Zechariah is book 38 of the 39 books of the Old Testament and belongs to the Minor Prophets section. See how it fits with the rest in our guide to all 66 books of the Bible.
Quick facts
- Section
- Old Testament · Minor Prophets
- Genre
- Prophecy: night visions, sermons and apocalyptic oracles
- Author (traditional)
- Zechariah son of Berekiah, son of Iddo, a priest-prophet who returned from exile; tradition assigns the whole book to him.
- Other views on authorship
- Chapters 1–8 are widely credited to Zechariah; many scholars attribute chapters 9–14 to one or more later prophets, while others defend a single author writing later in life.
- Date (traditional)
- Chapters 1–8 from 520–518 BC; chapters 9–14 later in Zechariah's ministry, perhaps after 480 BC.
- Other views on dating
- Chapters 1–8 in 520–518 BC; chapters 9–14 variously dated from the 5th to the 3rd century BC.
- Chapters
- 14
- Verses
- 211
- Reading time
- About 29 minutes (5,796 words in the BSB)
What is Zechariah about?
Zechariah began preaching two months after Haggai, to the same small community trying to rebuild Jerusalem. He opens with a call to return to God, so that God will return to them, and warns them not to repeat their ancestors' mistakes.
The heart of chapters 1–6 is a series of eight night visions: horsemen patrolling the earth, four horns and four craftsmen, a man measuring Jerusalem, the high priest Joshua given clean clothes, a lampstand fed by olive trees, a flying scroll, a woman in a basket, and four chariots. Together they say that God is watching, will cleanse his people, and will finish the temple — not by might nor by power, but by his Spirit. Chapters 7–8 answer a question about fasting and promise that sorrow will become joy.
Chapters 9–14 change style. Two oracles describe a coming king who enters Jerusalem humbly, a rejected shepherd valued at thirty pieces of silver, a pierced one over whom the people mourn, a fountain that cleanses sin, and a final day when living waters flow from Jerusalem and the LORD reigns over all. The New Testament draws heavily on these chapters to describe Jesus' final week.
Outline of Zechariah
| ChaptersCh. | Section |
|---|---|
| 1:1–6 | Call to return Return to me, and I will return to you. |
| 1:7–6:15 | Eight night visions God's watchful care, cleansing of sin, the lampstand and the crowning of Joshua. |
| 7–8 | Fasting and the future Justice matters more than ritual; Jerusalem will be a city of truth and joy. |
| 9–11 | The coming king and the shepherds A humble king on a donkey, God's care for his flock and a rejected shepherd. |
| 12–14 | The day of the LORD The pierced one, a cleansing fountain and the LORD as king over the earth. |
Key themes
- By God's Spirit. Zechariah 4:6 reminds discouraged builders that God's work is not finished by force or resources but by his Spirit.
- Cleansing and return. The vision of Joshua's filthy garments replaced with clean ones pictures forgiveness given, not earned.
- The humble king. Zechariah 9:9 describes a righteous king coming on a donkey. The Gospels see this fulfilled when Jesus entered Jerusalem.
- Justice over ritual. Asked about fasting, God answers with a call to true justice, mercy and care for widows, orphans, foreigners and the poor — close to the message of Micah 6:8.
- God's reign over all. The book ends with nations coming to worship and holiness reaching even to horses' bells and cooking pots.
Key people and places
- Zechariah — Priest and prophet among the returned exiles.
- Joshua the high priest — Cleansed and crowned in Zechariah's visions.
- Zerubbabel — Governor who will complete the temple by God's Spirit.
- The angel of the LORD — Heavenly figure who explains the visions and defends Joshua.
- Satan (the accuser) — Accuses Joshua and is rebuked by the LORD.
Places: Jerusalem, Zion, Babylon, the Mount of Olives, Hadrach, Tyre and Sidon.
Key verses in Zechariah
Quoted from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
“So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.”
“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’””
“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
“Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”
“On that day the LORD will become King over all the earth—the LORD alone, and His name alone.”
How Zechariah fits the big story
Zechariah worked alongside Haggai during the rebuilding told in Ezra 5–6. His visions resemble those of Ezekiel and Daniel, and they influenced the imagery of Revelation, which also features lampstands, horses and olive trees. Zechariah is one of the Old Testament books most quoted in the Gospels' accounts of Jesus' last week: the king on a donkey, the thirty pieces of silver, the struck shepherd and the pierced one all appear in Matthew and John. After Zechariah comes Malachi, the last voice of Old Testament prophecy.
How to read Zechariah
At 2 chapters a day you can read Zechariah in 7 days. Read the visions of chapters 1–6 one at a time and look for the angel's explanation in each. Then read chapters 9–14 next to the Gospel accounts of Palm Sunday and the crucifixion.