Each one was of the righteous. Par . So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'" The siege of Jerusalem () will also be against Judah. The Book of Zechariah is in the Old Testament part of the Bible. "[Quran 6:85 (Translated by Pickthall)], Qur'an translator Abdullah Yusuf Ali offers commentary on this one line[3] – suggesting that these particular prophets make a spiritual connection with one another. This page was last edited on 26 December 2020, at 17:05. Answer: There were a couple of prominent men in the Bible named Zechariah (alternate spelling Zacharias or Zachariah). 9. Date of Writing: The Book of Zechariah was likely written in two primary segments, between 520 and 470 B.C. The return from exile is the theological premise of the prophet's visions in chapters 1–6. 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.". [15] These chapters helped the writers of the Gospels understand Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection, which they quoted as they wrote of Jesus’ final days. New King James Version Update. When he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret, saying: My Lord! The Book of Zechariah, attributed to the Hebrew prophet Zechariah, is included in the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible. Zakariyah is frequently praised in the Qur'an as a prophet of God and righteous man. Armenians believe that the Gandzasar Monastery in Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan contains his relics; however, his relics were also kept in the Great Church of Constantinople, where they were brought by the praefectus urbi Ursus on September 4, 415. Author: Zechariah 1:1 identifies the author of the Book of Zechariah as the Prophet Zechariah. These chapters also contain "pessimism about the present, but optimism for the future based on the expectation of an ultimate divine victory and the subsequent transformation of the cosmos". Zerubbabel comes into the story, appointed by Darius as governor over the district of Yehud Medinata. Chapters 7–8 address the quality of life God wants his renewed people to enjoy, containing many encouraging promises to them. [9] There are some scholars who go even further and divide Second Zechariah into Second Zechariah (9–11) and Third Zechariah (12–14) since each begins with a heading oracle.[10]. Then follows a series of eight visions,[13] succeeding one another in one night, which may be regarded as a symbolical history of Israel, intended to furnish consolation to the returned exiles and stir up hope in their minds. Did John the Baptist’s father die a martyr? Most Christian commentators read the series of predictions in chapters 7 to 14 as Messianic prophecies, either directly or indirectly. Zechariah. As a gift from God, Zakariyah was given a son named Yaḥyá (Arabic: يحيى‎, identified with John the Baptist), a name specially chosen for this child alone. However, God requires repentance, a turning away from sin towards faith in Him (Zechariah 1:2–6). He said: O Mary! 1. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.' Zechariah was a prophet from 520 BC to 518 BC in Jerusalem, about 2500 years ago. [7] Orthodox Christian tradition recounts that, at the time of the massacre of the Innocents, when King Herod ordered the slaughter of all males under the age of two in an attempt to prevent the prophesied Messiah from coming to Israel, Zechariah refused to divulge the whereabouts of his son (who was in hiding), and he was therefore murdered by Herod's soldiers. The child grew up and "waxed strong in spirit", but remained in the deserts of Judæa until he assumed the ministry that was to earn him the name "John the Baptist" (Luke 1:80; 3:2–3; Matthew 3:1). Watch our overview video on the book of Zechariah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. One theme these oracles contain is descriptions of the Day of the Lord, when "the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle" (Zechariah 14:3). Purpose of Writing: Zechariah emphasized that God has used His prophets to teach, warn, and correct His people. Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor who shall inherit of me and inherit (also) of the house of Jacob. In the Greek Orthodox calendar, Zechariah and Elizabeth are also commemorated on June 24. Jesus himself makes mention of Zechariah. His system divided the different colonies of the empire into easily manageable districts overseen by governors. 3 Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah, the son of Iddo, was instrumental in inspiring his fellow Jews to rebuild the Temple (see Ezra 6:14). Joseph, whom Mary was betrothed to, found out that she was pregnant, obviously disturbing news. Zakariyah was a righteous priest[13] and prophet of God whose office was in the Second Temple in Jerusalem. It contains the clearest declaration of the deity of Christ in all the Bible. The most striking feature of First Zechariah is a series of visions in which the prophet describes the centrality of Jerusalem, its Temple, and its leaders, who function both in the politics of the region and of the Persian empire and in God’s universal rule. These pictures explained good things that … Zechariah gives two oracles which look forward to the Messiah who is initially rejected but ultimately enthroned as King of the Messianic kingdom. 'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' One was an Old Testament prophet who