Zechariah Commentary

The book of Zechariah is used by some Preterists to suggest the Roman destruction of Jerusalem of 70 CE was predicted or prophesied many years prior. Christians use Zechariah in at least a couple places to reference the prediction of Jesus. There is certainly some language from Zechariah reused in the book of Revelation. I want to demonstrate to you in this commentary that there is nothing miraculous or impressive about the book of Zechariah. There is no reason to assume that anything in Zechariah was predicting any future event. There is no legitimate reason to repurpose the words of Zechariah from it's original intent to fit the narratives of future events or future mythologies or philosophies. If you have to force the narrative, then that demonstrates human manipulation rather than the miraculous hand of God.

Chapter Selection

Comments

Zechariah 1

1. Notice that someone else is telling a story about God coming to Zechariah with a message. It is not even written in the first person, as if Zechariah is testifying for himself. This is how the prophecy scam works. Anonymous people write about what a fictional prophet supposedly predicted in the past. If a "prophecy" comes true, it is because the event already happened and they wrote a fictional story about a prophet who supposedly lived in the past. If a prophecy does not come true, it is because they were trying to manipulate those who were living at the time, but those of us who live in their future realize it was a false prophecy.

2-6. Yahweh God is displeased because the people have turned away from him. Whenever bad things happen, God is always unhappy, but when good things happen, God is happy. This is simply ancient superstition.

7-11. Zechariah sees a vision of a man riding on a red horse among the myrtle trees. Behind the red horse, there were red, brown, and white horses. I take these colors to be natural colors of horses rather than bright red like a stop sign. An angel tells Zechariah that this man and these horses are the ones God has sent to roam the earth. In verse 11, they say the earth is at rest and in peace.

12. The angel asks God how long he is going to withhold his mercy from Jerusalem, because they have had indignation for 70 years. This is certainly a reference to the 70 years of bondage in Babylonian captivity, as mentioned in Daniel and Jeremiah. It is odd that the horses proclaim peace while Israel is in captivity.

13-15. The angel mediates between Zechariah and God. God says he is jealous for Jerusalem, apparently indicating that the peace is for all the nations except Jerusalem. God says he is angry with the nations that are are ease.

16. God says he has returned to Jerusalem and his house will be built in it. This is a reference to the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem after Babylon destroyed it in 586 BC.

17. God promises prosperity to his cities, comfort to Zion, and says he will again choose Jerusalem. I think Zion is just a reference to the promised land of Israel and/or Jerusalem.

18-19. Zechariah has another vision of four horns and asks the angel what they are. The angel says the horns are (the nations) that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. The horns would likely represent Babylon and their allies.

20-21. Zechariah then sees four craftsmen, and the angel says these have come to terrify the other horns who scattered Judah. This would likely be a reference to Cyrus and the Persians who defeated Babylon and allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. End of the chapter

Zechariah 2

1-3. Now that we are inside the story, Zechariah speaks in the first person. Zechariah sees a man with a measuring line who comes to measure Jerusalem. The purpose for measuring Jerusalem here is to rebuild Jerusalem and to fill it with people and livestock.

4-5. Jerusalem is predicted to be a city without walls because of the multitudes of men and livestock, and Yahweh God promises to be the walls of protection for Jerusalem. This calls into question why Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. This indicates to me that this chapter was written before Nehemiah writes about the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. It is also shocking that they didn't destroy this prophecy about Jerusalem being a city without walls, which demonstrates a failed prophecy.

6-9. God calls Zion out of Babylon and calls Israel the "apple of his eye." It seems as though the angel is still mediating for God and says when Babylon is plundered and Isreal is released, then they will know that Yahweh sent "me."

10-11. Israel is called daughter of Zion, most likely because they are just a later generation of the same people. Verse 11 says many nations will join themselves to Yahweh and that Yahweh will dwell with them. This dwelling would not imply a physical appearance of God in the city, but simply a period of peace and prosperity. I am not aware of many nations joining Israel in worship of Yahweh after they returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. This seems to be a false prophecy.

