This is the third message in our study of the book of Zechariah. In the previous messages we learned two truths that provide foundation for our understanding of the visions we encounter in the text today.
1st the THEME of the book is found in the meaning in Zechariah’s name. Zechariah means “Yahweh [God’s covenant name] Remembers.” God Remembers! That revelation is particularly important for God’s people when they are going through difficult times. The nation of Israel has been captives in Babylon for 70 years. Seventy years represents a lifetime (Ps. 90:10). Most of people Zechariah is speaking to were born in Babylon. Their families were some of the most devoted Jews. Only the devout Jews were willing to leave the security of Babylon and return to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. The 70 years of captivity had left Israel humbled and discouraged—maybe even wondering if God had forgotten them and forgotten his covenant with them. This was accentuated when these Jews in Jerusalem encountered such fierce opposition from the local Samaritans. Zechariah’s message is an encouragement that God Remembers them and will bring restoration.
2nd the INVITATION God extends to his people is back by a promise. Zechariah 1:3: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return to Me,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord of hosts.”i Why does God refer to himself as “the Lord of hosts”ii three times in that verse? The NIV translates the phrase as, “the LORD Almighty.” The title communicates God’s capacity to bring his will to pass. The heavenly army that God leads is capable of overcoming any obstacle or opposition. He is omnipotent and able to do what he says he will do. He is more than able to fulfill his promises to them.
It is time for the restoration of Jerusalem. The harsh resistance from the Samaritans has worn down the small remnant who came to rebuild the temple. It left them so discouraged that nothing got done for 16 years. But now in 520 BC God has raised up the prophet Zechariah to encourage them to finish the work. The key to that happening is their whole-hearted return to the Lord. When they do that, God promises to be with them. His presence will give them strength and prosper their efforts.iii
With all that in mind we now come to Zechariah 1:7: “On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet.” That equates to about February 15, 519 BC on our calendars.iv
More importantly, this word from God comes 3 months after the first word that came to Zechariah (1:1) which is recorded in the first six verses and 2 months after Haggai’s last messages, recorded in Haggai 2:10, 20. So from this time forward Haggai has finished his ministry, and Zachariah is the prophet of the day.
During the 3 months since Zechariah’s call for repentance (1:1-6), the Jews in Jerusalem apparently responded in a positive way.v We will see indications of that in the visions that are given as this second word from God.
Zechariah 1:7 introduces 8 visions that are recorded in Zechariah 1:8 to the end of chapter 6. These visions constitute the second word Zechariah received from the Lord. Apparently, they came all in one night.
Let’s read the first vision in verses 8-17:
“I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white. 9 Then I said, ‘My lord, what are these?’ So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’ 10 And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, ‘These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.’ 11 So they answered the Angel of the Lord, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, ‘We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.’ 12 Then the Angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?’ 13 And the Lord answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words. 14 So the angel who spoke with me said to me, ‘Proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I am zealous for Jerusalem And for Zion with great zeal. 15 I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; For I was a little angry, And they helped — but with evil intent.’ 16 'Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it," says the Lord of hosts, ‘And a surveyor's line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.’ 17 Again proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; The Lord will again comfort Zion, And will again choose Jerusalem.’”
As you can see, this vision is full of symbolism and so are the other seven that follow. Symbolic language can be challenging to interpret. Therefore, we want to take time to mention a few keys to interpreting it accurately.
I. KEYS TO INTERPRETING SYMBOLISM IN PROPHETIC SCRIPTURE
(1) Look for the interpretation provided in the text itself. That often answers our questions quite nicely, and God often provides that in Scripture. It is very prominent in these 8 visions.
Notice in this vision (verse 9) Zechariah asks for an interpretation of what he is seeing. And the answer is given to him in verse 10: “And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, ‘These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.” We get additional insight in the verses that follow. The straight-forward oracle in verses 13-17 also help us to interpret the symbolism. The point is this: Allow the direct, clear information in the text inform the interpretation of the symbolism.
(2) Make sure your interpretation of the symbols fits the immediate context. The message of this vision is one of comfort and assurance (1:13, 17). That is made clear in the passage. So, if the
meaning I assign to the symbols contradicts that, I’m probably not interpreting the more figurative language correctly.
(3) Consider the context of the whole book in your interpretation. From our initial reading of Zechariah, we find it to be a message of encouragement in God’s faithfulness. The theme is “God Remembers.” After an in-depth study, we may revise that, but for now we should keep it in mind.
