Zechariah 1:10

1:10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees spoke up and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk about ¹  on the earth.”

Zechariah 1:13

1:13 The Lord then addressed good, comforting words to the angelic messenger who was speaking to me.

Zechariah 2:10

2:10 “Sing out and be happy, Zion my daughter! ²  For look, I have come; I will settle in your midst,” says the Lord.

Zechariah 2:12-13

2:12 The Lord will take possession of ³  Judah as his portion in the holy land and he will choose Jerusalem once again. 2:13 Be silent in the Lord’s presence, all people everywhere, ⁴  for he is being moved to action in his holy dwelling place. ⁵ 

Zechariah 6:14

6:14 The crown will then be turned over to Helem, ⁶  Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen ⁷  son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord.

Zechariah 7:2

7:2 Now the people of Bethel ⁸  had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their companions to seek the Lord’s favor

Zechariah 7:13

7:13 “‘It then came about that just as I ⁹  cried out, but they would not obey, so they will cry out, but I will not listen,’ the Lord Lord who rules over all had said.

Zechariah 8:2

8:2 “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘I am very much concerned for Zion; indeed, I am so concerned for her that my rage will fall on those who hurt her.’

Zechariah 8:11

8:11 But I will be different now to this remnant of my people from the way I was in those days,’ says the Lord who rules over all,

Zechariah 8:20

8:20 The Lord who rules over all says, ‘It will someday come to pass that people – residents of many cities – will come.

Zechariah 11:15

11:15 Again the Lord said to me, “Take up once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd. ¹⁰ 

Zechariah 14:3

14:3 Then the Lord will go to battle ¹¹  and fight against those nations, just as he fought battles in ancient days. ¹² 

¹ sn The stem used here (Hitpael) with the verb “walk” (הָלַךְ, halakh) suggests the exercise of dominion (cf. Gen 13:17; Job 1:7; 2:2-3; Ezek 28:14; Zech 6:7). The Lord is here about to claim sovereignty over the nations. Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT “to patrol”; TEV “to go and inspect.”

² sn This individualizing of Zion as a daughter draws attention to the corporate nature of the covenant community and also to the tenderness with which the Lord regards his chosen people.

³ tn Heb “will inherit” (so NIV, NRSV).

⁴ tn Heb “all flesh”; NAB, NIV “all mankind.”

⁵ sn The sense here is that God in heaven is about to undertake an occupation of his earthly realm (v. 12) by restoring his people to the promised land.

⁵ tn “Helem” is probably the same individual as “Heldai” in v. 10. Since the MT and the major ancient versions leave the apparent conflict unresolved it is probably best to view “Helem” as interchangeable with “Heldai” (cf. “Heled” in 1 Chr 11:30 with “Heleb” [2 Sam 23:29] and “Heldai” [1 Chr 27:15]). A number of modern English versions use “Heldai” here (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).

⁶ tn Since the “son of Zephaniah” in v. 10 is Josiah, it might be best here to understand “Hen” in its meaning “grace” (חֵן, khen); that is, “Hen” is a nickname for Josiah – “the gracious one.” A number of modern English translations use “Josiah” here (e.g., NCV, NRSV, NLT).

⁶ map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

⁷ tn Heb “he.” Since the third person pronoun refers to the Lord, it has been translated as a first person pronoun (“I”) to accommodate English style, which typically does not exhibit switches between persons of pronouns in the same immediate context as Hebrew does.

⁸ sn The grammar (e.g., the incipient participle מֵקִים, maqim, “about to raise up,” v. 16) and overall sense of vv. 15-17 give the incident a future orientation. Zechariah once more is role-playing but this time he is a “foolish” shepherd, i.e., one who does not know God and who is opposed to him (cf. Prov 1:7; 15:5; 20:3; 27:22). The individual who best represents this eschatological enemy of God and his people is the Antichrist (cf. Matt 24:5, 24; 2 Thess 2:3-4; 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7).

⁹ sn The statement the Lord will go to battle introduces the conflict known elsewhere as the “battle of Armageddon,” a battle in which the Lord delivers his people and establishes his millennial reign (cf. Joel 3:12, 15-16; Ezek 38–39; Rev 16:12-21; 19:19-21).

¹⁰ tn Heb “as he fights on a day of battle” (similar NASB, NIV, NRSV).