1:1 In the eighth month of Darius’ 1 second year, 2 the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, 3 son of Berechiah son of Iddo, as follows:
1:2 The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. 4 1:3 Therefore say to the people: 5 The Lord who rules over all 6 says, “Turn 7 to me,” says the Lord who rules over all, “and I will turn to you,” says the Lord who rules over all. 1:4 “Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets called out, saying, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “Turn now from your evil wickedness,”’ but they would by no means obey me,” says the Lord. 1:5 “As for your ancestors, where are they? And did the prophets live forever? 1:6 But have my words and statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, not outlived your fathers? 8 Then they paid attention 9 and confessed, ‘The Lord who rules over all has indeed done what he said he would do to us, because of our sinful ways.’”
1:7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month Shebat, in Darius’ second year, 10 the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo, as follows:
1:8 I was attentive that night and saw a man seated 11 on a red horse that stood among some myrtle trees 12 in the ravine. Behind him were red, sorrel, 13 and white horses.
1:9 Then I asked one nearby, “What are these, sir?” The angelic messenger 14 who replied to me said, “I will show you what these are.”
1 sn Darius is Darius Hystaspes, king of Persia from 522-486
2 sn The eighth month of Darius’ second year was late October – late November, 520
3 sn Both Ezra (5:1; 6:14) and Nehemiah (12:16) speak of Zechariah as a son of Iddo only. A probable explanation is that Zechariah’s actual father Berechiah had died and the prophet was raised by his grandfather Iddo. The “Zechariah son of Barachiah” of whom Jesus spoke (Matt 23:35; Luke 11:51) was probably the martyred prophet by that name who may have been a grandson of the priest Jehoiada (2 Chr 24:20-22).
4 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB); NIV “forefathers” (also in vv. 4, 5).
5 tn Heb “to them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 sn The epithet
7 tn The Hebrew verb שׁוּב (shuv) is common in covenant contexts. To turn from the
8 tc BHS suggests אֶתְכֶם (’etkhem, “you”) for the MT אֲבֹתֵיכֶם (’avotekhem, “your fathers”) to harmonize with v. 4. In v. 4 the ancestors would not turn but in v. 6 they appear to have done so. The subject in v. 6, however, is to be construed as Zechariah’s own listeners.
9 tn Heb “they turned” (so ASV). Many English versions have “they repented” here; cf. CEV “they turned back to me.”
10 sn The twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month…in Darius’ second year was February 15, 519
11 tn Heb “riding,” but since this verb in English is usually associated with horses in motion rather than standing still, the translation uses “seated.” Cf. NAB “the driver of a red horse.”
12 tc The LXX presupposes הֶהָרִים (heharim, “mountains”) rather than the MT הַהֲדַסִּים (hahadassim, “myrtles”), probably because of reference to the ravine. The MT reading is preferred and is followed by most English versions.
13 sn The Hebrew שְׂרֻקִּים (sÿruqqim) means “red” (cf. NIV, NCV, NLT “brown”). English translations such as “speckled” (KJV) or “dappled” (TEV) are based on the reading of the LXX (ψαροί) that attempts to bring the color of this horse into conformity with those described in Zech 6:2-3. However, since these are two different and unrelated visions, this is a methodological fallacy.
14 tn Heb “messenger” or “angel” (מַלְאָךְ, mal’akh). This being appears to serve as an interpreter to the prophet (cf. vv. 13, 14).