Teaching Notes Book of Zechariah - Chapters 7 and 8
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Quarantine Day 77.
Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia
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Zechariah 7
New International Version
Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting
7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.
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[About 518 BCE] [Kislev is an autumn month which occurs in November–December on the Gregorian calendar and is sometimes known as the month of dreams].
"Darius I (l. c. 550-486 BCE, r. 522-486 BCE), also known as Darius the Great, was the third Persian King of the Achaemenid Empire. His reign lasted 36 years, from 522 to 486 BCE; during this time the Persian Empire reached its peak. Darius led military campaigns in Europe, Greece, and even in the Indus valley, conquering lands and expanding his empire. Not only resuming to military prowess, Darius also improved the legal and economic system and conducted impressive construction projects across the Persian Empire".
From:
https://www.ancient.eu/Darius_I/
^^^
2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the Lord 3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? 7 Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’”
8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.
13 “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. 14 ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’”
Zechariah 8
New International Version
The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem
8 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”
3 This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.”
4 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. 5 The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?” declares the Lord Almighty.
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. 8 I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets said who were present when the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty. 10 Before that time there were no wages for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the Lord Almighty.
12 “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. 13 Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse[a] among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing.[b] Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”
14 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the Lord Almighty, 15 “so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid. 16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; 17 do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord.
18 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.
19 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”
20 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.”
23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”
Footnotes
Zechariah 8:13 That is, your name has been used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, you have been regarded as under a curse.
Zechariah 8:13 Or and your name will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or and you will be seen as blessed
New International Version
Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting
7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev.
^^^
[About 518 BCE] [Kislev is an autumn month which occurs in November–December on the Gregorian calendar and is sometimes known as the month of dreams].
"Darius I (l. c. 550-486 BCE, r. 522-486 BCE), also known as Darius the Great, was the third Persian King of the Achaemenid Empire. His reign lasted 36 years, from 522 to 486 BCE; during this time the Persian Empire reached its peak. Darius led military campaigns in Europe, Greece, and even in the Indus valley, conquering lands and expanding his empire. Not only resuming to military prowess, Darius also improved the legal and economic system and conducted impressive construction projects across the Persian Empire".
From:
https://www.ancient.eu/Darius_I/
^^^
2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the Lord 3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? 7 Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’”
8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.
13 “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. 14 ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’”
Zechariah 8
New International Version
The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem
8 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”
3 This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.”
4 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. 5 The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?” declares the Lord Almighty.
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. 8 I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets said who were present when the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty. 10 Before that time there were no wages for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the Lord Almighty.
12 “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. 13 Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse[a] among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing.[b] Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”
14 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the Lord Almighty, 15 “so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid. 16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; 17 do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord.
18 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.
19 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”
20 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.”
23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”
Footnotes
Zechariah 8:13 That is, your name has been used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, you have been regarded as under a curse.
Zechariah 8:13 Or and your name will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or and you will be seen as blessed
Zechariah 4Q80 Dead Sea Scrolls 50BCE
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Manuscripts of the 12 Manuscripts
https://www.bible.ca/manuscripts/bible-manuscripts-Septuagint-twelve-Greek-Minor-prophets-scroll-Nahal-Hever-Bar-Kochba-Cave-of-Horrors-letters-Dodekapropheton-Greek-8HevXIIgr-50BC.htm
The Greek Septuagint Twelve Minor Prophets scroll (2100 years old)
Introduction:
1. The Greek minor prophets scroll was discovered in 1952 AD is one of the most important archeological finds ever.
a. Dodekapropheton is the Greek name for the 12 prophets as a collection.
b. It is a scroll of the entire 12 minor prophets even though much of the text is destroyed over time.
c. It shows the Bible we hold today is the same as it was before the time of Christ.
d. It proves the entire Old Testament was translated by Jews into Greek before the time of Christ.
