Even in the form of the visions a careful criticism might perhaps discover some traces of the prophet's early training. Possibly the " valley of myrtles" in the tirst vision may have been suggested by ChakUca rather than by Palestine. At any rate, it is a curious fact that myrtles are rarely mentioned in the history of the Jews before the Exile. They are found, besides this passage of Zechariah, in Isa. xli, 19; Iv, 13, and in Neh. viii, 15. The forms of trial in the third vision, where Joshua the high-priest is arraigned, seem bor- rowed from the practice of Persian rather than Jewish courts of law. The tilthy garments in which Joshua appears are those which the accused must assume when brought to trial. The white robe put upon him is the caftan or robe of honor, which to this day in the East is put upon the minister of state who has been acquitted of tile charges laiil against him. The vision of the woman in the Ephah is also Oriental in its character. Ewald refers to a very similar vision in Tod's Rajasthnn, ii, 688. Finally, the chariots issuing from between two mountains of brass must have been suggested, there can scarcely be any doubt, by some Persian symbolism. — Smith. See Zpxhariah, Book of.
25. The leader of the one hundred and fifty "sons" of Pharosh who returned with Ezra (Ezra viii, 3). B.C. 459.
26. The leader of the twenty-eight "sons" of Bebai, who came up from Babylon with Ezra (Ezra viii, 11). B.C. 459,
27. One of the chiefs of the people whom Ezra sum- moned in council at the river Ahava, before the second caravan returned from Babylon (Ezra viii, IG). B.C. 459. He stood at Ezra's left hand when he expounded the law to the people (Neh. viii, 4).
28. (Sept.Z«;;^op(a.) One of the family of Elam, who had married a foreign wife after the Captivity (Ezra x, 2t)). B.C. 458.
29. One of the priests, son of Jonathan, who blew with the trumpets at the deilication of the city wall by Ezra and Nehemiah (Neh. xii, 35, 41 ). B.C. 446.
ZECHARIAH, Book of. The time and personal circumstances of the prophet whose name this book bears have been considered above. It remains to dis-
cuss the prophecies themselves, and especially their au- tiienticity. In doing this, we make use largely of the article in Smith's Diet, of the Bible.
I. Contents — Tiie book naturally falls into two prin- cipal divisions, which, as will be seen more fully in tiie sequel, are marked not only by certain peculiarities of expression, but obviously by the absence of any histor- ical data in the latter portion such as are given in the former.
(I.) The first part, embracing ch. i-viii, divides itself into three sections by the chronological indications given respectively in i, 1,7, and vii, 1 ; and these are still fur- ther subdivided by the recurrence of the phrase " the word of the Lord came unto me." This part, therefore, consists, tirst, of a short introduction or preface, in which the prophet announces his commission ; tlien of a series of visions, descriptive of all those hopes and anticipa- tions of which the building of the Temple was the idedge and sure foundation ; and finally of a discourse, delivered two years later, in reply to questions respect- ing the observance of certain established fasts.
1. The short introductory oracle (i, 1-6) is a warning voice from the past. The prophet solemnly reminds tlie people, by an appeal to the experience of their fa- thers, that no word of God had ever fallen to the ground ; and that therefore, if with sluggish indiffer- ence they refused to co-operate in the building of the Temple, they must expect the judgments of God. This warning manifestly rests upon the former warnings of Haggai.
2. In a dream of the night there passed before the eyes of the prophet a series of nine (essentially seven) visions, followed by an emblematical scene, descriptive in their different aspects of events, some of them short- ly to come to pass, and others losing themselves in the mist of the future (i, 7-vi, 15). These visions are ob- scure, and accordingly the prophet asks their mean- ing. The interpretation is given, not as to Amos by Jehovah himself, but by an angel who knows the mind and will of Jehovah, who intercedes with him for oth- ers, and by whom Jehovah speaks and issues his com- mands; at one time he is called " the angel who spake with me" [or " by me"] (i, 9) ; at another, " the angel of Jehovah" (ver. 11, 12; iii, 1-6).
(1.) In the first vision (i, 8-17) the prophet sees, in a valley of myrtles, a rider upon a roan horse, accom- panied by others who, having been sent forth to the four quarters of the earth, had returned with the ti- dings that the whole earth was at rest (with reference to Hagg. ii, 20). Hereupon the angel asks how long this state of things shall last, and is assured that the indif- ference of the heathen shall cease, and that the Temple shall be built in Jerusalem. This vision seems to have been partly borrowed from Job i, 7, etc.
(2.) The second vision (ii, 1-17, A. V. i, 18-ii, 13) ex- plains how the promise of the first is to be fulfilled, and is composed of three separate emblems. The four horns are the sj'mbols of the different heathen kingdoms in the four quarters of the world, which have hitherto combined against Jerusalem. The four carpenters or smiths symbolize their destruction. The measuring- line betokens the vastly exten<led area of Jerusalem, owing to the rapid increase of the new population. The old prophets, in foretelling the happiness and glory of the times which should succeed the Captivity in Baby- lon, had made a great part of that liappiness and gk)ry to consist in the gathering together again of the whole dispersed nation in the land given to their fathers. This vision was designed to teach that the expectation thus raised — the return of the dispersed of Israel — should be fulfilled; that Jerusalem should be too large to be compassed about by a wall, but that Jehovah him- self would be to her a wall of fire — a light and defence to the holy city, and destruction to her adversaries. A song of joj', in prospect of so bright a future, closes the scene.