12-13. It says Yahweh will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. The Hebrew word for "inherit" there is nahal (H5157) and it can mean, to take possession, rather than to receive an inheritance. This ties in directly with Deuteronomy 32:9 which says something very similar, and causes some people to assume that a higher God is giving a lower God an inheritance, but it does not necessarily mean that. Another Hebrew word of import here is the word for "portion." Heleq (H2506) seems to mean part or portion or territory or parcel of land. This leads people to believe that Yahweh does not own the whole earth, but only that small portion of Israel. This idea supports henotheism rather than monotheism, suggesting that different gods own different portions. The language could support that idea, but I do not think that is the intention here. I believe this is just language meant to convince the Israelites that the one true almighty God of all creation, just loves them more than everyone else (even though they were coming out of 70 years of bondage in a foreign land).

Zechariah 3

1. We are introduced to three characters in verse one, Joshua the High Priest (likely the same High Priest Joshua in the book of Haggai), Yahweh's angel (whom some people would like to equate with Jesus, but they hate to call Jesus an angel rather than God), and Satan who is standing at someone's right hand as an adversary (satan means adversary).

2. The fourth character is Yahweh himself and Yahweh rebukes Satan, and says he has chosen Jerusalem. God essentially says Satan was a "bad boy."

3-5. Joshua is wearing filthy garments and is given rich garments to replace them with the statement that "I have caused your iniquity to pass from you." This is imagery to suggest Israel had paid for their sins with 70 years of Babylonian captivity, but now God has forgiven them and is restoring their glory in their homeland. Joshua also gets a clean turban for his head, as Yahweh's angel is standing by.

6-7. Joshua is told that if he obeys he will not only judge and rule on earth, but he will be given a place of access among those who stand by. This seems to be a promise to live where God lives (Heaven or Olympus).

8. Behold, I will bring out my servant, the Branch. The word for servant is ebed (H5650) and the word for branch is semah (H6780). This is very vague and could be applied to anyone, but Joshua was told he would see the branch, so it is not Jesus.

9-10. There is a stone set before Joshua with seven eyes and an inscription that says, "I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day." And in that day, Joshua would invite every man under the vine and fig tree. I am not aware of any such thing ever happening. This seems to be promising that Israel would rule the world, but that never happened. If you have to manipulate it and spiritualize it or make excuses for how it has some esoteric meaning, then it is simply not a divine prophecy. End of Chapter.

Zechariah 4

1-3. The angel wakes up Zechariah and shows him another vision. This vision is of a lamp stand with seven lamps and seven pipes, between two olive trees. I believe the imagery is indicating that the olive trees are providing a constant source of oil to the lamp.

4-6. Zechariah asks about the image and the angel asks, don't you know what they are? Zechariah says no, my lord. The word for lord there is adon (H113). So the angel is called Lord, but he is not the high God. Abraham is called Lord and Jesus is called Lord, but neither were the high God, not even in the Biblical narrative.

7. The angel doesn't clarify the meaning of the lamp stands, but talks about how the spirit of God will perform the work rather than strength or power. Maybe the oil represents the spirit of God supplying the candles? Verse 7 introduces Zerubbabel as a mighty man who makes mountains look like plains who will bring out the capstone and proclaim grace.

8-9. Zerubbabel will build the foundation of the Temple and his hands will also finish the Temple. Maybe the lamp stand represents God supplying the ability for Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple in times of peace.

10. Again, they would see the plumb line in the hands of Zerubbabel. This is another reference to one particular man being responsible for rebuilding the second Temple after Cyrus freed the Israelites from Babylonian captivity.

11-13. But what are the two olive trees, he asks. He asks a second time about the olive trees. The angels asks, don't you know what they are? And he says, no, my lord.

