Holy to the Lord: An Interpretation of Zechariah 14 (original) (raw)

Through a Glass Darkly: Zechariah's Unprocessed Visionary Experience

Vetus Testamentum, 2008

Th is article proposes a new interpretation of Zechariah's vision report. Zechariah's vision report has the distinct quality of an unprocessed description of a visionary experience without much ideological reflection and it attempts to impose ideological meanings onto a multivalent experience. Th is statement is suggested primarily by the often confused quality of the account, in combination with its interpretative openness. It is further supported by the existence of later textual additions (e.g. Zech. i 14-17; ii 10-17; iii 8b, 10; iv 6b-10a) which serve to accredit Zechariah's originally pristine report with religious and political significance.

2011 Zephaniah: How This Book Became Prophecy

Lester L. Grabbe, Martti Nissi­nen (ed.), Constructs of Prophecy in the Former and Latter Prophets and Other Texts, Ancient Near East Monographs 4, Atlanta: SBL press, 2011

The book of Zephaniah, and the first part of it (Zeph 1:1-2:3) in particular, forms a good example of the possibility that a prophetic tradition did not start with the preaching of an individual prophet in a particular historical setting, but that prophecy came into being only in course of the literary growth of a writing, which-moreover-was at first non-prophetic. Though no more than fifty-three masoretic verses in length, the book reads as an extremely heterogeneous composition. Prophetic speech and divine speech change frequently, and with no obvious reason. There is also a sudden change of addressees, and the themes of the book vary greatly-"a rather remarkable package for so brief a book." 1 Usually the literary nature of the book is explained as being a collection of short prophetic sayings, composed by the pupils of the prophet or by later editors. The text is seen as built on individual units, comparable to collections like the book of Proverbs or a law-book like the Covenant Code. In collections of proverbs or of law, each short literary unit has its own independent origin. According to this view unity is lacking because the literary entities stem from different situations and from different times addressed by the prophet. If the collection shows a meaningful order (which may be lacking), this is put down to secondary arrangement. However, this model does not fit in explaining the

The Return of YHWH in Zechariah 8:1-6: Past, Present, or Future? (Th.M. Thesis)

This Th.M. thesis argues that Zechariah 8:3 presents YHWH as having already returned to Jerusalem in a spatially imminent sense before the completion of the second temple. In response to scholars that interpret שַׁבְתִּי in Zechariah 8:3 as future, this paper offers a corrective that this verb should be taken as past tense to denote that YHWH has already taken up residence among his people in Jerusalem. The paper argues that a past tense interpretation of שַׁבְתִּי in Zechariah 8:3 is consistent with recent research by John A. Cook and Max Rogland regarding the suffixed (qatal) conjugational form. Furthermore, cognate accusatives and other features form a literary arc in Zechariah 1:1–6, 1:14–17, and 8:2–3 that supports reading שַׁבְתִּי in 1:15 and 8:3 as past tense. In order to demonstrate that Zechariah 8 portrays YHWH as spatially present in the environs of Jerusalem amid his people, the paper undertakes brief intertextual studies to argue that Zechariah 8 draws upon the theology of YHWH being present without a sanctuary or temple in Haggai and Exodus 24–29. The paper concludes with a brief argument that the prophecies in Zechariah 2 and 8 amplify the temple visions in Ezekiel 40–48 without abrogating them. This argument offers a corrective to scholars who see Zechariah as a “corrective” to Ezekiel.

Exile and Re-exile in Zechariah and the Twelve

This paper plots the theme of exile across the Twelve, exploring its implications for theodicy and hope. Of particular focus is the idea in Zechariah 12–14 that Jerusalem will have to endure another attack by the nations, but after initial devastation and “re-exile”, YHWH will deliver his people with a glorious outcome. This paper examines how Zechariah draws on Israel’s past history to paint a picture of the future and how this idea of “re-exile” functions in the Twelve, especially after many of the people of Judah have returned to the land after the exilic experience that the earlier prophets of the Twelve foresaw. Even though they have returned from Babylon and the temple has been rebuilt, the books of Zechariah and Malachi give evidence that the earlier judgment of God has not dealt decisively with the enduring problem of sin. These latter chapters of Zechariah speak of a further refining purification of Jerusalem that is needed before YHWH’s kingship over the earth is established in all its glory. Crucial to the presentation in Zechariah 9–14 is a future Davidic king whose death results in cleansing and a renewed covenant relationship between YHWH and his people, a message inspiring hope.

The Night Visions of Zechariah

This study covers Zechariah 1:1-6:15, a section that includes eight visions that the prophet saw in one night. The study is guided by Jesus' statement in John 5:39: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."