Scientific commentary is given in parentheses after each verse.
Chapter 1
1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Barachiah, the son of Adda, the prophet: (Verbal suggestion by a Jewish hypnotist. The prophet Zechariah began his activity in the second year of the reign of Darius (520 BC). BC), that is, he was a contemporary of the prophet Haggai. In the book that has come down to us, named after Zechariah, only the first part belongs to the pen of Zechariah, or Protozachariah (chapters 1-8). The second part of the book (chapters 9-14) is a collection of various prophecies , voiced at different times and collected and revised in the Hellenistic era (III-II centuries BC. They are usually designated as chapters of Deuteronomy).
2 The Lord was angry with your fathers with great anger, (The reason for the anger is the departure from the “true” religion. Yahweh is angry like an ordinary person).
3 And you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord of hosts: Turn to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. (The priests of Judaism, through their prophets, “broadcast” to ordinary Jews what was beneficial for them – to lure the Jews by any means and make them their dumb slaves).
4 Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets called before, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Turn from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.” but they did not obey and did not heed Me, says the Lord. (This means that the so-called “Lord of Hosts” did not know that this would happen, and if he knew, he staged a performance show).
5 Where are your fathers? and the prophets, will they live forever? (Question about unfaithful fathers and prophets).
6 But did not My words and My decrees, which I commanded My servants the prophets, comprehend your fathers? and they turned and said: “As the Lord of hosts determined to deal with us according to our ways and according to our deeds, so he did to us.” (Rule of talion. The priests of Judaism considered their prophets to be slaves).
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month—this is the month of Shevat—in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Barachiah, the son of Adda, the prophet: (This is February 519 BC. The priests inspire with the word).
8 I saw at night: behold, a man on a red horse stands among the myrtle trees, which are in a depression, and behind him there are red, piebald and white horses – (Myrtle is a genus of evergreen shrubs and trees of the myrtle family. The horses symbolize a certain message. The original says: not on a red horse, but on a red one. Like Haggai, Zechariah apparently perceived the turbulent events of the first two years of Darius’s reign as sure indications of the approach of the “last day” and the advent of the messianic kingdom. But by 519 BC. BC Darius managed to restore calm in most of his power and deal with uprisings. Echoes of these events can be seen already in the first prophecy of Zechariah).
9 And I said: Who are they, my lord? And the angel who spoke to me said to me: I will show you who they are. (Messenger of the priests – the angel explains to the prophet what this means).