Zechariah 1

Zechariah 1
The beginning of the Book of Zechariah (1:1–6:15) in Latin in Codex Gigas, circa 13th century.
BookBook of Zechariah
CategoryNevi'im
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part38

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. In the Hebrew Bible it forms 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 the eight visions received by the prophet. These visions are the book's primary and most distinctive feature, with a highly literary and standardized format, structured in a concentric pattern.

Text

The original text was written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 21 verses in English Bibles. There are some differences between the chapter and verse numbering of this chapter in English Bibles and in 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; B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; 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 dating formulae, 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 Ezra 5:1 and Ezra 6:14.

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 and chapters 7 and 8, form an editorial frame for the first section 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,

Verse 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.

The reference to the "former prophets" or "earlier prophets" probably includes "the whole body of prophets" prior to time of Haggai and Zechariah.

Vision of horses (1:7–17)

"The Vision of Zechariah". A miniature from Sicily (circa 1300) shows Zechariah's first vision. Zechariah stands on the left, next to an angel who points to a man mounting a red horse.

In the first of Zechariah's eight night visions, a dialogue takes place involving the prophet, the angel of the LORD and the Lord of Hosts. The earth is peaceful and at rest, 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 are fulfilled, the people are to return to Jerusalem, 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,

Verse 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.

The Jerusalem Bible adds reference to a black horse.

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

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.[Zechariah 2:3 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."[Zechariah 2:4 Hebrew Bible]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Chapter numbers were first used in the Vulgate Bible in 13th century.
  2. ↑ Moore 1893, pp. 73–78 notes that verse numbers were first used by Rabbi Isaac Nathan in a Hebrew concordance of Masoretic Text in the 15th century, but not fully printed in a Hebrew Bible until the publication of the Antwerp Polyglott of 1569, whereas Pagninus' Latin Bible of 1528 was published with Arabic numerals for every verse in the whole book.
  3. ↑ Boda 2016, p. 3 notes that the Aleppo Codex (930) now only contains Zechariah 9:17b–14:21.
  4. ↑ HALOT 358 s.v. חָרָשׁ; apud note [a] on Zechariah 1:20 in NET.
  5. ↑ Note [a] on Zechariah 1:21 NKJV
  6. ↑ Note [a] on Zechariah 1:21 NET

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hirsch 1906.
  2. 1 2 Collins 2014, p. 421.
  3. 1 2 Hayes 2015, Chapter 23.
  4. ↑ Mason 1993, pp. 826–828.
  5. 1 2 Coogan 2007, p. 1357 Hebrew Bible.
  6. 1 2 Mason 1993, p. 826.
  7. ↑ Larkin 2007, pp. 611–612.
  8. ↑ "Zechariah 1" (PDF). Interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament. scripture4all.org.
  9. ↑ Würthwein 1995, pp. 35–37.
  10. ↑ Boda 2016, pp. 2–3.
  11. ↑ Boda 2016, p. 3.
  12. 1 2 3 "Dead Sea Scrolls". The Way to Yahuweh. 5 January 2016.
  13. ↑ Ulrich 2010, pp. 619–620.
  14. ↑ Fitzmyer 2008, p. 39.
  15. ↑ Boda 2016, pp. 3–4.
  16. ↑ Fitzmyer 2008, p. 141.
  17. ↑ Würthwein 1995, pp. 73–74.
  18. ↑ Fitzmyer 2008, pp. 127–128.
  19. ↑ Boda 2016, p. 5.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Coogan 2007, p. 1358 Hebrew Bible.
  21. ↑ Haggai 1:1, 1:15, 2:10
  22. ↑ Larkin 2007, p. 611.
  23. ↑ Zechariah 1:1
  24. ↑ Ezra 5:1–2
  25. ↑ Ezra 5:3–5
  26. ↑ Haggai 2:1–9
  27. ↑ Haggai 2:10–14
  28. 1 2 Barnes 1834.
  29. ↑ 1 Kings 6:38
  30. ↑ Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews. 1.3.1..
  31. 1 2 3 Spence-Jones & Exell 1884.
  32. ↑ Haggai 1:1, Zechariah 1:15
  33. 1 2 3 Gill 1810, p. 676.
  34. 1 2 3 Jamieson, Brown & Fausset 1871, p. 715.
  35. ↑ Zechariah 6:13
  36. ↑ Zechariah 1:1
  37. ↑ Nehemiah 12:4
  38. ↑ Alexander 2007, 2:20.
  39. 1 2 "Which Zechariah was murdered in the temple?". errancy.com. 7 February 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  40. ↑ Zechariah 1:4: English Standard Version (ESV)
  41. ↑ Perowne, T. T., (1890), Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on Zechariah 1, accessed on 27 December 2024
  42. 1 2 3 4 Larkin 2007, p. 612.
  43. ↑ Jeremiah 25:11
  44. ↑ Zechariah 1:7
  45. ↑ Haggai 2:15
  46. ↑ Haggai 2:20
  47. ↑ 1 Maccabees 16:14
  48. ↑ Zechariah 1:8: ESV
  49. ↑ Zechariah 1:8 in the Jerusalem Bible (1966), London: Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday and Co. Inc. Footnote i notes "black" as a correction
  50. ↑ Zechariah 1:20
  51. ↑ "Hebrew Text Analysis: Zechariah 1:20". biblehub.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  52. ↑ Zechariah 1:21
  53. ↑ Isaiah 54:16
  54. Fenlon 1910.
  55. Moore 1893, pp. 73–78.

Sources

Further reading

Jewish

Christian