Zechariah 1: Return to Me
God calls the returned exiles to repent and shows Zechariah horsemen and craftsmen, promising mercy on Jerusalem and judgment on the nations that scattered Judah.
Zechariah 1 (WEB)
1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, Yahweh’s word came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
2 “Yahweh was very displeased with your fathers.
3 Therefore tell them: Thus says Yahweh of Armies: ‘Return to me,’ says Yahweh of Armies, ‘and I will return to you,’ says Yahweh of Armies.
4 Don’t you be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying: Thus says Yahweh of Armies, ‘Return now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings;’ but they did not hear, nor listen to me, says Yahweh.
5 Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?
6 But my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, didn’t they overtake your fathers? “Then they repented and said, ‘Just as Yahweh of Armies determined to do to us, according to our ways, and according to our practices, so he has dealt with us.’”
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, Yahweh’s word came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
8 “I had a vision in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in a ravine; and behind him there were red, brown, and white horses.
9 Then I asked, ‘My lord, what are these?’” The angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.”
10 The man who stood among the myrtle trees answered, “They are the ones Yahweh has sent to go back and forth through the earth.”
11 They reported to Yahweh’s angel who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked back and forth through the earth, and behold, all the earth is at rest and in peace.”
12 Then Yahweh’s angel replied, “O Yahweh of Armies, how long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which you have had indignation these seventy years?”
13 Yahweh answered the angel who talked with me with kind and comforting words.
14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of Armies: “I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
15 I am very angry with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, but they added to the calamity.”
16 Therefore thus says Yahweh: “I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy. My house shall be built in it,” says Yahweh of Armies, “and a line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.”’
17 “Proclaim further, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of Armies: “My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and Yahweh will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem.”’”
18 I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, four horns.
19 I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” He answered me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
20 Yahweh showed me four craftsmen.
21 Then I asked, “What are these coming to do?” He said, “These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up his head; but these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”
Zechariah 1 (KJV)
1 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,
2 The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers.
3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.
4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord.
5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
7 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, 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,
8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white.
9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.
10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.
11 And they answered the angel of the Lord 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.
12 Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?
13 And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.
14 So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
18 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.
19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.
20 And the Lord shewed me four carpenters.
21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.
Zechariah 1 (ASV)
1 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,
2 Jehovah was sore displeased with your fathers.
3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Return unto me, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts.
4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Return ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith Jehovah.
5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? and they turned and said, Like as Jehovah of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
7 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 son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
8 I saw in the night, and, behold, a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle-trees that were in the bottom; and behind him there were horses, red, sorrel, and white.
9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these are.
10 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.
11 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.
12 Then the angel of Jehovah answered and said, O Jehovah of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?
13 And Jehovah answered the angel that talked with me with good words, even comfortable words.
14 So the angel that talked with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
15 And I am very sore displeased with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.
16 Therefore thus saith Jehovah: I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies; my house shall be built in it, saith Jehovah of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem.
17 Cry yet again, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: My cities shall yet overflow with prosperity; and Jehovah shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
18 And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, four horns.
19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.
20 And Jehovah showed me four smiths.
21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head; but these are come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.
Summary
In the second year of Darius, God's word comes to Zechariah with a tender summons: return to me, and I will return to you. He warns the remnant not to be like their fathers, who ignored the former prophets and were overtaken by God's words until they finally repented and confessed that the Lord had dealt with them justly. Then, on a night in the month of Shebat, Zechariah is given his first vision: a man riding a red horse standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine, with other horses behind him, the Lord's patrol who report that all the earth is at rest. The angel of the Lord cries out, asking how long God will withhold mercy from Jerusalem, and Yahweh answers with kind and comforting words. He declares that he is jealous for Zion, very angry with the nations at ease, and has returned to Jerusalem with mercy, so that his house will be rebuilt and his cities will again overflow with prosperity. Zechariah then sees four horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem, and four craftsmen who come to terrify and cast down those horns. The chapter sets the tone for the whole book: a God who summons his people back, comforts the afflicted, and breaks the powers that oppress them.
Main Characters
- Zechariah — The prophet and priest who receives God's call to repentance and the first of the night visions, asking the angel to explain what he sees.
- Yahweh of Armies (the LORD) — The God who calls his people to return, declares himself jealous for Zion, and answers the angel's cry with kind and comforting words of mercy for Jerusalem.
- The angel who talked with Zechariah — The interpreting angel who guides Zechariah through the visions, explaining the horsemen, the horns, and the craftsmen.
- The horsemen, horns, and craftsmen — The patrol of horses who report the earth at rest, the four horns that scattered God's people, and the four craftsmen sent to cast those horns down.
Key Verse
Zechariah 1:3 (WEB)
Therefore tell them: Thus says Yahweh of Armies: ‘Return to me,’ says Yahweh of Armies, ‘and I will return to you,’ says Yahweh of Armies.
Lessons Learned
- God's word to a weary people begins with an invitation to come home to him.
- We are warned by the example of past generations who would not listen until judgment overtook them.
- God is intimately aware of the world's condition and of his people's suffering.
- The Lord is jealous for his people and will break the powers that scattered them.
- Repentance is answered by God's own return. “‘Return to me,’ says Yahweh of Armies, ‘and I will return to you’” (Zechariah 1:3, WEB). The call to turn carries a promise: God moves toward those who turn to him.
- We learn from the failures of those before us. “Don’t you be like your fathers… but they did not hear” (Zechariah 1:4, WEB). The hardness of past generations is a warning to soften our own hearts.
- God is jealous for his people. “I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy” (Zechariah 1:14, WEB). His love is not indifferent; he is fiercely committed to his own.
- God returns with mercy to rebuild. “I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy. My house shall be built in it” (Zechariah 1:16, WEB). His comfort is concrete—he restores what was ruined.
- Why do you think God's first message through Zechariah is a call to return rather than a vision of comfort?
- What lesson does God want the remnant to draw from their fathers' refusal to listen (1:4-6)?
- What does the vision of the horseman among the myrtle trees reveal about God's awareness of the world?
- How do the four horns and the four craftsmen together picture God's response to those who harm his people?
- Where is God inviting you to “return” to him, and what does it mean to trust that he will return to you?
- Before any comfort, God addresses the heart. The visions of hope mean little to a people still drifting from him, so he calls them home first (1:3). Yet even the call is gracious, joined to a promise. Grace and repentance belong together: God summons us back because he is already turning toward us.
- The fathers ignored the former prophets and were overtaken by God's words, finally admitting he had dealt with them justly (1:4-6). God holds up this history so the returned exiles will not repeat it. The point is hopeful as well as sobering: God's word always proves true, so it is wise to heed it now.
- The horsemen patrol the whole earth and report to the Lord, showing that nothing escapes God's notice (1:8-11). To a remnant who felt forgotten, the vision says their God is fully informed and at work, and his angel pleads for mercy on Jerusalem, which God grants with comforting words.
- The horns represent the nations that scattered Judah, and the craftsmen are sent to terrify and cast them down (1:18-21). Together they show that the very powers that broke God's people will themselves be broken. God's mercy to Zion and his judgment on her oppressors are two sides of one saving purpose.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to name, even silently, an area of drift or coldness, and to take God's promise to heart—that returning to him is met by his returning to us. As leader, keep the tone warm and hopeful, anchoring it in the mercy of 1:16.