Zechariah 1:1

A Call to Repentance

1 In the eighth month of the second year of ¹Darius, the word of the LORD came to ²Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of ³Iddo saying,

Zechariah 1:1 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 1:1

In the eighth month
The month Marchesvan, called the month Bul, in ( 1 Kings 6:38 ) which answers to part of our October, and part of November: this was but two months from the first prophecy of Haggai, ( Haggai 1:1 ) and but a few days after his second, ( Haggai 2:1 ) so near were the prophecies of these two prophets together: in the second year of Darius:
king of Persia; not Darius the Mede, but Darius the son of Hystaspes: came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah;
that is, "the word of prophecy from before the Lord", as the Targum paraphrases it; which came to him, either in a dream, or in a vision, or by an impulse on his mind; who is described by his descent, the son of Barachias; mention is made of this name in ( Matthew 23:35 ) . It signifies "the blessed of the Lord", and is the same with Eulogius or Benedictus: the son of Iddo the prophet:
the word "prophet", as Kimchi observes, belongs to Zechariah; not but that his grandfather Iddo might be a prophet too; and the same writer takes notice, that in the Midrash mention is made of Iddo the prophet; and so there is an Iddo that is called the seer and the prophet in ( 2 Chronicles 9:29 ) ( 12:15 ) ( 13:22 ) but whether the same with this is not certain. The name is by some thought to be the same with Firmicus, Statius, Robertus: saying;
as follows:

Zechariah 1:1 In-Context

1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo saying,

2 "The LORD was very angry with your fathers.

3 "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Return to Me," declares the LORD of hosts, "that I may return to you," says the LORD of hosts.

4 "Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds."' But they did not listen or give heed to Me," declares the LORD .

5 "Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?

Cross References

• 1. Ezra 4:24; Ezra 6:15; Haggai 1:15; Haggai 2:10; Zechariah 1:7; Zechariah 7:1
• 2. Ezra 5:1; Ezra 6:14; Zechariah 7:1; Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:51
• 3. Nehemiah 12:4, 16