An extremely popular name in the Bible. "Zechariah" means “the Lord remembers.”
The son of King Jeroboam II, 15th king of Israel, and the last king from the Jehu’s dynasty. He began his rule in 753 BC, the 38th year of Azariah’s reign in Judah (792–740 BC). Zechariah ruled in Samaria for only six months before he was murdered by Shallum at Ibleam (2 Kings 14:29; 15:8–11). The Lord promised Jehu that his descendants would rule to the fourth generation (2 Kings 10:30). This promise was fulfilled with Zechariah’s reign.
The father of Abi (or Abijah, 2 Chronicles 29:1). Abi was the mother of Hezekiah, who later ruled Judah for 29 years (2 Kings 18:2).
A Reubenite and leader of his tribe (1 Chronicles 5:7).
A Korahite Levite, the firstborn of Meshelemiah’s seven sons and a wise counselor. He was selected by lot to manage the gatekeepers of the sanctuary’s northern entrance during David’s reign (1 Chronicles 9:21; 26:2, 14).
A Benjaminite and descendant of Jeiel (1 Chronicles 9:37). He is also nameed Zeker in 1 Chronicles 8:31, which might be a short form of Zechariah.
One of the eight Levites who played a harp before the ark of God in the parade led by David when the ark was brought from Obed-edom’s house to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15:18, 20; 16:5).
One of the priests who blew a trumpet in the parade led by David when the ark was brought to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15:24).
A levite and a descendant of Isshiah, who served in the sanctuary during David’s reign (1 Chronicles 24:25).
A Merarite Levite and Hosah’s son. He was one of the gatekeepers of the sanctuary’s western entrance, at the gate of Halleketh, during David’s reign (1 Chronicles 26:11–12, 16).
The father of Iddo. Iddo was the leader of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead during David’s reign (1 Chronicles 27:21).
One of the officials sent by King Jehoshaphat (872–848 BC) to teach the law in the cities of Judah (2 Chronicles 17:7).
A Gershonite Levite and Jahaziel’s father (2 Chronicles 20:14).
One of King Jehoshaphat’s seven sons and the brother of Jehoram. Jehoram became the only regent (temporary ruler) of Judah (848–841 BC) after his father’s death (2 Chronicles 21:2).
The son of Jehoiada the priest. He criticized the princes of Judah for turning against the Lord and worshiping false gods. Enraged by Zechariah’s rebuke, they conspired against him, and at King Joash’s command, they stoned him to death in the court of the sanctuary (2 Chronicles 24:20–22). he Lord avenged Zechariah’s death by allowing the Syrians to defeat Judah, kill the princes, and severely wound Joash, who was subsequently killed by two of his own servants.
In his criticism of his own generation of Jewish leaders, Jesus alluded to Zechariah’s murder in the temple grounds: “And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar” (Matthew 23:35). Abel was the first and Zechariah the last of the recorded prophets of God who were unjustly slain, according to the Old Testament.
A man who counseled King Uzziah of Judah to walk in the fear of God (2 Chronicles 26:5).
Abijah’s father. Abijah was the mother of King Hezekiah of Judah (2 Chronicles 29:1).
A Gershonite Levite descended from Asaph. He and Mattaniah, his kinsman, were chosen by King Hezekiah to help cleanse the house of the Lord (2 Chronicles 29:13).
A Kohathite Levite who was appointed to manage the repair of the temple during King Josiah’s reign (2 Chronicles 34:12).
One of the chief officers of the house of God who generously gave animals to the priests for the celebration of the Passover feast during King Josiah’s reign (2 Chronicles 35:8).
A prophet. Berechiah’s son and the grandson of Iddo. He began prophesying as a young man in 520 BC during the reign of King Darius I of Persia (Zechariah 1:1; compare 2:4). Not much is known about him. We do know that he ministered with Haggai in Jerusalem during the time of Zerubbabel, the governor, and Jeshua, the high priest (Ezra 5:1). This was after the exile in Babylon. Zechariah urged the Jews to finish building the second temple (Ezra 6:14) and led Iddo’s priestly family during Joiakim’s term as high priest (Nehemiah 12:16). Like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Zechariah served as both a priest and a prophet (Zechariah 1:1, 7; 7:1, 8).
The accounts of Zechariah's family history do not match exactly. In Ezra and Nehemiah, Iddo is listed as his father, while in Zechariah, Berechiah is mentioned as his father. Some think Berechiah and Iddo might be different names for the same person, or that Berechiah's name (Zechariah 1:1, 7) was added later, confusing him with Jeberechiah's son (compare Isaiah 8:2). A more likely theory is that Iddo was Zechariah’s grandfather. Iddo returned to Jerusalem from exile in 538 BC, and Zechariah may have been considered Iddo’s successor due to Berechiah’s early death or because of Iddo’s prominence.
Parosh’s descendant and the head of his father’s household. He returned with Ezra to Judah following the exile in Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes I of Persia (Ezra 8:3).
Bebai’s son and the head of a household. He returned with Ezra to Judah following the exile in Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes I of Persia (Ezra 8:11).
A Jewish leader. Ezra sent him and other to Iddo, the man in charge at Casiphia, to gather levites and temple servants for the caravan of Jews returning to Palestine from Babylon (Ezra 8:15–17).
One of the six descendants of Elam who was encouraged by Ezra to divorce his foreign wife after the exile in Babylon (Ezra 10:26).
One of the men who stood to Ezra’s left when Ezra read the law to the people (Nehemiah 8:4).
A descendant of Perez and an ancestor of a Judahite family headed by Athaiah. They lived in Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon (Nehemiah 11:4).
A descendant of Shelah and an ancestor of a Judahite family headed by Maaseiah. They lived in Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon (Nehemiah 11:5).
A priest. A descendant of Malkijah and an ancestor of a family of priests headed by Adaiah. They lived in Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon (Nehemiah 11:12).
Jonathan’s son, a descendant of Asaph. He led a group of the priestly musicians who played trumpets at the dedication of the Jerusalem wall in Nehemiah’s day (Nehemiah 12:35).
A priest who played a trumpet at the Jerusalem wall’s dedication (Nehemiah 12:41).
Jeberechiah’s son and an important man who, along with Uriah the priest, witnessed Isaiah’s writing of the phrase “Maher-shalal-hash-baz.” This phrase later revealed God’s intended judgment on Damascus and Samaria (Isaiah 8:2).
John the Baptist’s father. A priest of Abijah’s division, and the husband of Elizabeth, a woman of priestly descent. His story is told in Luke 1. They lived in the Judean hill country during the reign of King Herod the Great (37–4 BC; Luke 1:5). and were known for their righteous and devout lives, though they had no children and were advanced in years.
Zechariah was selected to represent his division in their yearly service at the Jerusalem temple. The priests of Israel were divided into 24 orders, each serving two weeks annually. One day, Zechariah was chosen by lot to burn incense in the temple's Holy Place, an honor given to a priest only once in his lifetime. While he was performing this duty, the angel Gabriel appeared and told him that his wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son named John, who would prepare the way for the Messiah. Zechariah doubted this due to their old age, and as a result, he was made mute (unable to speak) until the prophecy was fulfilled. When Zechariah returned to the temple court, his gestures made the people realize he had seen a vision.
Elizabeth became pregnant as the angel had promised. In her sixth month, she was visited by her relative Mary, who was also expecting a child. After the birth of their son, Zechariah confirmed that the child's name would be John. At that moment, his speech was restored, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit, praising God and prophesying about the significant work God was about to do in Israel.
The original name proposed for John the Baptist, after his father’s name (Luke 1:59).