nations will make annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem to worship the Lord and to celebrate the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles, during the millennium. Commemorating the time when God "tabernacled" with Israel in the wilderness, the feast represented the last of the three major pilgrimage festivals (Lev. 23:34–36), marked the final harvest of the year's crops, and provided a time of rejoicing. In the millennium, it will celebrate Messiah's presence again dwelling among his people and the joyful restoration of Israel, including the ingathering of the nations. Those who refuse to go will experience drought and plague. Tragically, as the thousand years go on, there will be many people from all over the world who will reject Christ as Savior and King, joining in a final war against him, only to be destroyed and cast into hell forever (cf. Rev. 20:7–15).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:16 Feast of Booths. The historical background can be found in Lev. 23:33–36; Num. 29:12–38; Deut. 16:13–17. In addition to the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles, two other feasts will be celebrated in the millennium, i.e., 1) Feast of the New Year (Ezek. 45:18–20) and 2) Passover (Ezek. 45:21–25). These feasts are no more efficacious than were the feasts of the Mosaic era or the Lord's Supper in the church age. They all provided a symbolic anticipation or remembrance of Christ's unique and once-for-all

sacrifice at Calvary.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:17 no rain. Drought is a dreaded punishment (cf. 1 Kings 17:1–7; 2 Chron. 7:13–14; James 5:17–18) since it deprives the people of life-sustaining water.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:20–21 Just as the high priest, whose turban was engraved with the phrase "Holy to the Lord," was set apart for the service of the Lord (cf. Zech. 3:5; also Ex. 28:36; 39:30), so even mundane and ordinary things like the bells that decorate horses and common pots and pans will be as holy as the high priest and the altar bowls used in sacrifices. There will be no need for distinctions between holy and secular. Everything will be set apart to the service of the Lord in the Messiah's glorious kingdom.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 14:21 trader. Or Canaanite (see esv footnote). This identification is used as a figure for the morally and spiritually unclean persons who will be excluded from entering the millennial temple. Before Israel conquered the Promised Land, the vile Canaanites inhabited it; thus the term became proverbial in Israel for a morally degenerate, ceremonially unclean person.

Malachi

Malachi 1 • Malachi 2 • Malachi 3 • Malachi 4 Introduction to Malachi

Title Author and Date Background and Setting Historical and Theological Themes Interpretive Challenges Footnotes Study Notes

Introduction to Malachi

Title

The title is derived from the prophecy's author, Malachi. With this last work in the Minor Prophets, God closes the OT canon historically and prophetically.

Author and Date

Some have suggested that the book was written anonymously, noting that the name, meaning "my messenger" or "the Lord's messenger," could be a title rather than a proper name. It is pointed out that the name occurs nowhere else in the OT, nor is any background material provided about the author. However, since all other prophetic books have historically identified their author in the introductory heading, this suggests that Malachi was indeed the name of the last OT writing prophet in Israel. Jewish tradition identifies him as a member of the Great Synagogue that collected and preserved the Scriptures.

Looking solely at internal evidence, the date of the prophecy points to the late fifth century B.C., most likely during Nehemiah's return to Persia c. 433–424 B.C. (cf. Neh. 5:14; 13:6). Sacrifices were being made at the second temple (1:7–10; 3:8), which was finished in 516 B.C. (cf. Ezra 6:13–15). Many years had passed since then as the priests had increasingly become complacent and corrupt (Mal. 1:6–2:9). Malachi's reference to "governor" (1:8) speaks of the time of Persian dominance in Judah when Nehemiah was revisiting Persia (Neh. 13:6), while his emphasis on the law (4:4) coincides with a similar focus by Ezra and Nehemiah (cf. Ezra 7:14, 25–26; Neh. 8:18). They shared other concerns as well, such as marriages to foreign wives (Mal. 2:11–15; cf. Ezra 9–10; Neh. 13:23–27), withholding of tithes (Mal. 3:8–10; cf. Neh. 13:10–14), and social injustice (Mal. 3:5; cf. Neh. 5:1–13). Nehemiah came to Jerusalem in 445 B.C. to rebuild the wall, and returned to Persia in 433 B.C. He later returned to Israel (c. 424 B.C.) to deal with the sins Malachi described (Neh. 13:6). So it is likely that Malachi was written during the period of Nehemiah's absence, almost a century after Haggai and Zechariah began to prophesy. Similar to Rev. 2–3, in which Christ writes what he thinks about the conditions of the churches, here God writes through Malachi to impress upon Israel his thoughts about the nation.

