translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: ZEC

label: NET study note

text: Darius is Darius Hystaspes, king of Persia from 522-486 b.c .


text: The eighth month of Darius’ second year was late October – late November, 520 b.c. , by the modern (Julian) calendar. This is two months later than the date of Haggai’s first message to the same community (cf. Hag 1:1 ).


text: Both Ezra ( 5:1; 6:14 ) and Nehemiah (12:16) speak of Zechariah as a son of Iddo only. A probable explanation is that Zechariah’s actual father Berechiah had died and the prophet was raised by his grandfather Iddo. The “Zechariah son of Barachiah” of whom Jesus spoke ( Matt 23:35 ; Luke 11:51 ) was probably the martyred prophet by that name who may have been a grandson of the priest Jehoiada ( 2 Chr 24:20-22 ).


text: The epithet Lord who rules over all occurs frequently as a divine title throughout Zechariah (53 times total). This name ( יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת , yÿhvah tsÿva ’ ot ), traditionally translated “ Lord of hosts” (so KJV, NAB, NASB; cf. NIV, NLT “Lord Almighty”; NCV, CEV “Lord All-Powerful”), emphasizes the majestic sovereignty of the Lord, an especially important concept in the postexilic world of great human empires and rulers. For a thorough study of the divine title, see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God , 123-57.


text: The twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month…in Darius’ second year was February 15, 519 b.c .


text: The Hebrew שְׂרֻקִּים ( sÿruqqim ) means “red” (cf. NIV, NCV, NLT “brown”). English translations such as “speckled” (KJV) or “dappled” (TEV) are based on the reading of the LXX ( ψαροί ) that attempts to bring the color of this horse into conformity with those described in Zech 6:2-3 . However, since these are two different and unrelated visions, this is a methodological fallacy.


text: The stem used here (Hitpael) with the verb “walk” ( הָלַךְ , halakh ) suggests the exercise of dominion (cf. Gen 13:17 ; Job 1:7; 2:2-3 ; Ezek 28:14 ; Zech 6:7 ). The Lord is here about to claim sovereignty over the nations. Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT “to patrol”; TEV “to go and inspect.”


text: The angel of the Lord is a special being who throughout the OT represents God himself and on occasion almost approaches divine hypostatization or incarnation (cf. Gen 18:2, 13, 17, 22 ; Exod 23:20-21 ; Josh 5:13-15 ; Judg 6:11-24; 13:2-20 ).


text: Note that here the angel of the Lord is clearly distinct from the Lord who rules over all himself.


text: The seventy years refers to the predicted period of Babylonian exile, a period with flexible beginning and ending points depending on the particular circumstances in view (cf. Jer 25:1; 28:1; 29:10 ; Dan 9:2 ). Here the end of the seventy years appears to be marked by the completion of the temple in 516 b.c. , exactly seventy years after its destruction in 586.


text: This marks the beginning of ch. in the Hebrew text. Beginning with 1:18 , the verse numbers through 2:13 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text ( BHS ), with 1:18 ET = 2:1 HT, 1:19 ET = 2:2 HT, 1:20 ET = 2:3 HT, 1:21 ET = 2:4 HT, 2:1 ET = 2:5 HT, etc., through 2:13 ET = 2:17 HT. From 3:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.


text: An animal’s horn is a common OT metaphor for military power ( Pss 18:2; 75:10 ; Jer 48:25 ; Mic 4:13 ). The fact that there are four horns here (as well as four blacksmiths , v. 20 ) shows a correspondence to the four horses of v. 8 which go to four parts of the world, i.e., the whole world.