Zechariah 1 Explained

Zechariah 1 is the first chapter of the Book of Zechariah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Zechariah, and is a part of the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets. As the first of the 14 chapters in the book, this chapter is a part of a section (so-called "First Zechariah") consisting of Zechariah 1-8. It records an introduction and the first two of eight visions received by the prophet.

Text

The original text was written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 21 verses in English Bibles. The Hebrew Bible uses different "verse numbering" (see below).

Verse numbering

There are some differences in verse numbering of this chapter in English Bibles and Hebrew texts:

EnglishHebrew
1:1-171:1-16
1:18-212:1-4
This article generally follows the common numbering in Christian English Bible versions, with notes to the numbering in Hebrew Bible versions.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Codex Cairensis (from year 895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).

Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including: 4Q80 (4QXIIe; 75–50 BCE) with extant verses 4–6, 8–10, 13–15, and Mur88 (MurXII; from Wadi Murabba'at; from early 2nd century CE) with extant verses 1–4.

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (with a different verse numbering), made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B;

ak{G}

B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK:

ak{G}

S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A;

ak{G}

A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q;

ak{G}

Q; 6th century). Some fragments containing parts of this chapter (a revision of the Septuagint) were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, i.e., Naḥal Ḥever 8Ḥev1 (8ḤevXIIgr); late 1st century BCE) with extant verses 1–4, 12–14, 19–21 (verses 2:2–4 in Masoretic verse numbering)

Time

This chapter contains two "date formulas", in verses 1 and 7, which place the recorded events in the year of 520-519 BCE, "in the second year of Darius" (son of Hystaspes), the king of Persia. Accordingly, Zechariah was a contemporary of the prophet Haggai, confirming the records in and .

Preface (1:1–6)

Verses 1–6 serve as an "Introduction" to the subsequent visions and prophecies received by Zechariah with a call for the people to repentance.This section together with chapters 7 and 8 form an editorial frame of the book.

Verse 1

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius,

came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet,

saying,[1]

Vision of horses (1:7–17)

This section records the first of Zechariah's eight night visions, which are his primary and most distinctive feature, with a high literary form and a standardized format, structured in a concentric pattern. In the first vision, the earth is peaceful and expectant, patrolled by the four horsemen (the first of numerous symbols from Zechariah to be reused in the Book of Revelation). The 'seventy years of the Lord's withholding mercy[11] are fulfilled, the people are returned and the temple is to be rebuilt.

Verse 7

Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius,

came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet,

saying,[12]

Verse 12

Then the Angel of the Lord answered and said, "O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?"[16]

Vision of the horns and craftsmen (1:18–21)

See main article: Four Horns and Four Craftsmen. The second vision contains the symbolism of the 'powerful nations that have terrorized the chosen people' and the 'counterforces ("blacksmiths" or "craftsmen") raised by YHWH'.

Verse 20

Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen.[17] [{{bibleverse|Zechariah|2:3|HE}} Hebrew Bible]

Verse 21

And I said, "What are these coming to do?"

And he said, "These are the horns that scattered Judah after which no one could raise his head; and these four craftsmen have come to terrify and throw down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it."[18] [{{bibleverse|Zechariah|2:4|HE}} Hebrew Bible]

See also

References

Sources

. John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. Fortress Press. 2014. 9781451469233.

. Michael D. Coogan . The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version, Issue 48 . Coogan . Michael David . Marc Zvi . Brettler . Carol Ann . Newsom . Pheme . Perkins . Augmented 3rd . Oxford University Press . 2007 . 9780195288810 .

. A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature. Joseph Fitzmyer . William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2008. 9780802862419. Grand Rapids, MI .

. John Gill (theologian). An Exposition of the Old Testament, etc. 2. 1810. London. Matthews and Leigh.

. Christine Hayes. Introduction to the Bible. Yale University Press. 2015. 978-0300188271.

. Ernst Würthwein . The Text of the Old Testament . Wm. B. Eerdmans . Grand Rapids, MI . 1995 . Erroll F.. Rhodes . 0-8028-0788-7 . January 26, 2019 .

Further reading

External links

Jewish

Christian

Notes and References

  1. 1:1 KJV
  2. 5:1–2
  3. 5:3–5
  4. 2:1–9 KJV
  5. 2:10–14 KJV
  6. 6:38 KJV
  7. 1:1, 1:15 KJV
  8. 6:13 KJV
  9. 1:1
  10. 12:4 KJV
  11. 25:11
  12. 1:7 KJV
  13. 2:15 KJV
  14. 2:20 KJV
  15. 16:14 KJV
  16. 1:12 NKJV, 25:12 , 29:10 , 9:2 KJV, 7:5
  17. 1:20 MEV
  18. 1:21 MEV
  19. 54:16 KJV

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