2. The Greek minor prophets scroll dates to about 50 BC:
a. “Dating Conclusion: Both hands give the impression of belonging to the late Ptolemaic or early Roman period. Some features favour an earlier rather than a later date; no feature recommends a later rather than an earlier date.” (Greek Minor Prophets Scroll from Nahal Hever, Emanuel Tov, p25, 1990 AD)
b. Late Ptolemaic is 100-30 BC and Early Roman begins at 30 BC.
c. So Emanuel Tov, a Jewish Scholar living in Israel dates the Greek scroll to before the Birth of Christ and favours the “early date” ie. Before the Roman Era.
3. There are two caves where scrolls were found: Cave 8 “Cave of Horrors” and Cave 5-6 “Cave of Letters”
4. The Greek minor prophets scroll was discovered at cave 8 in the Nahal Hever which is located about 5 km south of En Gedi
a. Nahal (river) Hever (Hebron = friend) means “river of the friend”. The town of Hebron is due west.
b. During the Bar Kochba rebellion of 135 AD, also known as the “Second Jewish War with Rome”, the rebel Zealot had moved from Qumran, Gamla and Kh. El Maqatir to Masada and the two caves high in the hills of the Nahal Hever.
c. Cave 8 is known as the “Cave of Horrors” (Ma'arat Ha'Eimim) because 40 skeletons were found here, the remains of those seeking refuge during the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Archaeologists found three ostraca, which had been placed on the skeletons, inscribed with the names of the deceased.
d. The Romans killed the rebel Jews by smoke inhalation by setting fires at the entrance.
e. In 1952 AD skeletons of Men, women and children were excavated and reburied in the inner cave area.
f. The scroll of the 12 prophets represented a high value possession to these Jews in 135 AD, being 200 years old at the time.
g. Fragments of Jewish prayers were found in Aramaic.
5. In the “Cave of Letters” (cave 5-6) the following was found letters that date from 94-132 AD and included three collections:
a. A leather waterskin containing 15 letters (in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek), most of which were sent by Shim'on Bar Kohkba (Shim'on b. Kosiba), the leader of the Bar Kohkba revolt.
b. A wrapped package stored inside a leather purse, containing 35 personal financial records, belonging to a woman named Babatha.
c. Five contracts belonging to Eleazar ben Shmuel, a farmer from Ein Gedi.
d. Four languages were used on the manuscripts: Greek, Hebrew, Nabatean, Aramaic
e. Of special note is that all the scripture manuscripts were in Aramaic also known as “Square Hebrew”. This is a different language and Mosaic Hebrew and modern Hebrew. Remember, in the first century Hebrew was almost extinct being used only by the Jerusalem temple elites.
f. Three other special documents were found in the Cave of Letters (cave 5-6):
i. Marriage Contract (5/6Hev37) A woman named Babata who was married and divorced/widowed twice had a marriage contract in her possession that was found in cave 5-6. It was written by husband which said, "If I [Babata's husband] die before you, you will live in my house and receive maintenance from it and from my possessions.". (5/6Hev37, Babata marriage contract, 135 AD)
ii. Sale Contract (5/6Hev47)
iii. Redemption of a Writ of Seizure (5/6Hev36)
I. The Greek 12 minor prophets scroll of the Septuagint
1. The Greek scripture scroll (cave 8) is the longest scroll ever found in Israel at 32 feet long and are currently housed in the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem.
a. Two different men wrote the entire scroll. We know this by graphology of textual styles that point to two different “hands” through handwriting analysis.
b. Printed on vellum (animal skin) with carbon ink.
c. Many skins were joined to create a scroll 10 meters long and 35 cm high.
2. The document is in Greek expect for Mosaic Hebrew (Paleo-Hebrew) where they wrote the name of God YHWH in the extinct Hebrew alphabet.
a. Other documents found at the same time would use four stars **** as an early “nomina sacra” substitution.
b. This substitution of Mosaic Hebrew for Greek in the name of God is probably the very beginning point of “nomina sacra”.
c. Nomina sacra developed into the Christian era and became almost ridiculous because they would create substitutional abbreviations for other “sacred” things including: God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Saviour, Cross, Christ etc.
d. While Christians eventually abandoned the practice of nomina sacra altogether, the Jews continue the practice by writing the word God in English as G-D where a dash is substituted for the letter O.
