Zechariah
Visions to encourage the returned exiles to rebuild the temple, with glimpses of a coming king.
Overview
Zechariah wrote to the Jews who had returned from exile and were struggling to rebuild the temple. The first half is a series of strange night visions urging them on; the second half looks further ahead, to a humble king coming on a donkey, a shepherd betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, and a final day when God reigns. The New Testament often points back to it in describing Jesus.
Book facts
- Author
- ZechariahNamed as "Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo," a prophet among the returned exiles.
- Date written
- c. 520–480 BCAfter the return from Babylon, as the temple was being rebuilt.
- Original language
- HebrewHebrew prophecy, in night visions and oracles.
- Setting
- Jerusalem after the exile (c. 520 BC)Among the Jews rebuilding the temple under Persian rule.
How it came to be
Zechariah names its prophet in the opening verse. He is called the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, and prophesied among the returned exiles rebuilding the temple, alongside Haggai.
The book falls into two clearly different halves — the visions of chapters 1–8 and the oracles of chapters 9–14.
The whole book, chapter by chapter
| Chapter | What happens | Who is in it | Where it takes place |
|---|---|---|---|
The night visions — eight visions to encourage the rebuilding, chapters 1–6 | |||
| Chapter 1The horsemen and horns | A call to return to God, then visions of horsemen patrolling the earth and four horns that scattered Judah. | — | |
| Chapter 2The measuring line | A man measures Jerusalem, which will overflow its walls as God comes to dwell there again. | — | |
| Chapter 3The high priest's garments | The high priest Joshua, in filthy clothes, is cleansed and re-robed before God. | — | |
| Chapter 4The lampstand and olive trees | A golden lampstand and two olive trees: "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit." | — | |
| Chapter 5The flying scroll | Visions of a flying scroll and a woman in a basket, carrying wickedness away from the land. | — | — |
| Chapter 6The four chariots | Four chariots go out to the earth, and the high priest is symbolically crowned. | — | |
The question of fasting — why they fast, and the promise to Zion, chapters 7–8 | |||
| Chapter 7The question of fasting | Asked whether they should keep fasting, God replies that He wants justice and mercy, not ritual. | — | |
| Chapter 8The promises to Zion | God promises to return to Jerusalem, and old men and children will once more fill its streets in peace. | — | |
The two burdens — oracles of a coming king and a final day, chapters 9–14 | |||
| Chapter 9The king on a colt | An oracle of judgment on the nations, and a king coming to Jerusalem lowly, riding on a donkey. | — | |
| Chapter 10The scattered flock gathered | God promises to strengthen and gather His scattered people. | — | — |
| Chapter 11The thirty pieces of silver | A parable of shepherds; the rejected shepherd is paid thirty pieces of silver. | — | — |
| Chapter 12The mourning in Jerusalem | Jerusalem, besieged and delivered, mourns for "him whom they have pierced." | — | |
| Chapter 13The fountain opened | A fountain is opened to cleanse from sin, and idols and false prophets are removed. | — | — |
| Chapter 14The day of battle | A final day when God fights for Jerusalem and becomes king over all the earth. | — | |
All 14 chapters. Start reading →
Worth knowing
Tap a name to see who they are.
Tap a place to see where it is.
Some of the book's best-known lines — tap the verse to read it.
- "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit"Zechariah 4:6
- The king lowly, riding on a donkeyZechariah 9:9
- Thirty pieces of silverZechariah 11:12
- "Him whom they have pierced"Zechariah 12:10