A guide to Zechariah

Who wrote Zechariah, and when?

Zechariah son of Berechiah, a prophet and priest. From 520 BC; the later chapters probably some years after.

Zechariah introduces himself as the son of Berechiah and grandson of Iddo, which links him to a priestly family that returned from exile (see Nehemiah 12). He was therefore both prophet and priest. His first message is dated to late 520 BC, two months after Haggai began preaching, and the night visions in chapters 1 to 6 belong to the following months. Chapters 7 and 8 are dated to 518 BC. Chapters 9 to 14 carry no dates and have a different tone, and here scholars disagree. Many think Zechariah wrote them later in his life; others think they come from a later hand or hands and were joined to his book. Christians on both sides treat the whole book as Scripture.

Who was Zechariah written to?

The returned exiles rebuilding the temple, needing encouragement and a vision of God’s future.

Zechariah spoke to the same community as Haggai: the Jews who had come back from Babylon to a ruined Jerusalem and were struggling to rebuild the temple. They were few, poor and surrounded by neighbours who did not want them to succeed. Many of them remembered, or had heard from their parents, how glorious the old temple had been, and the new work looked small by comparison. They also carried a deeper worry: had God really returned to them, and had the sins that led to exile been dealt with? Zechariah's visions were aimed at those fears. The later chapters address a community that had rebuilt the temple but still waited for the greater restoration the prophets had promised.

What was happening at the time?

Zechariah began preaching two months after Haggai, to the same discouraged community. His eight night visions assured them that God saw Jerusalem, would remove sin and would restore his presence. The later chapters look far ahead to a coming king, the striking of the shepherd, a fountain for cleansing and the day when the LORD is king over all the earth. The Gospels quote it repeatedly in the passion narrative.

Why was Zechariah written?

To encourage the rebuilding of the temple and to reveal the coming Messiah and God’s final kingdom.

Zechariah was written first to encourage the rebuilding of the temple, and then to lift the people's eyes far beyond it. The eight night visions assure them that God is jealous for Jerusalem, that the high priest's guilt has been removed, that the work will be finished by God's Spirit rather than human strength, and that wickedness will be carried out of the land. The later chapters describe a coming king who arrives humbly on a donkey, a shepherd who is struck, a fountain opened for cleansing, and a day when the LORD is king over all the earth. In the wider story of the Bible, the Gospels quote Zechariah repeatedly in the week of Jesus' death, and Revelation draws on its final vision of the LORD's reign.

How to read Zechariah today

Start with chapters 1 to 8 and take them slowly, one vision at a time, because each has an angel who explains what it means. Read chapters 3 and 4 with special care; they are about cleansing and God's Spirit, and they are easier to grasp than they first look. Then read chapters 9 to 14 in one go, treating them as a series of pictures rather than a timeline. Watch for the king on a donkey (see chapter 9), the thirty pieces of silver (see chapter 11) and the one who is pierced (see chapter 12), and notice how the Gospels use them. Do not force every detail into a chart of the end times; Christians differ on how these chapters will be fulfilled. As you read, thank God that he removes guilt, and pray for the humility to work by his Spirit rather than by your own strength.

The key verse in Zechariah

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

Passages worth knowing in Zechariah

• Zechariah 1–6

  The night visions

  Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.

• Zechariah 3

  Joshua’s filthy garments

  The high priest cleansed and clothed; Satan rebuked.

• Zechariah 9:9-10

  Your King comes to you

  Lowly and riding on a donkey; Palm Sunday.

• Zechariah 12:10

  They will look on me whom they pierced

  Quoted at the crucifixion.

• Zechariah 13:7

  Strike the Shepherd

  Jesus applied it to Gethsemane.

• Zechariah 14

  The LORD shall be King over all the earth

  The final day.

The main themes of Zechariah

• God’s Spirit, not human strength
• Cleansing from sin
• The coming King
• The pierced Shepherd
• The LORD’s reign

An outline of Zechariah