Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Jehovah unto Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying,
Zechariah 1:7 is only a date, yet it opens the main body of the book and marks the night when a whole series of visions came to the prophet. Two questions sit inside it: why count the year by a Persian king, and why the long silence since the prophet's first message?
Zechariah wrote to people who had come home from exile, and he dates his messages by the empire's calendar.
Zechariah the priest (Nehemiah 12:16) prophesied in Jerusalem to the Jews whom Darius had allowed to return from exile. Their purpose was to rebuild the house of God that Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed. Through the ministry of Haggai and Zechariah their zeal came back, and about twenty years after the return from Babylon they completed the house of God (Ezra 6:15). Zechariah prophesied over a period of two years or more. He puts dates in front of most of his separate messages, but notice that he uses Gentile, not Jewish, chronology (Zechariah 1:1; Zechariah 1:7, and so on).
The same dating appears in verse 1, and behind it lies a change in who rules the earth.
Notice something important: as in Haggai, so here, the date points to the times of the Gentiles. It was "in the eighth month, in the second year of Darius." The kingdom had failed in man's hand. So God had moved His throne on earth from Jerusalem to Babylon, and then to Babylon's successors. By this time Babylon had fallen, and Darius was the head of the Gentile monarchy — so his name appears here.
Set this date beside the one in verse 1 and a long gap appears.
Compare the dates in verses 1 and 7. More than three months passed before the word of the Lord came to Zechariah again. His work was simple — to speak when God commanded him, and to be silent when he had no divine message. Even the Lord Himself took the same place. He came to do the Father's will, and He said, "I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has Himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak" (John 12:49; see also John 14:10). But since the Holy Spirit came, the direction, as given to Timothy for example, is "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2). In every case, only a dependent spirit and an open ear could meet such a responsibility.
What follows this date is not a scattered collection but a single connected sequence.
The opening message called the people to return, and the prophet probably gave it in front of the assembled congregation. After it he received his great night-visions. These were not mere dreams; the things he describes passed before him in divine vision. He saw them all in one night. One followed another without a break, so they link tightly together and show coming events in order.
The men who first heard this had little to look at and much to wonder about.
What were the difficulties in Zechariah's day? God's throne was no longer in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 29:23). The Persian empire was in power. Only a few Jews had returned to Jerusalem, and even they had stopped working (Ezra 4:24). Zechariah lived among this poor, weak, oppressed remnant (Ezra 5:1). It had very little to boast of: no display of power, no miracles, no sign of God's presence, not even the glory cloud.
The visions dated here speak to that moment and reach far past it.
In verse 7 we move on to the eleventh month of the second year of Darius. That date matters greatly in the history of the Jews. Here a whole series of visions begins, given to the prophet. They bore on the people's position at that time. But they also carried hints of the far future, and of the final deliverance to come through Christ.
Because the visions came at night, the reader's own position is much the same.
Every heart that thoughtfully considers the prophecies will find itself in the same circumstances as the prophet. To understand future events, we must be well aware that the world we live in is covered with the deepest darkness. Yet God does not leave us in it without help: the lamp of "the prophetic word" is leading us.
- Dated — the year runs by Darius, a Persian king, because God had moved His throne on earth from Jerusalem to the Gentile powers.
- Delayed — more than three months of silence separate verse 1 from verse 7. The prophet spoke when God commanded him, and stayed quiet when he had no message.
- Dark — a weak, oppressed community, with no miracles, no glory cloud, and building work at a standstill.
- Disclosed — in one night, eight connected visions pass before him in order, not as dreams but as revelation.
- Distant — the visions touch their own day, but they point on to the final deliverance through Christ. The prophetic word is a lamp in the dark for readers still waiting.
I saw by night, and behold, a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle-trees that were in the low valley; and behind him were red, bay, and white horses.
The prophet's first night vision shows a rider on a red horse, stopped among low myrtle trees, with more horses behind him. Who is this rider, and what does the scene say to a people just back from exile?
All eight visions came in a single night, and one writer draws meaning from that.
It is worth noting that Zechariah seems to have had all eight visions of chapters 1:7 to 6 in a single night. Every heart that thinks carefully about the prophecies will find itself in the same position as the prophet. To understand future events, we must know that deepest darkness covers the world we live in. Yet God does not leave us in it without help: the lamp of "the prophetic word" is leading us.
Verse 11 gives the key: it calls the man the angel of the Lord.
In the first vision, the prophet saw "a man riding on a red horse." Verse 11 tells us that this man was "the Angel of the Lord." All through the Old Testament, that name is a picture of Christ before He appeared as Man in this world. The red horse He rode and the horses that followed Him were the spirits who ruled the realms according to God's commands.
The colour is not a decoration. One writer traces it back to the tabernacle.
I think "red" is a symbol of devotedness to God, whether in judgment or in grace — as in the rams' skins dyed red in the tabernacle, though even these rest on judgment. The One on the red horse had carried out the Lord's judgment for Him. He was now using Persia as His instrument to act in the same way, and so to favour the Jews.
