Zechariah
Chapter one
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 Zechariah chapter 1 has only 17 verses in the Hebrew Tanakh. Verse 18 in most translations is in the Hebrew Tanakh Chapter 2:1.
We see in this Chapter that Yahuweh first sends a warning to the Nation Israel in the direct Earthly interpretation. At verse 7 it switches then on to the visionary interpretation of the heavenly expectations. Verse 1: In the eight month in the second year of Daryahvesh (Darius) was the word of Yahuweh to Zecharyah, son of Berechyah son of Iddo , the prophet to say: This was in Oct-Nov. The years in those days were reckoned by spectacular happenings or by the reign of important Kings.
After the Jewish calendar was established, it appears that this was the year 3240 or 520 BCE.
Darius confirmed the decree made by Cyrus, see Ezra 6:1-12. Zecharyah means "Yahuweh remembers" His father Berechyah, meaning "Yahuweh blessed" could according to 1Chron.3:20 be a son of Zerubbabel some claim he was a brother of Zerubbabel from the royal line of Judah.
Iddo the grandfather was one of the priests returned with Zerubbabel see Neh.12:4. This means that Zecharyah was from priestly descent. This also could mean that Berechyah maybe was not family of Zerubbabel but just had the same name.
In Ezra 5:1; 6:14; Neh.12, Zecharyah is called the son of Iddo. Quit often grandfathers were called "the father off" and grandsons as "son off." Verse 2-3: The wrath of Yahuweh was on your fathers furiously. And say to them: "Thus says Yahuweh Tzevaot, you turn to me declares Yahuweh Tzevaot and I turn to you says Yahuweh Tzevaot" Tzevaot is usually translated with host. It comes from the the word also used for an army 'Tzava,' in de female form of Tzava'al. Tzevaot is actually the female plural and means 'many hosts.' The 'v' is the sound of a soft 'b'.

The translation, 'Lord of hosts' is a total misuse of the language. A better translation would be, 'Yahuweh hosts,' which means something like:

'Yahuweh in whom all the hosts, that is the total of the whole creation, are incorporated.'
It is a title of honour. Zecharyah uses the expression Yahuweh Tzevaot three times to stress the importance of the warning.
Verse 4 Do not you be like your fathers. As cried to them the prophets who were before, by saying: "Thus says Yahuweh Tzevaot 'You turn now from your ways, the evil ones, and from you doing the evil.'" And they listen not and paid no attention to me declares Yahuweh. This was said to people who just returned from exile, an exile their fathers had to undergo because they did not obey Yahuweh. Apparently they had the leaning to do the same.
Verse 5 Your fathers were are they? And the prophets, till for ever they live? Yahuweh indicates that this is all in the past , but He goes on that His Torah still stands.
Verse 6 But My words and My ordinances (law in general) as I commanded at My servants the Prophets, did not they overtake them your fathers? And they returned and they said: "So as considered Yahuweh Tzevaot to do to us according to our manners and according to our practice, so (He) dealt with us. Yahuweh says that His Torah overtook the Fathers in other words it caught up with them.
He then says that the Fathers admitted that Yahuweh had dealt with them according to His word given to them.
It seems from this that they did not really repent, but just took the punishment. This attitude still lives on in Judaism to day. Misfortunes are regarded as a punishment from Yahuweh.
From the Ketuvim Netzarim, meaning the Writings from the followers of Yeshua and Erroneously called New Testament, we can learn that misfortunes also could be allowed to happen as trials. These trials are there to learn from and help us grow in our trust in Yahuweh.
However, the nation Israel was forewarned of their misfortunes because of disobedience and this means they are not trials but punishments.
The descendants, should learn from these punishments. This is the warning given in the previous verses. Unfortunately this warning was and is again disregarded, with the result that the promised Shalom for the nation still has not been given.
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 With verse 6 this warning message is ended. The book continues then with a vision about things to come and for this Yahuweh spoke in a vision to Zecharyah some 3 months after the warning message.
Verse 7 In the day twenty and four of the eleventh month, which is month Shevat, in the year second of Daryavesh, was there word of Yahuweh to Zecharyah son of Berechyahoo son of Iddo the prophet to speak. The month Shevat is from the new moon in February into March.
Verse 8 I saw in the night and see a man mounted on a horse red and he stood between the myrtle trees that were in the valley and behind him horses ruddy, tawny and white. When we look at this in context, it appears that Yahuweh gave Zecharyah an order to speak about the vision Zecharyah saw, either at that time or maybe earlier.
