ZECHARIAH, BOOK OF

this is most observable, one feels a harking back that was not characteristic of the earlier prophecy — less of vital touch with present conditions and with the God in whose name he speaks. The centring of hope in prince and priest, with the consciousness that the great era of prophecy is past, sharply distinguishes Zechariah from his pre-exilic predecessors. In the visions, the machinery of apocalypse, introduced by Ezekiel, has been somewhat developed in its feature of angelic inter-mediaries. The characteristic apocalyptic spirit, how-ever, with its revelling In the blood of enemies, is noticeably lacking. Zechariah loves, rather, to dwell upon peace and prosperity, upon sin removed, and the Divine spirit inflowing. His message is rich and full, for he has caught the ethical enthusiasm of the great eighth-century prophets, and has enriched it by the spiritual insight of Jeremiah and the glorious hopes of the exilic prophets. Zechariah not only strove to get the Temple built, but also urged upon the builders those moral and spiritual truths without which the Temple and its worship would be hollow mockery.

u. Chaptehs 9-14. — 1. Critical analysis. — As early as 1653, it was maintained, in the interest of the accuracy of Mt 27'- '", that chs. 9-11 were written by Jeremiah. This view was soon adopted by several writers, and chs. 12-14 were connected with 9-11 as the work of the earlier prophet. Near the close of the 18th century, chs. 9-11 and 12-14 were distinguished as separate prophecies, dated respectively, from internal evidence, in the time of Hosea, and shortly after the death of Josiah. At about the same time, the view that 9-14 were really later than Zechariah was advocated. During the 19th century, each of the three general conclusions — (1) that the entire book is the work of Zechariah; (2) that 9-14 are pre-exilic; (3) that 9-14 are post-Zecharian — found many advocates. In the third quarter of the century, however, the first view was largely abandoned, and, after the thoroughgoing discussion of Stade, in 1881-2, the third view became almost completely dominant. Growing knowledge of the general course of development of prophetic and apocalyptic literature makes this conclusion more and more inevitable. How many separate prophecies, by different hands, may be embodied in these six chapters is not determinable with equal clearness. On the whole, however, 9-11 (with 13'-») seem distinct from 12-14. Less conclusive are the data which indicate distinct sections as beginning at 11* and 14i. It is not possible to connect chs. 9-14 positively with any known events in the post-exilic history. In general, the historical situation seems to be that of the years after Alexander's conquests and death, when the Egyptian and Syrian rulers struggled for the possession of Palestine. Possibly some of the material comes from the time just before or during the Maccabaean struggle.

2. Contents.^In 9'-ll' the oracle is one of doom upon Israel's neighbours, with promises of dominion and prosperity for Israel, restored to her land. The title burden of the word of Jehovah' is very unusual, occurring elsewhere only in Zee 12* and Mai 1^ The opening message of doom upon Israel's neighbouis bears outward resemblance to Amos^ but the ethical ground of Amos's denunciation is noticeably lacking. If v.' is rightly interpreted as referring to food ritually unclean, the contrast with the early proi^het is still more striking. V.8, with its comforting promise, seems to reflect the devastation of the Temple, as in the past. This is followed by the prediction of the coming king of peace — a beauti-ful lyric winch breaks in sharply upon the context, and is followed by a i>rediction of successful resistance to ^the Greeks, and victory given through Jehovah. The ^shepherds of Judah, Jehovah's flock, are condemned, and viotoiy is promised to the flock. The house of Judah shall be strengthened, and the house of Joseph restored to its land. In 11*-*', 13'-" the figure of the false shepherds, introduced in the preceding section, is worked out into an allegory of the false and true shepherd, in a way that enables the prophet to illustrate the frustration of God's beneficent purpose by the olsstinacy of His people, as

ZEDEKIAH

well as the evil character of their rulera. The three shepherds cut off in quick succession strongly suggest the conditions shortly before the Maccabsean uprismg, but the highly symbolic and somewhat imitative character of the prophecy renders it precarious to seek any exact picture of inunediate conditions; our ignorance, too, of large portions of the post-exilic age makes it impossible to say that some other time may not have furnished an equally appropriate occasion.

The second main division of che. 9-14, beginning with ch. 12, leads us immediately into the familiar apocalyptic conception introduced by Zephaniah, and developed by Ezekiel and Joel. The nations are assembled against Jerusalem, there to be consumed through the power of Jehovah. Hope centres in the house of David, and yet this house, it would seem, is now reduced to the position of merely one of the important families of the people. The closing verses of the first section in this mvision (13*-") indicate a time when prophecy is utterly degraded — idols, prophets, unclean spirit are evils to be removed. Ch. 14 gives another apocalyptic vision of the siege of Jerusalem. The onslaught is terrible, and the discomfiture of her enemies is wrought only after great affliction. In this little apocalypse the vengeful, proud hopes with which the wretched, persecuted Jews consoled themselves throughout the later pre-Christian centuries, and on into Christian times, find vivid expression. With these hopes there is clearly present that late, narrow, legalistic spirit which finds its climax of religious outlook in a wide recognition of the feasts, and in ceremonially clean boiling-pots for the sacrifices. It is evident that the closing oracle of this collection appended to Zechariah carries us far into 'the night of legalism,*

Hensy T. Fowi-er.

ZECHEB (1 Ch S!i) = 9" Zechariah.

ZECHBIAS.— An ancestor of Ezra (1 Es 8').

ZEDAD. — One of the points mentioned in defining the northern border of the Promised Land in Nu 34', and again in Ezekiel's ideal picture, Ezk 47". The reading is uncertain; not improbably it should be Zerad. The place may perhaps be identified with Khirbet SerOda, N. of Abil, E. of Merj 'AjOn, towards Hermon.

ZEDEKIAH.— 1. Son of Chenaanah, and one of Ahab's four hundred court prophets (1 K 22" "■ ", 2 Ch 18"i- 2»- ^). 2. A prophet deported to Babylon with Jehoiachln. He and another, named Ahab, are denounced by Jeremiah (292'-«i) for gross immorality as well as for falsely prophesying a speedy restoration from Babylon. It was probably their action as political agitators that brought on them the cruel punishment of being roasted in the fire by order of Nebuchadrezzar. 3. Son of Hananiah, one of the princes in the reign of Jehoiakim (Jer 36"). 4. A signatory to the covenant (Neh 10'). 6. See next article.

ZEDEKIAH, the last king of Judah before its fall at the hands of the Babylonians, is known to us not only from the historical books, but also from references in the Book of Jeremiah. He was the third son of Josiah to assume the royal title. Jehoahaz was deposed by the Pharaoh; Jehoiakim had a troubled reign of eleven years, and escaped the vengeance of Nebuchadrezzar by dying just before the Babylonian reached Jerusalem. The young Jehoiachln suffered for the sin of his father, being carried into captivity after three months of barren kingship. With him were carried away the chief men of Judah to the number of eight thousand, — Nebuchad-rezzar thinking thus to break the seditious temper of the people. Over the remnant left behind Zedekiah was made king. His earlier name, Mattaniah, was changed to Zedekiah (meaning 'righteousness of Jahweh'), to indicate that the Babylonian monarch, in punishing the treachery of Jehoiakim, had the God of Judah on his side (2 K 24"). We are told by Ezekiel (17"- '») that Zedekiah took an oath of allegiance to his suzerain. For Zarakes of 1 Es l'> see Zarakes.

Nebuchadrezzar's confidence that the people would be submissive after the severe lesson they had received was disappointed. The new men who came to the front