(4) Ground your interpretation of a symbol in other revelation in Scripture using the same imagery. We must be cautious when doing this. One writer may use a symbol in a different way than another writer. He may even use one symbol to represent different things in different contexts. However, it does give us something to work with beyond our own imagination.
For example, in this vision we see horses. In Scripture horses usually represent strength and speed. For example, in Job 39:19 God asks Job, “Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder?” Proverbs 21:31 says, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the Lord.” From passages like that we get a sense of how horses were perceived in biblical times. Horses were used in war.vi An ox has strength. But the horse is strong and swift, therefore, ideal for battle.
(5) Understand the imagery in the historical context in which the vision was given. To Zechariah and his original audience, a horse represented power, especially military might. In our culture, it might represent recreation. We must interpret the symbol from the eyes of those to whom the vision was originally given. My concept of a horse as a recreation animal would not be helpful.
(6) Consider two principles that we have talked about in previous studies when interpreting prophecy.
First, revelation is progressive. So, we ask what has already been revealed in Scripture on the subject. Zechariah uses revelation from earlier prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel in his prophetic ministry. Also ask how later prophets may have used Zechariah’s revelation to build their message. For example, in the book of Revelation, John draws upon his knowledge of Zechariah. The New Testament can illuminate the previous prophecies.
Secondly, the law of double fulfillment is often at play in futuristic prophecies. There may be an immediate partial fulfillment in the historical context in which the vision was initially given, but a fuller fulfillment much later.vii What Zechariah sees will have immediate relevance for his generation. But it may project something greater that God has planned in the distant future. It’s not always an either/or. Sometimes it’s both/and. (7) In your interpretation test the objective study with the subjective leading of the Holy Spirit. And test the subjective insight with the objective tools we have discussed. Test your own conclusions by reviewing teaching by other believers. They may have seen something you overlooked. We can all learn from one another.
(8) Remain humble and teachable. After exercising due diligence in our exegesis, we must often admit, “I think I’m right, but I could be wrong.”
There is much more that we could say about interpreting prophetic visions and symbols. My point is that it is not just a shot in the dark. There are resources that we can use that dramatically increase the likelihood that we are interpreting the passage correctly.
With all that in mind let’s seek an interpretation of this first vision. Look with me at:
II. THE SCENE DESCRIBED IN ZECHARIAH 1:7-11.
Verse 8 begins with the statement, “I saw.” Prophets were sometimes called seers because they often reported what they saw in the Spirit. What did Zechariah see in this first vision?
(1) “a man riding on a red horse.” Given the overall vision, the NIV is better: “a man mounted on a red horse.” The Hebrew allows for either, but “mounted” is more natural in the context.viii This rider is a leader of other horsemen. He apparently dismounts and is the same character who is “the man who stood among the myrtle trees” in verse 10.ix The NIV makes this a clearer by translating verses 8-10 this way: “During the night I had a vision, and there before me was a man mounted on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses. 9 I asked, ‘What are these, my lord?’ The angel who was talking with me answered, ‘I will show you what they are.’”
Even though he is called a man, many scholars agree he is the “Angel of the Lord.” Additionally Zechariah is seeing an angelic host behind him. Angels often appear in human form in the Bible. That’s why Hebrews 13:2 instructs us, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”x
(2) Verse 8 goes on to say, “and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white.” Although we are not explicitly told there were riders on these horses, the narrative requires it because verse 11 has them reporting their findings. When Zechariah asked what these were, he is told in verse 10, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.” One way we know this is talking about a host of angels is that God does not send horses to “walk to and fro throughout the earth” and report back. Furthermore, a scene similar to this (Zech. 6:5) specifically tells us it is representing “spirits of heaven.”xi The number of horses is not specified in the text, only the diversity of colors.
