Zechariah 1:1

A Call to Return to the Lord

1 In the eighth month, ¹in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet ²Zechariah, the son of ³Berechiah, son of ⁴Iddo, 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, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying,

2 “The Lord was very angry with your fathers.

3 Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.

4 Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds. ’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.

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

Cross References

• 1. 1:1 See Hag. 1:1
• 2. 1:1 Ezra 6:14; Matt. 23:35
• 3. 1:1 1 Chr. 6:39
• 4. 1:1 Neh. 12:4, 16