14. These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth. The word for anointed here is yishar (H3323-fresh oil), not masiah (H4899-anointed one), and the word for lord again is adon, but it is the adon of the whole earth (likely a reference to Yahweh instead of an angel). This demonstrates that adon can be used for different levels of authority figures. It is still vague, but in Zechariah 3:1, we had an angel and Satan standing beside Yahweh. Could Satan be one of the two?

Zechariah 5

1-4. Zechariah sees a flying scroll. The scroll is twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide. It is a curse to all who steal or bear false witness. The scroll will enter into the house of a violator and destroy the house. There is no further explanation. Just don't steal or lie, I guess.

5-8. There is another vision of an ephah basket with a lead cover. A woman sits in the ephah basket and it is called wickedness. The woman is thrown down into the basket and the lead cover placed over her.

9-11. Two women with wings like a stork lifted up the ephah basket (supposedly with the other woman inside). Where are they carrying the ephah basket? To build her a house in the land of Shinar. I will update this if I ever figure out what this means.

Zechariah 6

1-3. He sees another vision, this time four chariots come from between two bronze mountains. The first chariot had red horses. The second had black horses. The third were white horses, and the fourth were dappled horses and they were all powerful.

4-7. What are these? They are the four winds of the sky. The black goes toward the north, the white went out after them, and the dappled went toward the south. Who knows where the red ones went? The strong walk back and forth through the earth. It is very vague and apparently meaningless.

8. Those who go to the north have quieted my spirit in the north. This could be a reference to the silencing of Babylon after their defeat.

9-11. Take those out of captivity from Babylon and go in the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. Take silver and gold and make crowns to set on the head of Joshua the high priest.

12-13. The Branch will build Yahweh's temple and he will sit and rule on his throne, the counsel of peace will be between them both. This sounds like another reference to Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest. It is not talking about a third temple or Jesus or our day. It is talking about the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem after Babylon destroyed the first temple.

14. Crowns are a memorial in Yahweh's Temple. Mentions Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen for some unknown reason.

15. If you obey God, those from far off shall come and build Yahweh's temple, then you will know that Yahweh of Armies sent me. Again, this is all about the rebuilding of the second temple after Babylonian destruction and captivity. It has nothing to do with Jesus or us. End of chapter.

Zechariah 7

1. In the fourth year of King Darius on the fourth day of the ninth month is not an indication as to when this was written, but just refers to the setting of the story being told.

2-3. Some people came to seek Yahweh's favor and ask the priests if they should weep in the fifth month as they have done so long.

4-6. Yahweh told me to say, "when you fasted and mourned in the 5th and 7th months for 70 years in captivity, did you at all fast to me?" When you eat and drink, you did it for yourselves. I am not aware of a previous command to fast in the 5th and 7th months.

7. Reminiscing of a time when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous.

8-10. Yahweh tells Zechariah that he told them to be good and honest and kind to everyone, and not to oppress others or devise evil plans.

11-14. But they would not listen and they were bad, so Yahweh sent them great wrath. Therefore when they call, Yahweh will not listen to them. Yahweh scattered them, thus the land was made desolate. This is an apparent explanation as to why God allowed Babylon to destroy Jerusalem and its people. End of chapter.

Zechariah 8

1-2. The word of Yahweh came to me (Zechariah supposedly) saying I am jealous for Zion. Meaning God wants Zion/Jerusalem to receive good things like other nations.

3-6. Yahweh returns to Zion/Jerusalem and says Jerusalem will be called the "city of truth" and "the holy mountain." Old men and women with their canes will be in Jerusalem as well as young boys and girls in the streets. It will be marvelous in God's eyes.

7-8. Yahweh will bring his people back to Jerusalem from the east and west. I will be their God and they will be my people, in truth and righteousness. Again, the timeline requires this to be fulfilled shortly after the return from Babylon. If you extrapolate this to a future fulfillment, then that is purely dishonest. This either happened already, or it is a lie.

9. You who hear these words in the day that the foundation of Yahweh's Temple WAS LAID. It is speaking past tense because this was written after the foundation of the second Temple was already laid. It has nothing to do with Jesus or us.

