Zechariah 1

Zechariah · Chapter 1

Zechariah 1:15

1In 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,2The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.3Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.4Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.5Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?6But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.7Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, 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,8I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white.9Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.10And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.11And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.12Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?13And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.14So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.15And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.16Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.17Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.18Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.19And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.20And the LORD shewed me four carpenters.21Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
15And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.but I am fiercely angry with the nations that are at ease. For I was a little angry, but they have added to the calamity.’And I am very sore displeased with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

In Zechariah's first night vision, the LORD answers the angel's cry of "how long" for Jerusalem. He says he is jealous for Zion, and he is deeply angry with the nations that sit secure. He had been only a little angry with his people, but those nations pushed their suffering further than he intended. Zechariah 1:11Zechariah 1:12Zechariah 1:14Zechariah 1:15

SpeakingThe LORD of hosts is speaking. The angel who talked with Zechariah tells the prophet to cry out these words. Zechariah 1:14Zechariah 1:15

ToThe words were for the people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon. In that same second year of Darius, Haggai and Zechariah stirred them to build the temple again. Zechariah overviewZechariah 1:3Zechariah 1:7

Also involvedThe heathen nations are the ones spoken about. The patrol reported the earth sitting still and at rest, while the nations' horns had scattered Judah. Zechariah 1:11Zechariah 1:15Zechariah 1:19Zechariah 1:21

God sets two angers side by side. His anger at his people was "but a little." His anger at the nations is "very sore," because they "helped forward the affliction," adding harm beyond what he purposed. Isaiah 47:6 says the same of Babylon: God gave his people into its hand, but it "didst shew them no mercy." Zechariah 1:15Strong's H4592Strong's H5826Strong's H7451CIsaiah 47:6

Zechariah gave these messages in Jerusalem, among the returned exiles. The vision concerns Jerusalem, the cities of Judah, and the nations that scattered them. Zechariah overviewZechariah 1:12Zechariah 1:16Zechariah 1:21

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThe vision came on the 24th day of the eleventh month, Sebat, in the second year of Darius. The angel speaks of God's indignation against Jerusalem lasting seventy years. Zechariah 1:7Zechariah 1:12

WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote it. Scholarly: most agree that chapters 1-8 come from Zechariah in about 520-518 BC. Many assign chapters 9-14 to a later writer, while others hold Zechariah wrote the whole book. Zechariah overview

HereThe verse explains why God now turns toward Jerusalem with mercy. He promises that his house will be built there and that he will comfort Zion. He also promises to cast out the nations that scattered Judah. Zechariah 1:16Zechariah 1:17Zechariah 1:21

In the whole of ScriptureOther prophets say the same thing. God's anger at his people was brief, but his kindness is everlasting (Isaiah 54:8). The nations that harmed his people will be repaid, as Babylon will be (Jeremiah 51:24) and as Edom will be (Ezekiel 25:12, 17; Obadiah 1:10). Isaiah 54:8Jeremiah 51:24Ezekiel 25:12Ezekiel 25:17Obadiah 1:10

For readersGod's discipline of his own people has limits, and it ends in mercy. Those who use another's suffering as a chance for cruelty answer to him. Zechariah 1:15Zechariah 1:16Isaiah 54:8Isaiah 47:6

  • at easeשַׁאֲנָן
    Hebrew · sha.a.nan · H7600

    The word means at ease or secure, and it can also mean careless or arrogant. It describes nations sitting still and at rest (verse 11) while Judah lay scattered. Strong's H7600Zechariah 1:11Zechariah 1:19

  • a littleמְעַט
    Hebrew · me.at · H4592

    The word means littleness or a little. It marks God's anger at his people as limited, as in Isaiah 54:8, "In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment." Strong's H4592Isaiah 54:8

  • Hebrew · ra.ah · H7451C

    The word means evil, misery, distress, or injury. The nations "helped" for harm, adding injury to God's measured discipline. Strong's H7451CStrong's H5826Zechariah 1:15

Takeaway

God was only a little angry with his people. He is very angry with the secure nations that added to their suffering. So he returns to Jerusalem with mercy. Zechariah 1:15Zechariah 1:16

Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.