The posture of the rider is as telling as the colour of his horse.
The myrtle grows in low ground. It is a symbol of Israel brought down to a low and humbled state. He is standing, not fighting. This reminds us of Habakkuk 3:6, "He stood and measured the earth." The Lord does not judge in haste. He weighs every matter calmly before judgment.
The myrtle appears only a few times in Scripture. Each time it points the same way.
Scripture mentions myrtle trees in four places, and all four relate to the restoration that follows judgment. In Nehemiah 8:15 the part of the people who have returned must bring branches of olive trees, myrtle trees, and palms to celebrate the feast of tabernacles.
Where the rider stands also shows what he is doing. He is pleading, at a moment when no one else cared about Jerusalem.
In Zechariah 1:8, 10, 11 the prophet saw a man — that is, an angel of the Lord — standing among the myrtle trees, while all the earth sat still and was at rest. This is a sign of the blessing of Jerusalem, and the angel was pleading for that blessing. Under the rule of the second Gentile empire, the nations did not care about the state of Jerusalem.
The horses behind the rider raise a further question. What kind of power do they stand for?
A horse is usually a symbol of strength and power. This first vision does not say what kind of strength is meant. Still, we gather that it is not earthly kingdoms, such as Persia or Greece, since the horses walk to and fro through the earth on tours of inspection. When we read Zechariah 6, we find horses again, and that chapter calls them "the four spirits of the heavens"; that is, they are angelic in character.
This vision is not only a picture. It is an answer, and one writer sets out what that answer contains.
The first vision (Zech. 1:7-17) provides the answer. The man on the red horse stops between the myrtle trees (a sign of revival: Neh. 8:15; Isa. 41:19; Isa. 55:13). The angel's message has these key parts: the Lord is jealous for Jerusalem and Zion (v. 14). He is also very angry with the Gentile powers (v. 15). Verse 16 holds the promise that He will show mercy again, and that His house will be built. Jerusalem will be chosen (v. 17). This answers the first question in a way that probably went beyond what many expected.
- Night — All eight visions came in one night. That fits a dark world, where prophecy is the lamp we cannot do without.
- Rider — In that darkness a man appears. Verse 11 names him the angel of the Lord, a name one writer reads as Christ before He came as Man.
- Red — His horse marks devotedness to God, in judgment and in grace alike. The One who carried out God's judgment now uses Persia to favour the Jews.
- Myrtle — He stops among trees that mark restoration after judgment. He stands in Israel's low place and pleads for the city, while the nations sit unconcerned.
- Mercy — The answer comes in the promise: God will build His house and choose Jerusalem again. That was more than the people back from exile dared expect.
And I said, My lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these are.
Zechariah sees a vision he cannot explain, and instead of guessing he asks. The angel promises to show him, and that pattern returns again and again through the book.
Two heavenly figures appear here, and they are not the same. One talks with the prophet. The other stands among the myrtle trees and gives the real answer:
Zechariah asks who these are. Then we hear of "the angel who talked with me," who answers that he would show him. Scripture names him this way 11 times, and he is a different person from "the angel of the Lord." The real answer comes from the Man who stood among the myrtle trees. Verse 11 shows this to be "the angel of the Lord." He answers that the Lord had sent these horses to walk back and forth through the earth.
Commentators identify that Man with someone already known from earlier Scripture:
It seems plain that the man who stood among the myrtle trees is none other than the angel of the Lord, whom we meet elsewhere… He is the same One who revealed Himself long ago to the forefathers, to Moses, Joshua and others. He did the same now, to suit the situation and the need of the remnant. We must keep Him distinct from the angel who usually talked with the prophet.
The next verse gives the promised explanation, and commentators differ over what it means. One reading takes the horses as angelic:
As a symbol, a horse usually stands for strength and power. This first vision does not say what kind of strength is meant. But we gather it is not earthly kingdoms, such as Persia or Greece, since the horses walk through the earth on tours of inspection. When we read Zechariah 6, we find horses again, and they are called "the four spirits of the heavens" — that is, they are angelic.
Others read the three sets of horses as the three empires that would follow Babylon:
A horse, to borrow someone else's definition, is "the symbol of divine energy of government in the earth." So there is a kind of match between the angel's horse and the three sets of horses standing behind him… By the time of this vision God had already judged Babylon. So only these three were left to follow: Persia, Greece, and Rome.
The answer told people who had lost their standing that God was still at work for them, though not in the open:
These different spirits go out and do what God tells them. They work not in the open but through providence, and He makes this known to the Jew as a sign of His real care for them. He wants them to trust Him. They could no longer be called His people in the formal sense, but though they had lost that title, He still held them in His gracious care — and one day He will certainly give them that title back, in a better way.
