The Meaning of Zechariah 1:1 Explained

Zechariah 1:1

KJV: In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

YLT: In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, hath a word of Jehovah been unto Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, the prophet, saying:

Darby: In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Jehovah unto Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying,

ASV: In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Jehovah unto Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Zechariah 1:1 Mean?

Study Notes

eighth month
i.e. November.

Verse Meaning

The writer identified the time when this first word from the Lord came to Zechariah and who he was. "The word of the Lord" is a technical term meaning the prophetic word of revelation. The eighth month of the second year of Darius was October-November of520 B.C. Evidently Haggai began ministering two months earlier to the same audience and ended his prophetic ministry one month later ( Haggai 1:1; Haggai 2:10; Haggai 2:20; cf. Ezra 5:1; Ezra 6:14). Since there was no human king of Israel then, the writer dated the prophecy in reference to Darius, a reminder that Israel was in "the times of the Gentiles" ( Luke 21:24). "The times of the Gentiles" is the time when Gentiles control the destiny of Israel, namely, from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar to the future millennial reign of Christ. Zechariah"s father was Berechiah, and his more prominent grandfather (or ancestor) was Iddo. Iddo was among the priests who returned from the Captivity with Zerubbabel and Joshua ( Nehemiah 12:4; Nehemiah 12:16).

Context Summary

Zechariah 1:1-17 - A Vision Of Pardon And Restoration
Zechariah does not slur over the sins of the past, but lays stress on the divine forgiveness. His only fear is lest God should call in vain, and the people refuse as their fathers did. Notice the repetition of God's title, Lord of Hosts, five times in the first six verses. The enemy's armies were vast, but the protecting hosts, vaster. A glimpse of these hosts is given in the following vision. A green valley, filled with myrtles, the emblem of humility, where the prophet may have been wont to meditate, seemed alive with mysterious figures, who had been patrolling the earth, and announced that it was peace, for these were the days of Cyrus' illustrious reign. Notice the frequent reference to his celestial friend, Zechariah 1:9; Zechariah 1:14; Zechariah 1:19; Zechariah 4:1; Zechariah 4:4-5; Zechariah 5:5; Zechariah 5:10; Zechariah 6:4. The future was bright with promise, Zechariah 1:16-17. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 1

1  Zechariah exhorts to repentance
7  The vision of the horses
12  At the prayer of the angel comfortable promises are made to Jerusalem
18  The vision of the four horns and the four carpenters

What do the individual words in Zechariah 1:1 mean?

In month the eighth in the year second of Darius came the word of Yahweh to Zechariah son of Berechiah of Iddo the prophet saying
בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ הַשְּׁמִינִ֔י בִּשְׁנַ֥ת שְׁתַּ֖יִם לְדָרְיָ֑וֶשׁ הָיָ֣ה דְבַר־ יְהוָ֗ה אֶל־ זְכַרְיָה֙ בֶּן־ בֶּ֣רֶכְיָ֔ה עִדּ֥וֹ הַנָּבִ֖יא לֵאמֹֽר

בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙  In  month 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: the new moon, month, monthly.
הַשְּׁמִינִ֔י  the  eighth 
Parse: Article, Number, ordinal masculine singular
Root: שְׁמִינִי  
Sense: eighth (ordinal number).
בִּשְׁנַ֥ת  in  the  year 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
שְׁתַּ֖יִם  second 
Parse: Number, fd
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
לְדָרְיָ֑וֶשׁ  of  Darius 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּרְיָוֶשׁ  
Sense: Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, king of the Chaldeans, who succeeded to the Babylonian kingdom on the death of Belshazzar; probably the same as “Astyages” the last king of the Medes (538 BC).
הָיָ֣ה  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
דְבַר־  the  word 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
יְהוָ֗ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
זְכַרְיָה֙  Zechariah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: זְכַרְיָה 
Sense: th in order of the minor prophets; a priest, son of Berechiah and grandson of Iddo, who, along with Haggai, directed the rebuilding of the temple in the days of Zerubbabel.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
בֶּ֣רֶכְיָ֔ה  of  Berechiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֶּרֶכְיָה 
Sense: a son of Zerubbabel.
עִדּ֥וֹ  of  Iddo 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עִדֹּא 
Sense: father of Abinadab, an officer of Solomon.
הַנָּבִ֖יא  the  prophet 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
לֵאמֹֽר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.