Who was Zechariah?
He was a prophet and priest, son of Berechiah and grandson of Iddo, who ministered after the return from exile, in the days of Haggai. His book contains symbolic visions and oracles about the future of God's people.
Zechariah · chapter 1 of 14
Zechariah 1: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
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What happens in Zechariah 1?
Zechariah 1 opens the book with a call to return to the Lord, reminding the people that the words of earlier prophets came true. Then begins the series of night visions: riders among the myrtle trees report that the earth is at rest, the angel of the Lord asks how long, and God promises to return to Jerusalem with compassion. At the end, four horns that scattered Judah are cast down by four craftsmen.
Zechariah prophesied in Jerusalem after the return from exile, at the same time as Haggai and in the second year of King Darius (520 BC). The people were rebuilding the temple with little heart. The book divides into two parts: the eight night visions and messages of chapters 1 to 8, and the oracles of chapters 9 to 14. This first chapter holds the opening call and the first two visions.
Zechariah 1 summary
In the eighth month of the second year of Darius the word of the Lord comes to Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo. The Lord was very angry with their fathers; now he calls the people to return to him, so that he may return to them. He reminds them that their fathers did not listen to the earlier prophets. The fathers and the prophets are gone, but the Lord's words did overtake the fathers, who repented and acknowledged that the Lord had dealt with them as he had planned.
On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month of the same year, Zechariah has a night vision. He sees a man riding a red horse among the myrtle trees in a hollow, and behind him red, sorrel and white horses. An angel who speaks with the prophet explains that these are the ones the Lord has sent to patrol the earth. They report to the angel of the Lord that all the earth is at rest and in peace. The angel of the Lord asks how long the Lord will withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which he has been angry these seventy years. The Lord answers with gracious and comforting words.
The angel tells him to proclaim that the Lord is very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion and is very angry with the nations that are at ease, because they furthered the disaster. Therefore he will return to Jerusalem with mercy, his house will be rebuilt and the measuring line stretched over the city; his cities will overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.
The second vision shows four horns, which are the powers that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem. The Lord also shows four craftsmen, who come to terrify those nations and cast down the horns of those who lifted up their power against Judah.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-6: Call to return to the Lord; the fathers did not listen, but the words came true.
- vv. 7-11: First vision: riders among the myrtles report that the earth is at rest.
- vv. 12-17: The angel of the Lord asks how long; God promises compassion and rebuilding.
- vv. 18-21: Second vision: four horns cast down by four craftsmen.
Key verses in Zechariah 1
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Zechariah 1:3
The Lord invites the people to return to him, with the promise that he will return to them. It sums up the message of the book: the way back begins with repentance, and God responds with nearness.
Zechariah 1:12
The angel of the Lord asks how long the Lord will withhold mercy from Jerusalem and Judah, who have suffered these seventy years. It is a prayer of intercession that gives voice to the people's weariness.
Zechariah 1:16
The Lord declares that he returns to Jerusalem with mercy, that his house will be built and that the measuring line will be stretched out. The work on the temple, which seems small, is part of a larger plan of God.
Zechariah 1:21
The craftsmen come to cast down the horns of the nations that scattered Judah. The vision assures that the power that seemed unbeatable does not have the last word.
Main themes
- Returning to the Lord
- God's compassion for Jerusalem
- The Lord governs the nations
- Rebuilding and comfort
- The night visions
People and places
- Zechariah
- The angel of the Lord
- The rider among the myrtles
- Jerusalem and Judah
- The nations
Zechariah 1 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. What does the Lord ask of the people at the start of the book?
Answer: To return to him, and he will return to them. — Zechariah 1:3
2. Where were the man and the horses of the first vision?
Answer: Among the myrtle trees, in a hollow. — Zechariah 1:8
3. What do the riders report about the earth?
Answer: That all the earth is at rest and in peace. — Zechariah 1:11
4. How long had the Lord been angry with Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, according to the angel?
Answer: Seventy years. — Zechariah 1:12
5. What does the Lord promise about Jerusalem and his house?
Answer: That he returns to her with mercy and his house will be built. — Zechariah 1:16
6. What does Zechariah see in the second vision?
Answer: Four horns and four craftsmen who cast them down. — Zechariah 1:18-21
Application for today
Zechariah 1 begins with God's initiative: he invites us to return and promises to return. In a class or small group you can talk about how repentance is not a burden but a door opened by the One who wants closeness with his people.
The vision of the riders also answers a common feeling: that the world is at ease while the faithful suffer. The question how long is a valid prayer. God takes it up and responds with comfort, and teaches us that we can pray with patience for what we do not yet see fulfilled.
Zechariah 1 shows a God who calls his people to return, who hears the how long and who promises compassion and rebuilding. Chapter 2 continues with the third vision: a man with a measuring line goes out to measure Jerusalem, and the Lord promises to be a wall of fire around her.
Frequently asked questions about Zechariah 1
Who is the angel of the Lord in the visions?
The text presents him as a messenger of the Lord who intercedes for Jerusalem and speaks in his name. Some interpreters identify him as an appearance of the Lord himself before the incarnation; others, as a special angel. The text does not settle it fully.
What do the seventy years refer to?
To the time of Babylonian rule and desolation of Jerusalem announced earlier by Jeremiah. They are counted from the fall of the temple in 586 BC until the rebuilding in 520-516 BC, or from 605 BC until 538 BC, depending on how one measures.