The world around the text

About 520-518 BC. King of Persia: Darius I (522-486 BC). Where Zechariah prophesied. A small, poor community was rebuilding the temple among the ruins of the city Babylon had burned.

Who ruled
  • King of PersiaDarius I522-486 BC

    Zechariah dates his messages by the years of Darius. Darius confirmed Cyrus's decree and ordered the temple work to go on at royal expense. Zechariah 1:1Zechariah 7:1Ezra 6:1-12Haggai 1:1Behistun Inscription

  • Governor of JudahZerubbabelc. 520 BC

    A descendant of David who led the rebuilding. "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it." Zechariah 4:6-10Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:8

  • High priestJoshua the high priestc. 520 BC

    Called Jeshua in Ezra. He stands in Zechariah's vision clothed in filthy garments, which are taken away, and later receives crowns as a sign. Zechariah 3:1-10Zechariah 6:11Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:2

  • Persian governor "on this side the river"Tattenaic. 520 BC

    The governor of the province west of the Euphrates. He asked who had allowed the building, wrote to Darius, and was told to let the work go on. Ezra 5:3-6Ezra 6:6-13

What was happening, 539 BC to 332 BC
  1. 539 BC
    WarBabylon falls to Cyrus

    Cyrus king of Persia took Babylon, ending the empire that had destroyed Jerusalem. Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Cyrus Cylinder

  2. 538 BC
    God's peopleThe first return

    Cyrus let the exiles go home to build the LORD's house. About fifty thousand returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Ezra 1:1-4Ezra 2:1-2Ezra 2:64-65

  3. c. 536 BC
    God's peopleThe foundation is laid, then the work stops

    The returned exiles laid the temple's foundation with shouting and weeping. Opposition from their neighbors stopped the work until the second year of Darius. Ezra 3:10-13Ezra 4:4-5Ezra 4:24

  4. 525 BC
    WarPersia conquers Egypt

    Cyrus's son Cambyses invaded and took Egypt, bringing the whole region from the Nile to the Indus under one king. Herodotus, Histories 3.1-16

  5. 522-521 BC
    WarDarius crushes the revolts

    When Darius took the throne, provinces across the empire rebelled, Babylon twice. By 520 he had put them all down. Compare the riders' report in Zechariah's first vision: "all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest." Behistun InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 3.150-159Zechariah 1:11

  6. 520 BC
    God's peopleHaggai and Zechariah stir the people to build

    In Darius's second year the two prophets urged the people to take up the temple work again, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua began to build. Ezra 5:1-2Haggai 1:1-15Zechariah 1:1

  7. c. 520-519 BC
    RulersDarius confirms Cyrus's decree

    Tattenai questioned the building. A search found Cyrus's decree at Achmetha, and Darius ordered the work to continue and be paid for from royal taxes. Ezra 5:3-6:12

  8. 515 BC
    BuildingThe second temple is finished

    The temple was finished on the third day of Adar in Darius's sixth year and dedicated with joy. Ezra 6:14-18Zechariah 4:9

  9. 490-479 BC
    WarPersia's wars with Greece

    Persia invaded Greece twice and was turned back at Marathon (490), Salamis (480) and Plataea (479). Greece, which Zechariah names in 9:13, was becoming Persia's great rival. Herodotus, Histories 6.102-117Herodotus, Histories 8.40-96Herodotus, Histories 9.1-89Zechariah 9:13

  10. 445 BC
    BuildingNehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem's walls

    Under the Persian king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah came from Shushan and rebuilt the walls in fifty-two days. Nehemiah 2:1-8Nehemiah 6:15

  11. 332 BC
    WarAlexander takes Tyre and Gaza

    Alexander the Great besieged island Tyre for seven months and then Gaza for two, on his way to Egypt. Zechariah 9 speaks of Tyre's "strong hold" and of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron and Ashdod. Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 2.15-27Zechariah 9:3-7