There is much debate on the exact meaning of the colors of the horses. We know that the color of a horse can have meaning because in Revelation 6 that seems to be very evident. Some have even tried to match these colors with those in Revelation 6, but that is not helpful.xii The Hebrew word translated “red” in verse 8 is ‘adom. It has a range of meaning all the way from brown to deep red or even pink. Some suggest it was a chestnut horse.xiii But in this vision the color of the horses is not that important.xiv How do I know that? Much of the vision is interpreted, but the horse colors are not given any particular significance. Therefore, it best to not get too focused on that. At best, it is incidental information.xv
(3) All this is taking place “among the myrtle trees in the hollow” (vs 8). The importance of that is implied by the fact that it is mentioned three times in the passage (vs 8, 10, 11). Myrtle trees were evergreen shrubs that grew well in Israel. Their presence would tend to place the scene in the area where God’s covenant people were to live, probably near Jerusalem. Andrew Hill associates these trees “with the Kidron valley outside Jerusalem.” He writes, “ The Lord had returned to the outskirts of the city, symbolically speaking, but had not yet entered Jerusalem because the Second Temple was still under construction.”xvi
These myrtle trees are suggestive of the Jewish community at that time. Myrtle trees don’t grow more than eight feet. They are not impressive to look at. The Hebrew community that Zechariah was ministering to were in a lowly estate. They are not depicted here as giant cedars which grow in Lebanon. H. C. Leupold writes, “World kingdoms and rulers are represented by mighty trees (Dan. 4), [not shrubs]. The fact that these myrtles are ‘in the bottom’ or, as we have translated, ‘in a hollow,’ (bammetsullah) [ravine] typifies the low estate of God’s people in these days of restoration.”xvii
Nevertheless, Isaiah uses myrtles to represent God’s salvation restoration. Isaiah 55:13: “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” With that prophetic background, Zechariah may very well have connected myrtle trees with the Jewish community and restoration. This is especially possible when we consider the fact that myrtle was one type of branch used to make booths for the feast of tabernacles (Neh. 8:15).xviii
“The position of the horses ‘among the myrtle trees in a ravine [hollow]” is the natural setting for a secret reconnaissance rendezvous.”xix These soldiers have been going to and fro gathering information and are reporting their findings to their leader. The imagery here is a reconnaissance corps sent to spy out the land and report back to their leader.
(4) “the angel who talked with me” (vs 9) & “the Angel of the Lord” (vs 11) are introduced.
Follow as we read verses 9-11: “Then I said, ‘My lord, what are these?’ So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.’ And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, ‘These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.’ 11 So they answered the Angel of the Lord, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, ‘We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.’”
The most difficult issue in interpreting this vision is identifying the various characters in the vision. The first character Zechariah saw in verse 8 was probably “the Angel of the Lord, who stood among the myrtle trees.” This is most likely the preincarnate Christ who is central to the vision. “The angel who talked with me” in verse 9, 13, and 14 is probably a separate interpreting angel.
So, in this scene we have two angels. The most prominent figure is first seen in verse 8 mounted on a red horse. Then he is seen dismounted in verse 10 as “the man who stood among the myrtle trees.” Then in verse 11 he is revealed as “the Angel of the Lord, who stood among the myrtle trees.”xx This might be the point in the progression of the vision that Zechariah got the revelation that this man is “the Angel of the Lord” whom we understand to be the preincarnate Christ.xxi
The other figure in the vision is the interpreting angel referred to by Zechariah as “the angel who talked with me.” He appears again and again during these eight visions. He is not to be confused with the “Angel of the Lord.” Of course, the host reporting to the “Angel of the Lord” were angels as well.
(5) The reconnaissance report given in verse 11 to the “Angel of the Lord” was this: “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.” Without reading the verses that follow, we might think “all the earth is resting quietly” is a good thing. But it was not welcome news for the Jews. They were experiencing hardship, and their oppressors were “resting quietly.” God had promised retribution to their oppressors, but instead the pagan nations were “resting quietly.” Four months earlier (Hag. 2:1), God promised (Hag. 2:6-7, 22) to shake the nations and overthrow the kingdoms “in a little while” (NIV), and in conjunction with that fill the temple with glory (2:7). The earth “resting quietly” left these Jews wondering why God hasn’t fulfilled his promise. We will see that this vision and the next are designed to affirm God’s faithfulness to his promises.
The phrase “walked to and fro throughout the earth” indicates these angelic soldiers had diligently and thoroughly completed their intelligence assignment.xxii This scene is an assurance that God knows what is going on throughout the earth. He is omniscient and not dependent on angels, but just as he includes us in his activities, he includes angels as well. “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14). The scene Zechariah witnesses guarantees that God is highly involved in the activities of the earth and knows exactly what is happening. If the judgment of Israel’s oppressors has not come, it is not because God is uninformed or is neglecting his commitments.
Having processed some of the vision details, let’s now read Zechariah 1:7-11 from the NLT. Our goal in doing this is to get a sense of what Zechariah is seeing. To help you sort out the characters in this scene, I will insert the word “Jesus” where the preincarnate Christ is mentioned, and I will insert “Interpreting Angel” where that angel is mentioned.
