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Bible Dictionaries
Zechariah
Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary
or king of Israel, 2 Kings 14:29 . He succeeded his father Jeroboam II, A.M. 3220. He reigned but six months, and was murdered.
2. ZECHARIAH, son of Jehoiada, high priest of the Jews; probably the same as Azariah, 1 Chronicles 6:10-11 . He was put to death by the order of Joash, A.M. 3164, 2 Chronicles 24:20-22 . Some think this is the Zacharias mentioned Matthew 23:35 .
3. ZECHARIAH, the eleventh of the twelve lesser prophets, was the son of Barachiah, and the grandson of Iddo. He was born during the captivity, and came to Jerusalem when the Jews were permitted by Cyrus to return to their own country. He began to prophesy two months later than Haggai, and continued to exercise his office about two years. Like his contemporary Haggai, Zechariah begins with exhorting the Jews to proceed in the rebuilding of the temple; he promises them the aid and protection of God, and assures them of the speedy increase and prosperity of Jerusalem; he then emblematically describes the four great empires, and foretels the glory of the Christian church when Jews and Gentiles shall be united under their great High Priest and Governor, Jesus Christ, of whom Joshua the high priest, and Zerubbabel the governor, were types; he predicts many particulars relative to our Saviour and his kingdom, and to the future condition of the Jews. Many moral instructions and admonitions are interspersed throughout the work. Several learned men have been of opinion that the last six chapters were not written by Zechariah; but whoever wrote them, their inspired authority is established by their being quoted in three of the Gospels, Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27; John 19:37 . The style of Zechariah is so remarkably similar to that of Jeremiah, that the Jews were accustomed to observe, that the spirit of Jeremiah had passed into him. By far the greater part of this book is prosaic; but toward the conclusion there are some poetical passages which are highly ornamented. The diction is in general perspicuous, and the transitions to the different subjects are easily discerned.
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Watson, Richard. Entry for 'Zechariah'. Richard Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/wtd/z/zechariah.html. 1831-2.
