Zechariah 6

Zechariah · Chapter 6

Zechariah 6:2

1And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.2In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;3And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.4Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?5And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the LORD of all the earth.6The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.7And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.8Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.9And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,10Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;11Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;12And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:13Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.14And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD.15And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
2In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses,In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

In the eighth and last night vision, Zechariah sees four chariots come out from between two mountains of brass. This verse names the horses of the first two chariots: red, then black. The angel later explains that the chariots are "the four spirits of the heavens" sent out from before the LORD of all the earth. Zechariah 6:1Zechariah 6:2Zechariah 6:5Zechariah overview

SpeakingThe prophet Zechariah tells what he saw in the vision. Zechariah 6:1Zechariah overview

ToThe people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon, with their leaders Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest. Zechariah overview

Also involvedThe chariots go out over the earth, to the north country and the south country. The north country is where God's spirit is said to be quieted. Zechariah 6:6Zechariah 6:7Zechariah 6:8

The verse lists the first two of four chariot teams: red horses in the first and black horses in the second. The third has white horses and the fourth has grisled and bay horses. The angel says the four together are spirits that go out from standing before the LORD. Zechariah 6:2Zechariah 6:3Zechariah 6:5

The scene is a vision of chariots coming from between two mountains of brass. The prophet himself was in Jerusalem among the returned exiles. Zechariah 6:1Zechariah overview

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThis is the last of the eight night visions (1:7-6:8). They came during the rebuilding of the temple in the reign of Darius king of Persia, about 520-518 BC. Zechariah overview

WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote these messages between about 520 and 518 BC. Scholarly: most scholars agree that chapters 1-8, including this vision, come from Zechariah in those years. Zechariah overview

HereThe vision shows that the LORD of all the earth sends out his spirits. They go where he sends them: to the north, to the south, and to and fro through the earth, and they quiet his spirit in the north country. Zechariah 6:5Zechariah 6:6Zechariah 6:7Zechariah 6:8

In the whole of ScriptureThe night visions began with a man on a red horse, with red, speckled and white horses behind him (1:8). They end here with horses of many colors sent out by the LORD to walk to and fro through the earth. This assured a small people rebuilding the temple that the LORD is Lord of all the earth. Zechariah 1:8Zechariah 6:5Zechariah 6:7Zechariah overview

For readersReaders can take from this vision that God is "LORD of all the earth." He sends his servants where he wills. Zechariah 6:5Zechariah 6:7

Christians read this differently

The angel explains the chariots as four spirits of the heavens, but the text does not say what each color stands for. Some readers link the colors to the horses of Revelation 6, such as the white horse whose rider goes forth conquering (Revelation 6:2). Others hold that the colors simply tell the four teams apart, since the angel explains only the chariots as a group and where they go. Zechariah 6:5Zechariah 6:6Revelation 6:2

  • horsesסוּס
    Hebrew · sus · H5483M

    The word means horse, including chariot horses. That fits the scene: these are teams pulling the four chariots, not a single rider as in 1:8. Strong's H5483MZechariah 6:1Zechariah 1:8

  • redאָדֹם
    Hebrew · a.dom · H0122A

    The word means red or ruddy. It is used of a man, a horse, a heifer, a garment, water, and lentils. The same color of horse appears in Zechariah's first vision (1:8). Strong's H0122AZechariah 1:8

Takeaway

The red and black horses are the first of four chariot teams. The angel explains the four together as spirits that go out from the LORD of all the earth, though he does not say what each color means. What the text makes plain is God's rule over the whole earth. Zechariah 6:2Zechariah 6:5Zechariah 6:7

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

Behind this verse

Riders on patrol
The Persian kings kept mounted messengers stationed along their roads. Herodotus says nothing mortal travels faster. Zechariah sees horsemen sent "to walk to and fro through the earth." Zechariah 1:8-11Zechariah 6:7Herodotus, Histories 8.98

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
[were] with the chariotבַּמֶּרְכָּבָ֥הba-mer-ka-VAHH4818
chariot

מֶרְכָּבָה (mer.ka.vah) chariot

the firstהָרִֽאשֹׁנָ֖הha-ri-sho-NAHH7223G
first

רִאשׁוֹן (ri.shon) : first adj 1) first, primary, former 1a) former (of time) 1a1) ancestors 1a2) former things 1b) foremost (of location) 1c) first (in time) 1d) first, chief (in degree) adv 2) first, before, formerly, at first

horsesסוּסִ֣יםsu-SIMH5483M
horse

סוּס (sus) 1) horse 1a) chariot horses

redאֲדֻמִּ֑ים'a-du-MIMH0122A
red

אָדֹם (a.dom) red, ruddy (of man, horse, heifer, garment, water, lentils)

and [were] with the chariotוּבַמֶּרְכָּבָ֥הu-va-mer-ka-VAHH4818
chariot

מֶרְכָּבָה (mer.ka.vah) chariot

the secondהַשֵּׁנִ֖יתha-she-NITH8145
second

שֵׁנִי (she.ni) 1) second 1a) second (the ordinal number) 1b) again (a second time) 1c) another, other (something as distinct from something else)

horsesסוּסִ֥יםsu-SIMH5483M
horse

סוּס (sus) 1) horse 1a) chariot horses

blackשְׁחֹרִֽים׃she-cho-RIMH7838
black

שָׁחֹר (sha.chor) black

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