Zechariah
Chapter 1
In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo:
Exhortation to Conversion
“The Lord was very upset with your ancestors.
Then you will tell them these words of the Lord Sabaoth: ‘Return to me and I will return to you.’ Says the Lord Sabaoth.
Do not be like your ancestors, whom the earlier prophets warned, repeating to them the words of the Lord Sabaoth: ‘Turn from your evil ways and wicked deeds.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me. Oracle of the Lord.
‘Where are your ancestors now? Those prophets also died;
but my words and decrees, entrusted to my servants, the prophets, overtook your ancestors. They repented and confessed: “The Lord Sabaoth has treated us just as he had determined to do, according to our ways and deeds.”
EIGHT VISIONS
First: The Horsemen
On the twenty-fourth of Shebat, the eleventh month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, in the following manner.
In a nighttime vision, I saw a man riding a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine, with red, brown, and white horses behind him.
I asked: “What are these, my lord?” The angel I was talking to answered: “You will know.”
The man among the myrtle trees then said: “They are those whom the Lord sent to patrol the earth.”
These reported to the Lord’s angel standing among the myrtle trees: “We have patrolled the whole earth and found it peaceful and tranquil.”
The angel of the Lord spoke: “O Lord of hosts, how long will you be without mercy for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, which you have afflicted in anger these seventy years?”
The Lord responded with comforting words to the angel who spoke to me.
This angel then turned to me and said: “Proclaim this word which the Lord Sabaoth speaks: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion,
but I am very angry with complacent nations. At first, I was only a little angry With Jerusalem, but they made things worse.’
Therefore, the Lord says: ‘I will return with mercy to Jerusalem, where my house will be rebuilt and the measuring line stretched.’ Then the Lord Sabaoth said:
‘Proclaim this as well: ‘My towns will once again overflow with prosperity; the Lord will once more comfort Zion and make Jerusalem his favorite.’”
Commentaries
Title of the Book.
Zechariah is a post-exilic prophet, a contemporary of Haggai and Malachi, from a priestly family (cf. Neh 12:4). The name Zechariah means “God remembers.” God remembered his people and gave them a new opportunity.
Exhortation to Conversion.
This oracle strongly exhorts the returnees to learn from the history of their ancestors. In these verses, which serve as a prologue to the book, the Hebrew verb “hub” has a double meaning: “to return” and “to convert.” The return is not only a physical return, but also an attitude of transformation to avoid repeating the mistakes of those who, by ignoring the prophets, ended up in exile. Returning also implies a conscious decision to rebuild the community. The land, a gift from God, carries with it the responsibility to welcome the covenant that the Lord renews with his people.
Eight Visions.
The eight visions in this section are organized in a concentric or chiastic structure. The preceding verses (1:1-6) serve as an introduction, confirming the covenant (1:1-6), and conclude with a reference to the covenant established through the priest Joshua (6:12-15). In these visions, the Lord is presented as a warrior fighting against the kingdoms of the earth.
First: The Horsemen.
The visions are found within this framework of the covenant, beginning and ending with images of the four horsemen (7-17) and the four chariots (6:1-8) that travel the four corners of the Earth. The four horsemen go out at night and find peace on Earth, thus revealing God’s omniscience. It is an unjust and tense peace that makes the angel exclaim: “How long will you not have compassion on Jerusalem and the towns of Judah?” (12), emphasizing Jeremiah’s prophecy (Jer 29:10). The Lord responds to this distressing situation by announcing his return to Zion and the imminent reconstruction of the temple where he will dwell (16-17).