What is the story of Zechariah in the Bible

ByJean-Pierre Isbouts

Published February 22, 2019

• 5 min read

National Geographic explores notable biblical figures in our ongoing series People in the Bible, as part of our coverage of the history of the Bible and the search for sacred texts.

It was “in the days of King Herod of Judea,” says the Gospel of Luke, that the angel Gabriel appeared to an elderly man named Zechariah, a member of the “priestly order of Abijah” who served God in the Temple (Luke 1:5). Zechariah was married to Elizabeth, who herself was of priestly stock and a cousin of Mary, but the couple was childless.

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Zechariah was offering incense on the golden altar in the Temple, just outside the Holy of Holies, a very great honor. When he saw the angel, he was terrified. But the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John” (Luke 1:13).

And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

ByGabriel, Luke 1:20

Luke may have modeled this verse on the story of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis, in which God told Abraham that “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call him Isaac” (Genesis 17:19). Luke then added another narrative layer, inspired by the story of Hannah and Elkanah in the first book of Samuel. Like Sarah, Hannah was unable to give her husband a child. She prayed to God, and promised that if she bore a son, she would raise him to become a Nazirite—a person devoted to the service of God. “He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants,” Hannah pledged, “and no razor shall touch his head” (I Samuel 1:11). In Luke’s Gospel, the angel tells Zechariah, “He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:12-15).

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The angel foretold that the boy would minister to the “people of Israel ... with the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:13, 16-17). Zechariah could not believe the angel’s words, because he and his wife were already advanced in age. “How will I know that this is so?” he asked incredulously. In response, Gabriel struck him deaf and mute until the day that his son would be born. Everything came to pass as the angel had foretold. “After those days,” Luke continues, “his wife Elizabeth conceived” (Luke 1:24).

Entries in this series are excerpts from the National Geographic special issue 50 Most Influential Figures of the Bible, which was adapted from Who's Who in the Bible: Unforgettable People and Timeless Stories from Genesis to Revelation, published by National Geographic Books.

This summary of the book of Zechariah provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Book of Zechariah.

Background

Zechariah's prophetic ministry took place in the postexilic period, the time of the Jewish restoration from Babylonian captivity. For historical details see Introduction to Haggai: Background.

Author and Unity

Like Jeremiah (1:1) and Ezekiel (1:3), Zechariah was not only a prophet (1:1) but also a member of a priestly family. He was born in Babylonia and was among those who returned to Judah in 538/537 b.c. under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua (his grandfather Iddo is named among the returnees in Ne 12:4). At a later time, when Joiakim was high priest (see note on Ne 12:12-21), Zechariah apparently succeeded Iddo (1:1,7) as head of that priestly family (Ne 12:10-16). Since the grandson succeeded the grandfather, it has been suggested that the father (Berekiah, 1:1,7) died at an early age.

Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai (Ezr 5:1; 6:14) but continued his ministry long after him (compare 1:1 and 7:1 with Hag 1:1; see also Ne 12:1-16). His young age (see 2:4 and note) in the early period of his ministry makes it possible that he ministered even into the reign of Artaxerxes I (465-424 b.c.).

Most likely Zechariah wrote the entire book that bears his name. Some have questioned his authorship of chs. 9 - 14, citing differences in style and other compositional features, and giving historical and chronological references that allegedly require a different date and author from those of chs. 1 - 8. All these objections, however, can be explained in other satisfactory ways, so there is no compelling reason to question the unity of the book.

Dates

The dates of Zechariah's recorded messages are best correlated with those of Haggai and with other historical events as follows:

Occasion and Purpose

The occasion is the same as that of the book of Haggai (see Background; Dates). The chief purpose of Zechariah (and Haggai) was to rebuke the people of Judah and to encourage and motivate them to complete the rebuilding of the temple (Zec 4:8-10; Hag 1-2), though both prophets were clearly interested in spiritual renewal as well. In addition, the purpose of the eight night visions (1:7 -- 6:8) is explained in 1:3,5-6: The Lord said that if Judah would return to him, he would return to them. Furthermore, his word would continue to be fulfilled.

Theological Teaching

The theology of Zechariah's prophecy matches his name, which means "The Lord (Yahweh) remembers." "The Lord" is the personal, covenant name of God and is a perpetual testimony to his faithfulness to his promises (see notes on Ge 2:4; Ex 3:14-15; 6:6; Dt 28:58). He "remembers" his covenant promises and takes action to fulfill them. In the book of Zechariah God's promised deliverance from Babylonian exile, including a restored kingdom community and a functioning temple (the earthly throne of the divine King; see Introduction to Psalms: Theology), leads into even grander pictures of the salvation and restoration to come through the Messiah (see notes on 3:8-9; 4:3,14; 6:9-15; 9:9-10; 10:2,4; 11:4-14; 12:10 -- 13:1; 13:7; 14:4-9).

The book as a whole also teaches the sovereignty of God in history, over people and nations -- past, present and future (see, e.g., 1:10-11; 2:13; 4:10,14 and note; 6:5,7; 8:20-23; 9:10,13-14; 10:11; 12:1-5; 14:9,16-19). See also Literary Forms and Themes below.

Literary Forms and Themes

The book is primarily a mixture of exhortation (call to repentance, 1:2-6), prophetic visions (1:7 -- 6:8), a prophetic oracle of instruction or exhortation involving a symbolic coronation scene (6:9-15), hortatory messages (mainly of rebuke and hope) prompted by a question about fasting (chs. 7 - 8) and judgment and salvation oracles (chs. 9 - 14). The prophetic visions of 1:7 -- 6:8 are called apocalyptic (revelatory) literature, which is essentially a literature of encouragement to God's people. When the apocalyptic section is read along with the salvation (or deliverance) oracles in chs. 9 - 14, it becomes obvious that the dominant emphasis of the book is encouragement because of the glorious future that awaits the people of God.

In fact, encouragement is the book's central theme -- primarily encouragement to complete the rebuilding of the temple. Various means are used to accomplish this end, and these function as subthemes. For example, great stress is laid on the coming of the Messiah and the overthrow of all anti-kingdom forces by him so that God's rule can be finally and fully established on earth. The then-current local scene thus becomes the basis for contemplating the universal, eschatological picture.

Several interpreters have arranged the eight visions of 1:7 -- 6:8 in a chiastic (or concentric) pattern of a-b-b-c / c1-b1-b1-a1:

What is the main message of the book of Zechariah?

What was Zechariah the prophet known for?

Where is the story of Zechariah?

What happened to Zechariah the prophet?