“Three months later [after his initial message], on February 15, the Lord sent another message to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo. 8 In a vision during the night, I saw a man [JESUS] sitting on a red horse that was standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley. Behind him [JESUS] were riders on red, brown, and white horses. 9 I asked the angel who was talking with me [INTERPRETING ANGEL], ‘My lord, what do these horses mean?’ ‘I will show you,’ the angelr[INTERPRETING ANGEL] replied. 10 The rider [JESUS] standing among the myrtle trees then explained, ‘They are the ones the Lord has sent out to patrol the earth.’ 11 Then the other riders reported to the angel of the Lord [JESUS], who was standing among the myrtle trees, "We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole earth is at peace.”
That is the initial scene. What Zechariah reports in the rest of this chapter clarifies the interpretation of that scene. We do not have time to process those verses today. But we will read verses 12-17 and allow them to illuminate the vision. The next vision which follows in verses 18-21 is closely related to this one. We will look at it next week.
Zechariah 1:12-17 from the NLT: “Upon hearing this, the angel of the Lord prayed this prayer: ‘O Lord of Heaven's Armies, for seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. How long until you again show mercy to them?’ 13 And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. 14 Then the angel said to me, ‘Shout this message for all to hear: 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong. 15 But I am very angry with the other nations that are now enjoying peace and security. I was only a little angry with my people, but the nations inflicted harm on them far beyond my intentions. 16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I have returned to show mercy to Jerusalem. My Temple will be rebuilt, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, and measurements will be taken for the reconstruction of Jerusalem.' 17 ‘Say this also: 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: The towns of Israel will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem as his own.'"xxiii
Do you see how that flows with the theme: God Remembers? Zechariah’s message was first for the believers in his generation. But God does not change. His heart toward you and me is being expressed here as well. Verse 14: “Shout this message for all to hear: 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong” (NLT).
Verse 17: “Say this also: 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: The towns of Israel will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem as his own.” Oppression and injustice cannot go on forever. At some point, God intervenes and casts down the wicked. “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him” (Isa. 3:10-11).
ENDNOTES
i All Scripture references are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii The Hebrew word translated “hosts” means “host, army, warrior.” Hill suggests it may even convey “a verbal force: Yahweh creates [angel] armies.” Zechariah uses this term over 50 times. Andrew E. Hill, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, TOTC vol. 28 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012) 147. Zechariah uses this term 53 times.
iii During that 70 years God was absent from his people in the sense of intimacy and blessing. There are levels of intimacy and favor with God. Even under the New Covenant people experience different levels of intimacy and blessing depending on the choices they make. So, when we talk about God being present, we must understand it in context.
God is omnipresent. So, in one sense God is everywhere (Ps. 139:7-12). But in another sense the Bible speaks of his presence as God being with people to bless, protect, and care for them. For example, in Psalm 16:11 David says, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy. . . .” And in Psalm 51:11 he prays, “Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”
Because of their unfaithfulness and idolatry, Israel lost the presence of God in the sense of him being with them providing favor, protection, and prosperity. Ezekiel saw the glory of God depart from the temple in a vision recorded in Ezekiel 10. That had to precede the destruction of the temple in 586 BC. Now the 70 years of chastisement are completed, and God is promising to return to his people (in this sense of favor) if they will turn to him in repentance. This invitation was explained more fully in our previous teaching.
iv NLT reads, “Then on February 15 of the second year of King Darius's reign. . . .” Cf. Moody Bible Commentary, 1417.
v By the time Zechariah delivers this first message (Zech. 1:1-6), the people had responded to Haggai’s call to resume the building of the temple (Hag. 1:1, 12-13). Although Zechariah is reinforcing Haggai’s interest in the
physical building of the temple, his primary concern is the heart condition of the people. They responded to Haggai’s message, and we know from the second word (eight visions) that they were responding in a positive way to Zechariah’s message as well. Compare dates in Haggai 1:1, 14-15 to Zech. 1:1, 7. The rebuilding of the temple resumed on the 24th day of the 6th month (of Darius’s 2nd year) (Hag. 1:14-15) and Zechariah’s first message came on the 8th month (of Darius’s 2nd year) (Zech. 1:1). For a clear, organized accounting of the dates, see Barker, Kenneth L., ed., The NIV Study Bible, 1985 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995) s. v. “Zechariah Introduction” by K. L. Barker, et. al., 1398-99.
vi Cf. 1 Kings 20:25. At the Red Sea God’s military power was demonstrated in the destruction of the Egyptian army mounted on horses and chariots. Ex 15:19: “For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them.”
