Zechariah 1:1

Introduction

1:1 In the eighth month of Darius’ 1  second year, 2  the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, 3  son of Berechiah son of Iddo, as follows:

Zechariah 1:7

The Introduction to the Visions

1:7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month Shebat, in Darius’ second year, 4  the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo, as follows:

1 sn Darius is Darius Hystaspes, king of Persia from 522-486 b.c.

2 sn 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).

3 sn 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).

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