Zechariah 1:1
King James Version (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,
Translations
Zechariah 1:1 - Amplified Bible
IN THE eighth month, in the second year [of the reign] of Darius, came the word of the Lord to Zechariah son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
Zechariah 1:1 - American Standard Version
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,
Zechariah 1:1 - Bible in Basic English
In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
Zechariah 1:1 - Darby Bible
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,
Zechariah 1:1 - English Standard Version
In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the
Zechariah 1:1 - King James Version
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,
Zechariah 1:1 - La Biblia de las Americas
El octavo mes del año segundo de Darìo, vino la palabra del SEÑOR al profeta Zacarìas, hijo de Berequìas, hijo de Iddo, diciendo:
Zechariah 1:1 - The Message
In the eighth month of the second year in the reign of Darius, God’s Message came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo: "God was very angry with your ancestors. So give to the people this Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: ’Come back to me and I’ll come back to you. Don’t be like your parents. The old-time prophets called out to them, "A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: Leave your evil life. Quit your evil practices." But they ignored everything I said to them, stubbornly refused to listen.’
Zechariah 1:1 - New American Standard Bible
In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo saying,
Zechariah 1:1 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy
En el octavo mes del segundo año de Darìo, vino la palabra del SEÑOR al profeta Zacarìas, hijo de Berequìas, hijo de Iddo, diciendo:
Zechariah 1:1 - World English Bible
In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Yahweh to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
Zechariah 1:1 - Young's Living Translation
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:
Zechariah 1:1 - Additional Comments
Zechariahinistry took place during the reign of Darius the Great (Zechariah 1:1), and was contemporary with Haggai in a post-exilic world after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Ezekiel and Jeremiah wrote prior to the fall of Jerusalem, while continuing to prophesy in the earlier exile period. Scholars believe Ezekiel, with his blending of ceremony and vision, heavily influenced the visionary works of Zechariah 1-8. Zechariah is specific about dating his writing (520-518 BC).
During the Exile many Jews were taken to Babylon, where the prophets told them to make their homes (Jeremiah 29), suggesting they would spend a long period of time there. Eventually freedom did come to many Israelites, when Cyrus the Great overtook the Babylonians in 539 BC. In 538 BC, the famous Edict of Cyrus was released, and the first return took place under Shebazzar. After the death of Cyrus in 530 BC, Darius consolidated power and took office in 522 BC. His system divided the different colonies of the empire into districts overseen by governors. Zerubbabel, who both Zechariah and Haggai delivered his prophetic word to (Zech 4:6, Haggai 1:1), was appointed by Darius as governor over the district of Judah.
Zerubbabel was the grandson of Jehoiachin, King of Judah. Zerubbabel led the first band of Jews, numbering 42,360, who returned from the Babylonian Captivity in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia. Zerubbabel is also noted for laying the foundation of the Second Temple in Jerusalem the next year. Outside these important events, little else is known about him. Note that Ezra (a priestly scribe) is thought to have led about 5,000 Israelite exiles living in Babylon to their home city of Jerusalem in 459 BC
Under the reign of Darius, Zechariah also emerged, centering around the rebuilding of the temple. And so, Haggai and Zechariah were contemporaries. Unlike the Babylonians, the Persian Empire went to great lengths to keep "cordial relations" between them and local rulers. The rebuilding of the temple was encouraged by the leaders of the empire in hopes that it would strengthen their authority in Judah.
Zechariah means "Jehovah has remembered." His father, Iddo (Ezra 5:1), was the head of a priestly family who returned with Zerubbabel; this implies Zechariah was a priest and a prophet. These details are apparent from his interest in the temple and the priesthood and also from his preaching in the Books of Chronicles.
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