The prophet's question is also an admission. He does not know, and he says so:
The prophet could not understand anything unless the Angel explained it to him. This kept him humble, so that he had to admit: "No, my Lord"… We too need to feel our own ignorance before God if we want to understand the truths held in God's Word. Scripture gives many plain details that even unbelievers can understand, but the deeper meaning will always escape a person left to his own natural powers. To grasp that hidden meaning we need the Spirit of God, but even more than that, we must know Christ, who Himself is the key to the Word.
- Ask. Zechariah does not work the vision out for himself. He asks, "What are these?" — and the answer follows. Seeing is not understanding.
- Two speakers. The angel who talks with the prophet promises to show him. The answer itself comes from the Man among the myrtle trees — named in verse 11 as the angel of the Lord, the One who had already revealed Himself to Moses and Joshua.
- Shown, not guessed. The next verse keeps the promise "I will show you": the Lord had sent these horses to walk back and forth through the earth. Commentators differ on what they picture — angelic powers, or the empires of Persia, Greece and Rome.
- Care behind the scenes. God was working for His people out of sight, through providence. He meant it as a sign of His real care, and He wanted them to trust Him.
- Kept humble. Zechariah's "No, my Lord" is the posture the reader needs. Anyone can read the surface of Scripture. Only the Spirit of God opens its depth, and Christ Himself is the key.
And the man that stood among the myrtle-trees answered and said, These are they whom Jehovah hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And they answered the angel of Jehovah that stood among the myrtle-trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and behold, all the earth sitteth still and is at rest.
Zechariah's first night vision ends with a report. Horses have patrolled the whole earth, and the news is that all is quiet. Yet Jerusalem still lies in ruins, and its people still live in exile. Two questions drive the scene. Who is the man standing among the myrtle trees? And why is a world at peace such bad news?
One writer says the title given here reaches further than an angel:
In the first vision, the prophet saw "a man riding on a red horse." Verse 11 tells us that this man was "the Angel of the LORD." Right through the Old Testament, that name pictures Christ before He appeared as Man in this world.
The horses are not decoration. They hold the government of the earth, and they report back on it:
So here, the horses are those "whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth" — the power of government, worldwide government, placed in their hands for the time. And to him — to the angel of the Lord — they give account of what they found on their mission: "We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest."
Commentators differ on who these horses are. Some take them for the empire of Persia. Another writer denies this: "They do not represent the Persians, as some commentators have stated; they are angels" (Arno Clemens Gaebelein).
The quiet reported here suited the ones reporting it:
The horses without riders stand for the Gentiles. They speak and say that the whole earth was still and at rest — that is, just as they would have it. For that was the mind of the nations of the earth, whom God had set up after the disgrace and fall of Jerusalem. That is how they wanted it: their own rise built on the ruin of God's people.
What follows explains what the report meant. God had handed the nations real power, and they used it for themselves:
Jerusalem was lying desolate, and God's people were in captivity. The nations were at rest, careless of the state of this despised people and of God's thoughts toward them. God had used the Gentiles to bring His chastening on His rebellious people who had turned away from Him, and had committed the government of the earth into their hands. But instead of holding that government in responsibility to God, they used it for their own enrichment and greatness, and to oppress the people they had been allowed to triumph over. He therefore says, "I am very displeased with the nations that are at ease. I was only a little displeased, and they made the affliction worse."
Another writer draws the blunt conclusion: "This rest of their foes meant no good to the Jew" (William Kelly).
Intercession answers the report at once. Everyone else is settled. The Angel is not:
Then the angel of the Lord (Christ), the true Intercessor for His people, speaks to God, the Lord of hosts. He asks, "How long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?"
This is not a one-off snapshot. It describes a long stretch of history:
The nations were at rest and prosperous, but His people are in trouble, the land of promise under Gentile rule and power. While the cities of the nations grew and had plenty, the city of the King lay under the hoof of the Gentiles. His people suffered.
One writer finds the same stillness again in a later age. God refused to call it rest:
He shows us here how still and at rest the whole earth was sitting, for the Gentile beast had everything in order, just as it liked (Zechariah 1:11). Everything on earth, in religion and in government, was exactly as man would have it. But under the eye of God all this was a wilderness. So He did not take a place in it, or own it as rest for Himself. Instead He sent out the voice of His servant to wake it all up.
The place where the Angel stands carries its own message. One writer counts up the passages that mention the myrtle:
Zechariah 1:11 is the fourth place where the myrtle appears. Here the myrtles had to remind the prophet that restoration would come once the horses had finished their task.
- Report — The horses patrol the earth. God places the power of government "in their hands for the time," and they come back to give account to the Angel of the Lord.
- Rest — The calm they report is just what the nations wanted. Their comfort rested on the ruin of God's people, so their ease "meant no good to the Jew."
- Displeasure — A quiet world does not please God. The nations used His power for their own gain and to oppress, and He answers with anger, not approval.
- Intercession — One figure is not at rest. The Angel among the myrtles breaks the silence: "How long?" He asks it for Jerusalem.
- Restoration — He stands among myrtle trees, and the myrtles carry a promise. Restoration comes once the horses have finished their task.