10-11. In former days people struggled because Yahweh set all men against his neighbor (thanks God), but now God wants to be nicer.

12-13. The land will be productive and the heavens will provide dew. Yahweh promises to save them in this way. Not the forgiveness of their sins by the blood sacrifice of an innocent son of God, but by sending prosperity on earth.

14-17. I did evil against your fathers, but I will be nice to you. You just need to be nice too. Be honest and good to your neighbors, because God hates when you act ugly.

18-19. The house of Judah shall fast in the 4th, 5th, 7th, and 10th months and you should be filled with joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Fast and feast back to back.

20-22. Many peoples and nations will come to Jerusalem to seek Yahweh's favor. Yet this never happened. This failed prophecy is proof to us that the Jews did not have a divine connection with the Divine creator.

23. Ten men will hold the skirt of the Jewish man and say, "we will go with you, because God is with you." OOPS! More failed prophecy. This is simply Jewish propaganda to puff of the Jews and make them think God was with them. End of chapter.

Zechariah 9

1-2. Chapter 9 seems to be the beginning of a new subject. We are no longer talking about the rebuilding of the Temple after Babylonian captivity. Now we are talking about the destruction of all Israels enemies in war. Yahweh's word is against Hadrach and Damascus and Hamath, Tyre and Sidon.

3-7. Tyre built up a stronghold with silver and gold, but Yahweh will dispossess her and she will be devoured with fire. Ashkelon will see it and fear, Gaza also and will writhe in agony, as will Ekron. The King of Gaza will perish and Ashkelon will not be inhabited. Ashdod and the Philistines will be cut off.

8-10. Yahweh will encamp around Jerusalem to protect it. The King of Jerusalem/Zion will come riding on a lowly donkey and Yahweh will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The battle bow will be cut off and he (the King) will speak peace to the nations. His (the earthly king of Zion) will have dominion from sea to sea and from rivers to the ends of the earth. The only possible King who could make such a claim could possibly be Alexander the Great. What king conquered the world in the 4th century BC? Alexander!

11-12. What is this blood covenant that caused Yahweh to free the prisoners? Yahweh promises to restore the prisoners double.

13. God uses Judah and Ephraim as weapons of war against the sons of Greece? Israel did not conquer Greece! How could anyone believe this is a fulfilled prophecy? Even more ridiculous is expecting this to be fulfilled yet still in our future.

14-15. Yahweh is leading the battles and defeating all Israel's enemies. Verse 15 says they will be filled like bowls, which is probably where Revelation got the idea to discuss bowls of God's wrath.

16-17. Yahweh will save his people. Praise God! Chapter 9 is certainly the beginning of a new context from the previous chapters. It was written at a later time with a different purpose. It mentions Greece, which is a big indication for the time shift and it discusses military victory for Jerusalem and this could possibly be a reference to the Maccabbean period. End of chapter.

Zechariah 10

1-2. Ask Yahweh for rain in the Spring and he will send it. Funny how we get rain in spring even if we don't ask Yahweh for it. The teraphim and diviners lie and are scattered because they have no shepherd.

3-5. God is mad at the shepherds and will punish the male goats. First they have no shepherd then God is mad at the shepherds. From Judah (supposedly) will come the cornerstone, but not just the cornerstone, but also the tent peg, battle bow, and every ruler. They will fight because God is with them. Not even riders on horses will defeat them.

6-10. God will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh?) God promises to bring them back, but he didn't. God says they will be as though I had not cast them off, but they were never restored. This demonstrates a false promise or the lack of power for Yahweh to keep his word. Ephraim was supposed to be mighty and rejoice, but they never did. God was supposed to gather them and redeem them, but he never did. God promises to bring them (Ephraim) out of Egypt and Assyria to the land of Gilead and Lebanon, but he didn't.

11-12. The depths of the Nile was supposed to dry up, but it didn't. The pride of Assyria would be brought down and the scepter of Egypt would depart. I don't think we could match this up with history in this time frame. Yahweh's name was to be proclaimed, but it wasn't. It appears to be continuous lies and false promises. Am I missing something? End of chapter.