Background and Setting

Only 50,000 exiles had returned to Judah from Babylon (538–536 B.C.). The temple had been rebuilt under the leadership of Zerubbabel (516 B.C.) and the sacrificial system renewed. Ezra had returned in 458 B.C., followed by Nehemiah in 445 B.C. After being back in the land of Palestine for only a century, the ritual of the Jews' religious routine led to hard-heartedness toward God's great love for them and to widespread departure from his law by both people and priest. Malachi rebuked and condemned these abuses, forcefully indicting the people and calling them to repentance. When Nehemiah returned from Persia the second time (c. 424 B.C.), he vigorously rebuked them for these abuses in the temple and priesthood, for the violation of the Sabbath rest, and for the unlawful divorce of their Jewish wives so they could marry Gentile women (cf. Neh. 13).

As over two millennia of OT history since Abraham concluded, none of the glorious promises of the Abrahamic, Davidic, and New Covenants had been fulfilled in their ultimate sense. Although there had been a few high points in Israel's history, e.g., Joshua, David, and Josiah, the Jews had seemingly lost all opportunity to receive God's favor since less than 100 years after returning from captivity, they had already sunk to a depth of sin that exceeded the former iniquities that brought on the Assyrian and Babylonian deportations. Beyond this, the long anticipated Messiah had not arrived and did not seem to be in sight.

So, Malachi wrote the capstone prophecy of the OT in which he delivered God's message of judgment on Israel for their continuing sin and God's promise that one day in the future, when the Jews would repent, Messiah would be revealed and God's covenant promises would be fulfilled. There were over 400 years of divine silence, with only Malachi's words ringing condemnation in their ears, before another prophet arrived with a message from God. That was John the Baptist preaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). Messiah had come.

Historical and Theological Themes

The Lord repeatedly referred to his covenant with Israel (cf. 2:4–5, 8, 10, 14; 3:1), reminding them, from his opening words, of their unfaithfulness to his love/marriage relationship with them (cf. 1:2–5). God's love for his people pervades the book. Apparently the promises by the former prophets of the

coming Messiah who would bring final deliverance and age-long blessings, and the encouragement from the recent promises (c. 500 B.C.) of Haggai and Zechariah, had only made the people and their leaders more resolute in their complacency. They thought that this love relationship could be maintained by formal ritual alone, no matter how they lived. In a penetrating rebuke of both priests (1:6–2:9) and people (2:10–16), the prophet reminds them that the Lord's coming, which they were seeking (3:1), would be in judgment to refine, purify, and purge (3:2–3). The Lord not only wanted outward compliance with the law, but an inward acceptance as well (cf. Matt. 23:23). The prophet assaults the corruption, wickedness, and false security by directing his judgments at their hypocrisy, infidelity, compromise, divorce, false worship, and arrogance.

Malachi set forth his prophecy in the form of a dispute, employing the questionand-answer method. The Lord's accusations against his people were frequently met by cynical questions from the people (1:2, 6–7; 2:17; 3:7–8, 13). At other times, the prophet presented himself as God's advocate in a lawsuit, posing rhetorical questions to the people based on their defiant criticisms (1:6, 8–9; 2:10, 15; 3:2).

Malachi indicted the priests and the people on at least six counts of willful sin: 1) repudiating God's love (1:2–5); 2) refusing God his due honor (1:6–2:9); 3) rejecting God's faithfulness (2:10–16); 4) redefining God's righteousness (2:17– 3:6); 5) robbing God's riches (3:7–12); and 6) reviling God's grace (3:13–15). There are three interludes in which Malachi rendered God's judgment: 1) to the priests (2:1–9); 2) to the nation (3:1–6); and 3) to the remnant (3:16–4:6).

Interpretive Challenges

The meaning of Elijah being sent "before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes" (4:5) has been debated. Was this fulfilled in John the Baptist or is it yet future? Will Elijah be reincarnated? It seems best to view Malachi's prophecy as a reference to John the Baptist and not to a literally-returned Elijah. Not only did the angel announce that John the Baptist would go "before him in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), but John the Baptist himself said he was not Elijah (John 1:21). Thus John was like Elijah, internally in "spirit and power" and externally in rugged independence and nonconformity. If the Jews would receive the Messiah, then he would be the Elijah spoken of (cf. Matt. 11:14; 17:9–13); if they refused the King, then another Elijah-like prophet would be sent in the future, perhaps as one of the two witnesses (cf. Rev. 11:1–19).

↑ Back to top