ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Zechariah 1

Zech. 1:1–8:23 Oracles and Visions. Zechariah’s sequence of visions in 1:7–6:15 is interrupted by an oracle of restoration (2:6–13) and an oracle identifying the high priest Joshua as the key agent of renewal (6:9–15). The visions demonstrate that God affects all creation, including humanity. The trauma and triumph of Zion’s restoration begin and end the section (1:1–6; 8:1–23).

1:1–6 Introduction: Return to Me and I Will Return to You. After the exile, God invites his people to renew their commitment to him.

Zech. 1:1 The second year of Darius is 520 b.c., a stable time in the Persian Empire. Zechariah’s name means “Yahweh remembered.”

Zech. 1:6 The people’s forefathers ignored the Lord’s prophets and were judged. Though the prophets themselves died, the words and statutes of the Lord that they spoke brought judgment. Now their words bore fruit in the new generation’s response. They repented and confessed the justice of the Lord’s judgments.

1:7–6:15 Eight Night Visions and a Sign-act. The eight visions that follow were all received in a single night shortly before the new year, a date often associated in the ancient Near East with temple building.

Zech. 1:7–17 In his first vision, Zechariah sees horsemen, who report to God the condition of the earth and prompt the angel of the Lord to intercede for Jerusalem.

Zech. 1:10–11 The horsemen whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth are God’s angelic forces sent to gather accurate information for him.

Zech. 1:12 For the nations to be at rest while God’s people are not is a reversal of the proper order. The angel of the Lord, God’s personal representative, therefore asks the Lord to end the seventy years of judgment.

Zech. 1:13–14 gracious and comforting words. The Lord’s response is positive, and Zechariah is ordered to spread the good news. The Lord’s covenantal jealousy toward Jerusalem and Zion has caused him to act in their favor. He will now judge the nations he previously used to judge his people for their sin (v. 2).

Zech. 1:17 Since his people returned to him (v. 6), the Lord returns to dwell with them. The temple (“my house,” v. 16) will be rebuilt and the covenantal blessing of prosperity will flow out from it. As always in the Bible, “prosperity” is defined by God’s will, not by human desires.

Zech. 1:18–21 The second vision describes four horns. “Four” symbolizes all the world powers responsible for exiling Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. These nations had scattered God’s people for their sins, just as the covenant curse of Lev. 26:33 had warned. Those who fought against Judah will now be brought down by four craftsmen, another group of nations. The Abrahamic covenant promise to curse those who dishonor Abraham and his offspring (Gen. 12:3) is still in force.