Zecharyah then starts to relate what he had seen.
Verse 9 And (I) said: "what those my master?" And said to me the representative, the one talking to me, "I let you see what they, those." The Hebrew expression Malach is usually translated Angel, but this is sometimes confusing. The root meaning of Malach is representation.
Angel means messenger and although a Malach sometimes is a messenger it is not always the case. The context has to tell us.
Zecharyah introduces here the representative of Yahuweh who was speaking to Him. He was probably the one which brought the word of Yahuweh in verse 7.
From the context of the other verses it appears that this was the man on the red horse between the Myrtle trees.
Here it shows that the Biblical Hebrew grammar differs from the English grammar, but it is understandable and closer to the reality.
Verse 10 And answered the man, the one standing between the Myrtles, and said: "Those them which send Yahuweh in order to traverse the Earth." The man between the myrtle trees answered Zecharyah's question and then the ones patrolling started to give their report to this man, him being the representative of Yahuweh.
Verse 11 And they responded to (the) representative (of) Yahuweh the (one) standing between the myrtles and they said: "We traversed on Earth and behold all the Earth is settled and undisturbed." This is an symbolical representation. We can not conclude from this that men on horseback were going over the Earth.
Zecharyah is having a vision and in a vision happenings are represented by symbolical means.
Verse 12 And responded representative Yahuweh and said: "Yahuweh Tzevaot until when You not have compassion at Yerushalaim and at towns Yehudah, regarding (whom) You have been resentful this 70 years?" While the whole world is at rest and are unconcerned, Jerusalem and the towns of Juda are not, because Yahuweh is resentful about His Temple being in ruins, from 3174 till 3244 (586-515BCE).
The destruction of the Temple was caused by the Nations now peacefully at rest.
Verse 13 And responded Yahuweh to the representative, the (one) talking to me, (with) words good, words compassionate. Yahuweh was speaking to His representative in a comforting way, because he must have really been upset when he said those things in verse 12.
From these comforting words emerges a message to Zecharyah.
Verse 14 And said to me the representative, the (one) talking to me, "Call out to say: "So says Yahuweh Tzevaot, I am passionate for Yerushalaim and for Tziyon, passionate greatly."" Verse 15 And displeased intensely I (am), displeased towards the nations, the arrogant ones. Because I was displease yet a little but they aided towards evil. Most translations say "at ease" but the Hebrew "hasa'ananiem" also can mean the "arrogant ones" and since I am context related translating, this fits better then "at ease."
Yahuweh used the nations to punish Israel, which was not really pleasing to Yahuweh but had to be done. But then the nations tried to annihilate Israel and that displeased Yahuweh intensely.
This fits in very well with our own time. The nations are very arrogant against the word of Yahuweh and are very eager to displease Yahuweh by getting their hands on Jerusalem and trying to annihilate Israel. And Israel again takes no notion of the warning given via Zecharyah in verse 1-6.
Since the following has not been accomplished totally in the past, only partly, what follows has a very strong message for our own time, because these things are still going to happen.
Verse 16 Therefore so says Yahuweh, I return towards Yerushalaim in compassion. My house shall be build there, declares Yahuweh Tzevaot and line shall be extended over Yerushalaim. There is a possibility that the Hebrew word 'qav' for line, is erroneously copied. It is what the Scribes call the 'kethiv' and the 'gere', which they wrote in the margins, was in their opinion the original word and was in this case 'qavah,' which means among others, expectancy.
This word is used in the Hebrew text of the modern Tanakh. The text then would read according to the context: And expectancy shall be extended concerning Yerushalaim. This latter translation fits better, although lots of people have tried to explain the significance of the 'line,' because it did not make much sense to a lot of people.
When we look at Psalm 16:6, we see the same word 'qavaliym' translated as lines. But when we use the proper meaning of this word Ps 16: 6 first sentence, would read:
Expectations are offered unto me"
And this fits a lot better in the context and makes a lot more sense.
When we look ahead to 2:5 (1), we see that the word Chebel is used for a measuring line instead of Qavah and this makes the latter translation more acceptable.
Verse 17 Again proclaim in order to say: "So says Yahuweh Tzevaot: "Again shall distribute my cities from good and comfort Yahuweh again Tziyon and choose again for Yerushalaim."" Here ends the first Chapter in the Hebrew Tanakh, with the promise of Yahuweh to restore His favours to Jerusalem and the other cities of His land.
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