Zechariah is one of those names in the Bible that never stands alone. Since it’s a fairly popular name, there has to be more to describe who your subject is.
Do you mean King Zechariah, who was the son of King Jeroboam? Are you talking about the Prophet Zechariah? Or Zechariah, the priest who was John the Baptist’s father? Or do you mean any of the other Zechariahs in the Bible? Or someone named Zachariah?
I gravitate to John the Baptist’s father because I love how God wove their family into the story of Jesus’ birth.
How Many People Named Zechariah Appear in the Bible?
Zechariah was a fairly popular name throughout the Bible. There are roughly 33 references to men named Zechariah in the Bible. Evidently, it was a name that families were proud to name their male child.
According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Zechariah means “Jehovah is renowned or remembered,” but other sources say that the original Hebrew means “Yahweh remembers.”
Those two possible means indicate two very different things. Is God being remembered by His people in naming the child Zechariah? Or does the name celebrate that God remembers His people (especially this child)?
Let’s take a closer look at the three most referenced Zechariahs in the Bible to learn more about their roles in God’s story.
Who Was King Zechariah and Why Did He Only Rule Six Months?
Roughly 300-400 years after Moses, starting about 1,000 BC, the Israelites were no longer satisfied with the leaders that God provided them.
Saul failed, and young David was chosen to succeed him. David was called a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), though he sinned against God in several egregious ways. He died, and his son Solomon started well, building the first temple to the Lord, but soon became corrupted by foreign women and followed after their gods.
“God grew very angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel.” (1 Kings 11:9)
None of these men could rule in a way that pleased God.
It was time for judgment to fall on King Solomon. Rehoboam, his son, was made king of Israel. He refused advice to be kinder to the people than his father. At the same time, Jeroboam, one of Solomon’s previous counselors, was leaving Jerusalem when he met a prophet who told him God was taking the kingdom from Solomon—giving 10 of the 12 tribes for Jeroboam to rule.
Thus launched the divided kingdom of Judah in the north and Israel in the south. At that time, God told Jeroboam. “If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you” (1 Kings 11:37). In keeping with the previous kings’ pattern, Jeroboam did the opposite of everything God asked him to do.
From this time until the end of kings ruling Judah and Israel, there were 39 kings. Of these, only eight were good kings who followed the Lord—and all were leaders in Judah.
So what about King Zechariah, who ruled for only six months in 750 BC? Since he was a ruler in Israel, I think we can guess: “Zechariah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestors had done.” (2 Kings 15:9).
According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Zechariah was the great-great-grandson of King Jehu. God had promised Jehu his descendants would sit on the throne until the fourth generation because Jehu destroyed Baal worship in his time. Zechariah would be the last in this line. It was just a matter of time. He made it only six months because he was assassinated by a man named Shallum, who took over as king.
Nothing else is said about King Zechariah in the Bible. There would only be five more kings of Israel before God handed them over in their sin to the Assyrians.
What Was the Prophet Zechariah’s Message?
Zechariah was a man God chose to be a prophet to the Jews (the people of Judah) who had returned from exile in Babylon. He opens his book by saying that it was the second year of King Darius’ reign, which places the writing about 520 BC.
Zechariah’s first message from the Lord reminded exiles (who may have heard little of the one true God) who they followed:
“Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty. Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD.” (Zechariah 1:3-4)
The Jews’ first priority was rebuilding Solomon’s Temple, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians 70 years before when they conquered Judah. The people got to work but stopped for 14 years when enemies began attacking them.
God gave Zechariah and his contemporary Haggai a message for the people to return to work. Both the temple structure and the worship within would strengthen the people and honor the God of their ancestors.
The latter chapters of Zechariah contain many prophecies of the Messiah. He says this ruler will not come as expected but will be humble and ride on a donkey. He will proclaim peace to the nations. He will rescue His people, much like a good shepherd (Zechariah 9:9-16). A day will come when “a fountain of cleansing” will cleanse them from their sins (Zechariah 13:1). But as prophesied elsewhere, this Messiah will be rejected.
The Gospel Coalition summarizes God’s message via Zechariah to God’s people:
“After the horrors of the exile, God is renewing his commitment to restore Judah as his treasured people. They will still suffer more distress, but in the end God will judge the Gentile oppressors and Judah will produce the Messiah, who will rule over the whole world, bringing them to worship the true God.”
What Do We Know about John the Baptist’s Father Zechariah?
The book of Luke is the one gospel that recounts the story of the birth of John the Baptist and an incredible story about his father, Zechariah. A member of the priestly order, the Bible tells us that Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth did what God commanded, carefully following all His commandments and regulations (Luke 1:6).
One day when it was Zechariah’s turn to enter the temple and conduct priestly duties, he was met by an angel of the Lord. The angel tells him the good news that his wife, well past child-bearing years, would have a baby. The angel tells of all of the great things that this baby, to be named John, will do to usher in the Messiah. Zechariah questioned the angel Gabriel, and because he failed to believe, he was made mute until the baby was born (Luke 1:20).
With the birth of John, Zechariah’s mouth is unstopped. Luke 1:68-77 details how he is filled with the Holy Spirit and prophecies:
- God “has sent a mighty Savior . . . .”
- “. . . we will be saved from our enemies . . . .”
- “. . . you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.”
What Can We Learn About God Through These Three Zechariahs?
God’s will to redeem His people is woven throughout the whole Bible. He used a king, priest, and prophet to advance His kingdom even when it may have appeared otherwise. As humans, all were flawed, but each had an important part to play in advancing His will or teaching us important lessons about faith and futility.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Marinela Malcheva
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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