What Is the Book of Zechariah?

Zechariah, a contemporary of Haggai, lived in the time of Darius I and encouraged the restored Judean community to rebuild the Temple. In chapters 1–8, through a series of symbolic visions explained to him by an angel, the prophet assures the people that they will succeed in the rebuilding, that God will return to Jerusalem and will bring the scattered exiles back and settle them in the Holy Land in peace and prosperity. According to Zechariah, many nations will come and worship Israel’s God and become his people; the governor, Zerubbabel, and the priest, Joshua, will lead the people; a “branch” (perhaps Zerubbabel himself) from the line of David will rule as king; and the fast days that commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem will become joyous festivals. Chapters 9–14 contain pronouncements (possibly from a different prophet or prophets) that envision the future culminating in God’s defeat of the enemy nations, rule by the House of David, the end of idolatry, and universal worship of the Lord alone in Jerusalem. The visions in these chapters influenced the growth of apocalyptic literature.