prophesied in the days of Haggai and who wrote the book of Zechariah (Ezra 5:1; Zechariah 1:1). The reason for this supposition is probably that in the Hebrew Bible the Chronicles are placed at the very end. During that era, many Jews were returning from the Babylonian Captivity to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians. The symbolic action, the crowning of Joshua,[14] describes how the kingdoms of the world become the kingdom of God's Messiah. One such appraisal is in sura al-An'am: "And Zakariyah and Yahya and Isa and Eliyas. As he reached his old age, Zakariyah began to worry over who would continue the legacy of preaching the message of God after his death and who would carry on the daily services of the temple after him. Although not as fully developed as the apocalyptic visions described in the Book of Daniel, the "oracles", as they are titled in Zechariah 9–14, contain apocalyptic elements. The prophet Zechariah wrote chapters 1-8 approximately 520-518 B.C. [Quran 19:4–6 (Translated by Pickthall)]. This policy was good politics on the part of the Persians, and the Jews viewed it as a blessing from God.[5]. [9], In 2003, a 4th-century inscription on the so-called Tomb of Absalom, a 1st-century monument in Jerusalem, was deciphered as, "This is the tomb of Zachariah, the martyr, the holy priest, the father of John." She answered: It is from Allah. Unfortunately, they refused to listen. The second oracle (Zechariah 12–14) points out the glories that await Israel in "the latter day", the final conflict and triumph of God's kingdom. Zechariah is the only biblical book describing angels in the feminine gender (5:9). Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, was also a descendant of Aaron, and the Bible says they were godly, devout people (Luke 1:5–6). Angels, Visions and End Times play a major role in his writings, much more so than in any other book, and apocalyptic writing is given centre stage. "(Zechariah 4:6) Ultimately, YHWH plans to live again with His people in Jerusalem. An old tradition narrates that Zakariyah was sawed in half,[12] in a death which resembles that attributed to Isaiah in Lives of the Prophets. Chapters 9–14 comprise two "oracles" of the future. Muslim tradition narrates that Zakariyah was ninety-two years old[15] when he was told of John's birth. [18], sfn error: no target: CITEREFCoogan2009 (, For example, see allusion to Zechariah 9:9 in Matthew 21:5; also Zechariah 12:10 in John 19:37. A Call to Return to the Lord. 1 F. Duanne Lindsey, Zechariah, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty: Old Testament, 1454.. 2 See Joyce G. Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: An Introduction & Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 60-61.. 3 Joyce G. Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: An Introduction & Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament … The Roman Catholic Church commemorates him as a saint, along with Elizabeth, on September 23. Key personalities are Zechariah… [7] Zechariah 1–8, sometimes referred to as First Zechariah, was written in the 6th century BC. [13] He prayed both for himself and for the public – they needed a messenger, a man of God who would work in the service of the Lord after Zakariyah. One was an Old Testament prophet who foretold in the days of Haggai and who composed the book of Zechariah (Ezra 5:1; Zechariah 1:1). I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. The eleventh in order of the twelve minor prophets. Lo! Mary then travelled to visit her relative Elizabeth, having been told by the angel that Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy. One of the major problems in the book (for critical scholars) comes in chapter 9 because Zechariah names Greece as a future enemy of Israel. He would frequently be in charge of managing the services of the temple[14] and he would always remain steadfast in prayer to God. Zechariah's prophecies took place during the reign of Darius the Great,[1] and were contemporary with Haggai in a post-exilic world after the fall of Jerusalem in 587/6 BC. T. Nelson and Sons. 3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “ Return to Me,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. It was the name of various men in the Bible. Zechariah 's visions foster hope in the future promise of the messianic kingdom, and challenge Israel after the exile to remain faithful to God. “The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary, Jewish Yad Avshalom revealed as a Christian shrine from Byzantine era, Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib ibn Hashim, Current Ummah of Islam (Ummah of Muhammad), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zechariah_(New_Testament_figure)&oldid=998092166, Pages with numeric Bible version references, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from Easton's Bible Dictionary, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Mother Abiona or Amtelai the daughter of Karnebo, Slayers of Saleh's she-camel (Qaddar ibn Salif and Musda' ibn Dahr). Son of Berechiah, and grandson of Iddo the priest; called the son of Iddo in Ezra 5:1 6:14, and his successor in the priesthood, Nehemiah 12:4,16, perhaps because Berechiah was then dead.Zechariah is the eleventh of the minor prophets. And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! 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