Book of Zechariah

[3] Scholars believe that Ezekiel, with his blending of ceremony and vision, heavily influenced the visionary works of Zechariah 1–8.

[4] During the exile, a significant portion of the population of the Kingdom of Judah was taken to Babylon, where the prophets told them to make their homes,[5] suggesting they would spend a long time there.

Zerubbabel was appointed by Darius as governor over Judah (now redesignated the province of Yehud Medinata of the Persian Empire).

The book begins with a preface in verses 1:1-6,[13]: 611  which recalls the role of the "former prophets" in calling Israel in times past to repentance.

Then follows a series of eight visions succeeding one another in one night,[citation needed] which may be regarded as a symbolical history of Israel, intended to furnish consolation to the returned exiles and to stir up hope in their minds.

These visions include seeing four horses, four horns and four craftsmen, a man with a measuring line, Joshua the High Priest, a gold lampstand and two olive trees, a flying scroll and a woman in a basket, and four chariots.

She refers to these passages as compact and metrical, addressed directly to their audience, which contain material linking with both the previous and the subsequent text.

The main emphasis is that God is at work, and all his good deeds, including the construction of the Second Temple, are accomplished "not by might nor by power, but by [his] Spirit".

[20] Zechariah's concern for purity is apparent in the temple, priesthood, and all areas of life as the prophecy gradually eliminates the governor's influence in favour of the high priest, and the sanctuary becomes ever more clearly the centre of messianic fulfillment.

Most Christian commentators read the series of predictions in chapters 7 to 14 as Messianic prophecies, either directly or indirectly.

[23] These chapters also contain "pessimism about the present, but optimism for the future based on the expectation of an ultimate divine victory and the subsequent transformation of the cosmos".

Greek manuscript of Zechariah from c. 50 BCE–50 CE ( Nahal Hever )