King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
¶ And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, [that] the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth [day] of the ninth month, [even] in Chisleu;
Complete Jewish Bible:
In the fourth year of King Daryavesh, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Kislev, a message from ADONAI came to Z'kharyah.
Berean Standard Bible:
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 Chislev.
American Standard Version:
And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chislev.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And it came to pass in the fourth{H702} year{H8141} of king{H4428} Darius{H1867}, that the word{H1697} of the LORD{H3068} came unto Zechariah{H2148} in the fourth{H702} day of the ninth{H8671} month{H2320}, even in Chisleu{H3691};
Cross-References (KJV):
Nehemiah 1:1
- ¶ The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
Zechariah 1:1
- ¶ In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
Ezra 6:14
- And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished [it], according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
Ezra 6:15
- And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
Haggai 2:10
- ¶ In the four and twentieth [day] of the ninth [month], in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
Haggai 2:20
- ¶ And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth [day] of the month, saying,
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Commentary for Zechariah 7:1
Zechariah 7:1 sets the scene for a significant moment in the post-exilic period of Judah's history. The verse specifies the timing of the prophecy as the fourth year of King Darius's reign, which would be around 518 BCE, and the ninth month, Chisleu, in the Hebrew calendar, which corresponds to November-December. This places the event approximately sixteen years after the fall of Babylon to the Persians and about the same duration since the first group of Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity.
The historical context is crucial: the Jews are in the process of rebuilding their society and, most importantly, the Temple in Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. King Darius, the ruler of the Persian Empire, had allowed the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple, as prophesied by Jeremiah and confirmed by Darius's predecessor, Cyrus the Great.
The themes introduced by this verse include God's continued communication with His people through the prophets, the importance of the Temple in Jewish religious life, and the restoration of Jerusalem. It also reflects the broader biblical theme of God's faithfulness to His covenant promises, despite the judgment that had led to the exile. The specific mention of the date is characteristic of the book of Zechariah, emphasizing the precision and reliability of the prophetic message, which is about to unfold concerning fasting and the nature of true religion.
In summary, Zechariah 7:1 situates the subsequent prophecies within a historically precise setting, highlighting the ongoing process of restoration for the people of Judah under Persian rule, and the central role of divine revelation in guiding the community's spiritual and physical reconstruction.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H702
There are 383 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אַרְבַּע
Transliteration: ʼarbaʻ
Pronunciation: ar-bah'
Description: masculine אַרְבָּעָה; from רָבַע; four; four. - Strong's Number: H8141
There are 647 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שָׁנֶה
Transliteration: shâneh
Pronunciation: shaw-neh'
Description: (in plural or (feminine) שָׁנָה; from שָׁנָה; a year (as a revolution of time); [phrase] whole age, [idiom] long, [phrase] old, year([idiom] -ly). - Strong's Number: H4428
There are 1922 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מֶלֶךְ
Transliteration: melek
Pronunciation: meh'-lek
Description: from מָלַךְ; a king; king, royal. - Strong's Number: H1867
There are 10 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: דָּֽרְיָוֵשׁ
Transliteration: Dârᵉyâvêsh
Pronunciation: daw-reh-yaw-vaysh'
Description: of Persian origin; Darejavesh, a title (rather than name) of several Persian kings; Darius. - Strong's Number: H1697
There are 1290 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: דָּבָר
Transliteration: dâbâr
Pronunciation: daw-baw'
Description: from דָבַר; a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause; act, advice, affair, answer, [idiom] any such (thing), because of, book, business, care, case, cause, certain rate, [phrase] chronicles, commandment, [idiom] commune(-ication), [phrase] concern(-ing), [phrase] confer, counsel, [phrase] dearth, decree, deed, [idiom] disease, due, duty, effect, [phrase] eloquent, errand, (evil favoured-) ness, [phrase] glory, [phrase] harm, hurt, [phrase] iniquity, [phrase] judgment, language, [phrase] lying, manner, matter, message, (no) thing, oracle, [idiom] ought, [idiom] parts, [phrase] pertaining, [phrase] please, portion, [phrase] power, promise, provision, purpose, question, rate, reason, report, request, [idiom] (as hast) said, sake, saying, sentence, [phrase] sign, [phrase] so, some (uncleanness), somewhat to say, [phrase] song, speech, [idiom] spoken, talk, task, [phrase] that, [idiom] there done, thing (concerning), thought, [phrase] thus, tidings, what(-soever), [phrase] wherewith, which, word, work. - Strong's Number: H3068
There are 5521 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יְהֹוָה
Transliteration: Yᵉhôvâh
Pronunciation: yeh-ho-vaw'
Description: from הָיָה; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God; Jehovah, the Lord. Compare יָהּ, יְהֹוִה. - Strong's Number: H2148
There are 43 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: זְכַרְיָה
Transliteration: Zᵉkaryâh
Pronunciation: zek-ar-yaw'
Description: or זְכַרְיָהוּ; from זָכַר and יָהּ; Jah has remembered; Zecarjah, the name of twenty-nine Israelites; Zachariah, Zechariah. - Strong's Number: H8671
There are 17 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: תְּשִׁיעִי
Transliteration: tᵉshîyʻîy
Pronunciation: tesh-ee-ee'
Description: ordinal from תֵּשַׁע; ninth; ninth. - Strong's Number: H2320
There are 224 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֹדֶשׁ
Transliteration: chôdesh
Pronunciation: kho'-desh
Description: from חָדַשׁ; the new moon; by implication, a month; month(-ly), new moon. - Strong's Number: H3691
There are 2 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: כִּסְלֵו
Transliteration: Kiçlêv
Pronunciation: kis-lave'
Description: probably of foreign origin; Kisleu, the 9th Hebrew month; Chisleu.