And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.

Of the half tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah: of Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner:

Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, even to Benhail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.

Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;

And he had brethren the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah: all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.

And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.

And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.

Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah:

And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and other of the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of music.

24:15 an hundred and thirty years old. Jehoiada lived far longer than any others of his generation. He was the uncle of King Joash, as well as high priest, and was almost solely responsible for preserving the Davidic line and the true faith of Jehovah during the critical reign of the pagan queen Athaliah. In fact, he was largely responsible for leading the country in its great reforms under the long reign of Joash, who became an apostate after Jehoiada died. When Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah, rebuked him for this, Joash slew him.

35:24 all Judah and Jerusalem mourned. This mourning was so great that Zechariah later compared Israel’s future mourning over Messiah’s second coming to it (Zechariah 12:11). Josiah, their greatest king since David, had been slain in the valley of Megiddo (II Chronicles 35:22).

Introduction to Ezra Ezra is identified as “a ready scribe in the law of Moses” (Ezra 7:6). He is also called “Ezra the priest” (Ezra 7:11), a descendant of “Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest” (Ezra 7:1-5). Although not all conservative scholars agree, it is reasonably certain that Ezra himself wrote the book, as well as the two books of Chronicles. The last two verses of II Chronicles are almost the same as the first two verses of Ezra, the author thereby indicating that the one was intended as a continuation of the other. The combined accounts of Ezra and Nehemiah, along with the prophetic books of Haggai and Zechariah, tell the story of the returning remnant of Jews after their seventy-year captivity in Babylon, undertaking to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, its walls and the temple. It is interesting that, just as the exile from the land took place in three separate stages (II Chronicles 36:5-7; 36:8-10; 36:11-20), so the return took place in three stages. First, the returning remnant was led by Zerubbabel, as governor, together with Jeshua the high priest. They rebuilt the temple and reestablished the ancient worship. This story is recounted in the first six chapters of Ezra. It was during this period, extending over about eighty years, that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah exercised their ministry, encouraging the people to continue the work in spite of much opposition. The decree of the Persian emperor Cyrus, in about 536 B.C., initiated this phase. The second group came under Ezra, in about 458 B.C. following a decree by Artaxerxes that gave Ezra both political and religious authority over Jerusalem, as well as financing to furnish the rebuilt temple and restore it to some measure of its former dignity and beauty. The third wave came after another decree by Artaxerxes in about 445 B.C. given to Nehemiah, whose main commission was to rebuild the walls of the city. This mission is described in the book of Nehemiah. There are two sections of Ezra (4:8–6:18; 7:12-26) that were written in Aramaic. These were essentially letters and decrees, and presumably Ezra simply copied them as they were, without translating them into Hebrew (Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the Near East at the time). It is also worth noting that one of the apocryphal books, I Esdras, purports to have been written by Ezra. However, it contains a number of contradictions with the canonical book of Ezra, with the latter rather obviously providing the true record.

7:18 that do. The temple, having been completed under the leadership of Zerubbabel several decades previously, had fallen into disrepair despite the prophetic preaching of Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 5:1,2; 6:15). The offerings and sacrifices were being neglected and the general moral character of the people had deteriorated. Therefore God, through Artaxerxes, sent Ezra and Nehemiah, as well as the prophet Malachi, to stir up their hearts.

13:1 how long. Compare Psalm 90:13; Zechariah 1:12; Psalm 74:10; etc. The poignant question is often raised by suffering believers wanting to see God work. It is found first in Psalm 6:3 and last in Revelation 6:10. Christians today have been anxiously awaiting the return of Christ for many years, and they ask (and even sing!) the same great question. He will come, perhaps today!

17:8 apple of the eye. This phrase (meaning “pupil of the eye”) is also used in Deuteronomy 32:10 (see note); Proverbs 7:2; Lamentations 2:18; Zechariah 2:8.

22:16 pierced my hands. The piercing of His hands and feet is a clear reference to the nails which affixed Him to the cross (note also John 20:25-28; Zechariah 12:10; 13:6; John 19:37; Revelation 1:7).

47:2 King over all the earth. The fulfillment of the promises of this psalm applies primarily to the future, when Christ will indeed reign physically over all the earth and Israel will finally occupy her place as the center of His kingdom (Isaiah 2:2-4; Zechariah 14:9).

65:7 stilleth the noise of the seas. The roar of a troubled sea is analogous to the tumult of quarreling anxious nations (Luke 21:25). Only the Lord Himself can still the waves (Matthew 8:26), speak peace to the nations (Zechariah 9:10) and calm the troubled soul (Isaiah 26:3).

67:2 among all nations. This beautiful psalm of just seven verses looks forward to a literal fulfillment in the coming age of God’s kingdom on earth (Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:1-10; Zechariah 14:9,16; Revelation 20:1-4; etc.). Psalm 68 (title) A Song or Psalm. This is the last, longest and most triumphantly rejoicing of David’s six psalms headed “A Song or Psalm.” See note on Psalm 66.