The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records (the Behistun Inscription, the Cyrus Cylinder, the Babylonian Chronicles) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and angerוְקֶ֤צֶףve-KE-tzefH7110A
wrath

קֶ֫צֶף (qe.tseph) 1) wrath, anger 1a) of God 1b) of man

greatגָּדוֹל֙ga-dOlH1419A
great: large

גָּדוֹל (ga.dol) adj 1) great 1a) large (in magnitude and extent) 1b) in number 1c) in intensity 1d) loud (in sound) 1e) older (in age) 1f) in importance 1f1) important things 1f2) great, distinguished (of men) 1f3) God Himself (of God) subst 1g) great things 1h) haughty things 1i) greatness Also means: ga.dol (גָּדוֹל ": old" H1419K) § Haggedolim = "the great one" (CLBL) Haggedolim, the great man?, father of Zabdiel

Iאֲנִ֣י'a-NIH0589
me

אֲנָא (a.na) I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis) Aramaic of a.ni (אֲנִי, אָֽנֹכִ֫י "I" H0589)

[am] angryקֹצֵ֔ףko-TZEFH7107
be angry

קָצַף (qa.tsaph) 1) to be displeased, be angry, fret oneself, be wroth 1a) (Qal) to be wroth, to be full of wrath, to be furious 1b) (Hiphil) to provoke to wrath or anger 1c) (Hithpael) to put oneself in a rage, anger oneself Aramaic equivalent: qe.tsaph (קְצַף "be angry" H7108)

towardsעַל־'al-H5921A
upon

עַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) …

the nationsהַגּוֹיִ֖םha-go-YIMH1471A
nation

גּוֹי (goy) 1) nation, people 1a) nation, people 1a1) usually of non-Hebrew people 1a2) of descendants of Abraham 1a3) of Israel 1b) of swarm of locusts, other animals (fig.)

the at easeהַשַּֽׁאֲנַנִּ֑יםha-sha-'a-na-NIMH7600
secure

שַׁאֲנָן (sha.a.nan) adj 1) at ease, quiet, secure 1a) at ease, secure 1b) at ease, careless, wanton, arrogant subst 2) security, pride, arrogance 2a) one at ease 2b) arrogance

whichאֲשֶׁ֤ר'a-SHERH0834A
which

אֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when

Iאֲנִי֙'a-NIH0589
me

אֲנָא (a.na) I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis) Aramaic of a.ni (אֲנִי, אָֽנֹכִ֫י "I" H0589)

I was angryקָצַ֣פְתִּיka-TZAF-tiH7107
be angry

קָצַף (qa.tsaph) 1) to be displeased, be angry, fret oneself, be wroth 1a) (Qal) to be wroth, to be full of wrath, to be furious 1b) (Hiphil) to provoke to wrath or anger 1c) (Hithpael) to put oneself in a rage, anger oneself Aramaic equivalent: qe.tsaph (קְצַף "be angry" H7108)

a littleמְּעָ֔טme-'ATH4592
little

מְעַט (me.at) 1) littleness, few, a little, fewness 1a) little, small, littleness, fewness, too little, yet a little 1b) like a little, within a little, almost, just, hardly, shortly, little worth

and theyוְהֵ֖מָּהve-HE-mahH1992
they

אִנּוּן (in.nun) these, those, they Aramaic of hem.mah (הֵ֫מָּה "they(masc.)" H1992)

they have helpedעָזְר֥וּ'a-ze-RUH5826
to help

עָזַר (a.zar) 1) to help, succour, support 1a) (Qal) to help 1b) (Niphal) to be helped 1c) (Hiphil) to help

for evilלְרָעָֽה׃le-ra-'AHH7451C
distress: harm

רָעָה (ra.ah) : harm 1) evil, misery, distress, injury 1a) evil, misery, distress 1b) evil, injury, wrong 1c) evil (ethical)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.