Zechariah 11

1-3. Open your doors Lebanon so the fire can devour your cedars. Wail, you oaks of Bashan. The shepherds are wailing. This seems to be tied to the previous reference to the shepherds who made God mad (yet he also said they had no shepherds). Even the pride of Jordan is ruined.

4-6. It is time for the slaughter. Yahweh will no longer pity them.

7-8. The two staffs called "Favor" and "Union." Yahweh cut off 3 shepherds in one month. Surely there is something in history that this would refer to, but I would have to search history. It is talking about the defeat of the enemies of Israel sometime during the 400 years before Jesus.

9. God says he will not feed them because they need to die and be cut off and those who are left will eat each other's flesh. Does that sound like a loving God to you?

10-11. God cut the staff "Favor" so he could break his covenant with all the people. God admits to breaking his covenant, so he is not faithful or trustworthy. The poor of the flock knew it was Yahweh.

12-13. Give me my wages, so they gave him 30 pieces of silver, but Yahweh said to throw it to the potter, presumably because it was an insult to be valued so low. This is where the Jewish prisoners of Rome got their idea to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and have Judas Iscariott throw the silver back at the Pharisees and buy the potters field. This is also the intended reference in Matthew that exposes the error of citing Jeremiah instead.

14. Then God cut his other staff "Union" so he could break the union between Judah and Israel. Note the union between Judah and Israel was severed after King Solomon way before this time, and it was never restored.

15-16. Yahweh will raise up a shepherd. Is it Jesus? Obviously not. It says the shepherd will not visit those who are cut off, nor seek the scattered, yet Jesus said he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. It says he will not heal the broken, but Jesus healed everyone of all things. He will eat the meat of fat sheep and tear their hoofs, so obviously this shepherd is not a reference to Jesus.

17. The worthless shepherd leaves the flock. Well, Jesus did leave his flock when he ascended to Heaven. The sword will strike the worthless shepherd's arm and right eye. Jesus was brutally beaten by the Romans according to the story. Jesus more closely represents the worthless shepherd here than the good shepherd. FYI, Christianity is a mockery of Judaism and it was created by the Romans who destroyed the Jews and made their prisoners create their own replacement religion. End of chapter.

Zechariah 12

1-2. The opening phrase of chapter 12 has caused some contention in my circles. There are some who think verses 1 and 2 are predicting the siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE by the Romans. It is not predicting 70 CE when Israel was destroyed by Rome. The first Hebrew word is massa (H4853) and the King James translates that word as "burden" but it just means to lift up or to carry. Verse 1 is about the lifting up of the word of God concerning Israel. It is not about the burdens of Israel in a future siege. The context will bear this out. Behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the surrounding peoples and it will be on Judah in the siege against Jerusalem. This demonstrates how you can get side tracked when you force your ideology into the text rather than just trying to understand the text.

3-5. In that day God will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people, and all who mess with Jerusalem will be severely wounded, even though all the nations of the earth gather against it. God will strike all the horses with terror and the rider with madness, the horses will go blind. The chieftans of Judah will rest in the assurance of their God.

6-9. The chieftans of Judah will be like the fire to wood or like a flaming torch to sheaves. They will devour all their enemies and Jerusalem will dwell in Jerusalem (meaning they will not be carried to foreign lands like before). God will save the house of Judah first because God loves the house of Judah the most. Even the weak among Jerusalem will be stronger than David and the house of David will be like God. God will destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. This is certainly not talking about the Roman siege of Jerusalem when the Jews were utterly destroyed. It is talking about the miraculous defending of Jerusalem against the whole world, but this never even happened. It is just unfortunate lies to puff up the Israelites about how they can trust their God to always deliver them.