e. Of course the ultimate substitution was provided by the Holy Spirit himself in the 27 books of the New Testament that consistently substitute KURIOS (Greek for “Lord”) for YHWH in all Old Testament quotations in the New Testament.
f. Jehovah’s Witnesses, in their standard delusional ignorant bliss, will point to YHWH written in Mosaic Hebrew as proof that their New World Translation (NWT) is superior to all other Bibles because they “RESTORED” the name of God with Jehovah. Since a Jw is forbidden to read non-Watchtower religious materials on the internet, their knowledge is no greater than what the Watchtower tells them. To illustrate their unscholarly delusions, almost no JW even knows that the letter “J” does not exist in Greek, Hebrew. Worse still, not even English, which was derived directly from Hebrew, had a letter “J” before about 1650 AD. The 1611 AD KJV for example, does not have contain a single “J”. They spelled Jesus’ name as IESUS instead. So the NWT very modern substitution of JEHOVAH for the original autograph KURIOS in the Greek New Testament is beyond bizarre. There are no known Hebrew copies of Matthew, only rumours. And if these rumors were true, it was probably a translation from the original Greek Matthew into Hebrew. Of course 100% of Greek new testament manuscripts use KURIOS (LORD) and NEVER use YHWH. So it was the Holy Spirit “who willed” the substitution of Kurios for YHWH throughout the New Testament. Of course none of the truthful information ever phases a JW because they blindly follow the Watchtower Magazine when it contradicts the Bible. Jesus said, “leave them alone, they are blind guides”.
3. The 12 minor prophets are all accounted for but extant fragments exist only for Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Zechariah. Here are the actual sections of text that have survived and can be read today. The rest is lost due to damage and decay over 2100 years.
a. Jonah 1:14-2:7; 3:2-5; 3:7-4:2; 4:5.
b. Mic 1:1-8; 2:7-8; 3:5-6; 4:3-5; 4:6-10; 5:1(2)-6(7).
c. Nah 1:13-14; 2:5-10; 2:13-14; 3:3; 3:6-17.
d. Hab 1:5-11; 1:14-2:8; 2:13-20; 3:8-15.
e. Zeph 1:1-6; 1:13-18; 2:9-10; 3:6-7.
f. Zech 1:1-4; 1:12-15; 2:2-4(1:19-21); 2:6-12(2-8); 2:16(12)-3:2; 3:4-7; 8:19-21; 8:23-9:5.
4. The Greek scroll of the 12 minor prophets has clear signs of correction of the Greek text to fit it to the Hebrew text then current.
a. It is almost identical to our modern text in our bibles today but small differences do exist.
b. The does not necessarily mean the scroll was translated from an older text that was corrected with a different new text. Most of the differences can be explained by the original translators trying to convey the meaning from Hebrew into Greek. Just like our modern English Bibles differ widely in specific words used and word order, in the end they all say basically the identical thing.
c. What is most interesting, is that the text sometimes agrees with the both the LXX and Masoretic, while in other cases differs from them both, while in other cases agrees with the LXX over the Masoretic and vice versa.
No claim to (c) owned by Steve Rudd: November 2017
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Bible Project
Overview: Zechariah
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Zechariah is specific about dating his writing (520–518 BC).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Zechariah
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Dead Sea Scrolls Bible Translations
http://dssenglishbible.com/scroll4Q80.htm
Commentary on Zechariah 7
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/kdo/zechariah-7.html
Commentary on Zechariah 8
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/kdo/zechariah-8.html
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How to Read the Bible: The Prophets
Bible Project
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Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament is a derivative of a public domain electronic edition.
Keil, Carl Friedrich & Delitzsch, Franz. "Commentary on Zechariah 7:8". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/kdo/zechariah-3.html. 1854-1889.
No claim to (c) owned by Steve Rudd: November 2017
17 USC § 107 Fair Use. No claim of monetary remuneration on same.
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END
"Hugh C. Wood", "Hugh Wood", King Darius, Peachtree Church, Zechariah 7, Zechariah 8, 4Q80, 4Q76, Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting, Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem
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