10. God will pour on David's house and Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication, and they will look to me whom they pierced and mourn and grieve as for an only son. The Christians think this is a prediction of Jesus being pierced on the cross, but the creators of Christianity and Jesus just used this verse and many others, as a model to create the fictional Jesus narrative. If the Roman soldiers didn't stab Jesus in the side with a spear while he was on the cross, no one would ever think this was about Jesus. Instead of assuming this verse miraculously predicts the future, it is much more likely that this verse was used as a model to create a fictional narrative later.

11. So we switched from absolute victory for Jerusalem to mourning in Jerusalem. I thought all the horses were going to go blind and all the riders would go mad when they came against Jerusalem. Now we are playing both sides of the coin. Pick heads or tails. Ok, I pick heads and tails, that way I will always be right. There is a significant historical moment that I need to study in greater detail that would somewhat match what we are reading. Judas Maccabees led Jerusalem to victory in the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire (167-160 BC), but then he was killed and all Jerusalem mourned his death. This is most likely what this chapter is about and it is not predicting the future at all. It was written after the events.

12-14. It concludes with everyone mourning. End of chapter.

Zechariah 13

1-2. In some day David's house and Jerusalem will open the fountains for sin and uncleanness, but Yahweh promises to cut off idols from the land. God will also cause the spirit of prophecy and impurity to leave the land.

3-5. If anyone prophesies, his own parents will kill him. Prophets will be ashamed of their prophesies and will say they are a farmer instead of a prophet.

6-7. The sword will strike the shepherd (maybe the leader of the prophets) and when you strike the shepherd, the sheep will be scattered, then I will kill the little ones. Just like Order 66 in Star Wars, kill all the Jedi, even the little ones.

8-9. two thirds of the land will be cut off and die (similar language in Revelation). Revelation pulled imagery from Zechariah and other Hebrew books. The one third will be tested with fire like gold is tested. They will call on God while they are being tested with fire and they will say Yahweh is my God. So God kills two thirds of the people and throws the final third in the fire until they praise the God who threw them in the fire. No good God would do such evil. End of chapter.

Zechariah 14

1-2. Now we have the bad news for Jerusalem predicted. You can't miss if you predict both the success and failure of Jerusalem. God says he will gather all nations against Jerusalem and the city will be taken, houses rifled, and women ravished. Half the city will go into captivity, but the other half will not be cut off.

3-5. Then Yahweh will go out and fight the nations. Yahweh's feet will stand on the Mount of Olives and split the mountain in two from east to west, to create a huge valley for them to escape through. So God doesn't secure victory for them when he fights, he just splits a mountain so they can flee the city through the valley he creates.

6-7. It will be a unique day that no one knows but Yahweh alone. And here is the literary model for why the creators of Christianity had Jesus say of that day and hour no one knows but my father. It is literature, with the purpose of manipulating gullible minds with God claims.

8. Living waters will go out from Jerusalem, half the waters to the east and other have to the west. This is the literary model for why Jesus told the woman at the well that if she asked him, he would give her living waters. It is not a prophecy of Jesus, it is a literary model for a fictional story.

9. Yahweh will be King of all the earth and his name will be one. This is why some hard core Christians say Jesus is the only God and he was called Yahweh in the Old Testament. It is absolutely ridiculous how people will make up lies and ignore reason to support their theology.

10.-11 Men will dwell in all the land and there will be no more curse, but Jerusalem will dwell safely. This must be after Jerusalem was destroyed and the people fled through the valley between Yahweh's legs. This chapter predicts both the destruction of Jerusalem and its safety. Crazy.

12-13. Yahweh will strike all the enemies with a plague that causes their flesh to rot while they stand on their feet and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth.

14-15. Judah will fight at Jerusalem and become very wealthy. The plague will extend to all the animals.

16-19. All the nations who fought against Jerusalem will come up every year to worship Yahweh at the feast of booths. This never happened, and it is foolish to expect it to happen in the future. Whoever doesn't come to worship will receive no rain.

20-21. The pots and bells will be holy and everyone will praise Yahweh. Ridiculous lies. End of Zechariah.