vii “‘Prophetic perspective’ occurs quite frequently in the Old Testament prophets. It is the phenomenon of blending together both the near and the distinct aspects of the the prediction in one and the same vision.” Walter Kaiser, Jr. and Moises Silva, An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 143. Cf. William Klein, Craig Blomberg, and Robert Hubbard, Jr., Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids: Thomas Nelson, 1993), 304-05.
viii Cf, Hill, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, 132.
ix “Either the man on the red horse dismounted and stood in the ravine, or the horse itself stood there with the rider still on him. The Hebrew grammar would favor the former, as does verse 10.” Merrill, An Exegetical Commentary: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (1994), 100.
x Cf. Gen. 32:24.
xi “A mounted host was frequently used to display the angelic legions of God’s heavenly army (see Deut. 33:2; 2 Kings 6:17; Sp. 68:17).” Richard D. Phillips, Zechariah, Reformed Expository Commentary, R. D. Phillips and P. G. Ryken, eds. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing Co., 2007) 18.
xii Although vision eight features horses as well (Zech. 6:1-8), we are not able to ascertain the meaning of the colors in this vision using that vision. Merrill writes, “Though 1:8 and 6:2-7 share much in common, including four different colored horses, there is no reason to assume that the horses must match, an error on the part of many ancient and modern scholars.” Merrill, An Exegetical Commentary: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (1994) 101.
xiii Cf. Mark J. Boda, The Book of Zechariah, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, eds., R. K. Harrison and R. L. Hubbard, Jr. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016) 119-20.
xiv Spurgeon understands the rider in verse 8 to be the preincarnate Christ. He suggests the possibility the red color is an allusion to Christ’s atonement, but does not insist on that interpretation. Charles H. Surgeon, “’Two Visions,” sermon preached Nov. 6. 1864. Accessed at The C. H. Spurgeon Collection on CD-ROM (AGES Software, Inc., 1998).
xv “The meaning of the colors of the horses in the present vision (v. 8) may not be clear, but because the interpretation offers no explanation, it is clearly not important.” Merrill, An Exegetical Commentary: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (1994) 102.
xvi Hill, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, 132.
xvii Leupold, Exposition of Zechariah, 33.
xviii Richard D. Phillips, Zechariah, Reformed Expository Commentary, R. D. Phillips and P. G. Ryken, eds. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing Co., 2007) 18. Cf. Moody Bible Commentary, 1418.
xix Mark J. Boda, Haggai, Zechariah, The NIV Application Commentary, Terry Muck, gen. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004) 195. The Hebrew word translated ravine or hollow is problematic, but that seems to be the best translation for this context, even though Boda prefers shadow (p. 196).
xx Zechariah is faithfully reporting this vision as he experienced it. Why did he not identify the rider in verse 8 as the “angel of the Lord”? Probably he did not get the revelation that he is the angel of the Lord until verse 11. Merrill writes, “It seems, then, that Zechariah stands with an interpreting messenger and that both of them hear the answer to Zechariah’s question [v. 9] as given by the man among the myrtles, that is, the Angel of YHEH.” An Exegetical Commentary: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, (1994) 103. Phillips (p. 22) and Hill (p. 133) agree with Merrill. Also in agreement with Merrill, Boda writes, “One may be tempted to identify the angel of the Lord with ‘the angel who was talking with me’ because, although in 1:9-10 Zechariah’s question is directed to ‘the angel who was talking with me,’ it is the “angel of the Lord who provides the answer. So also in 1:13, in response to the question of the angel of the Lord in 1:12. The Lord offers comfort to the ‘angel who talked with me.’ However, these angels should probably be kept separate.” Boda, Haggai, Zechariah, 196. Leupold thinks the “angel of the Lord” is not the same character as man mounted on the red horse in verse 8. He does recognize the man standing among the myrtles as the same person as the rider in verse 8. Leupold, Exposition of Zechariah, 35, 37.
xxi “The rider on the red horse is the angel of the Lord (1:9, 11), a phrase found over 50 times in the OT. In some cases, it appears to refer to the Lord spatially present in a particular time and place (cf. Gen 18:1-15, where the leader of the three angelic visitors is identified as the Lord while the other two are merely angels. . . . Here [Zech. 1:11], the angel of the Lord is to be distinguished from the interpreting angel (Zdh 1:9, 13-14, 19; 2:3; 4:1, 4-5; 5:5, 10; 6:4-5). The other riders were angelic beings, returned from patrolling the earth (1:10).” Moody Bible Commentary, 1418.
xxii “Merrill says the verb (hälak) translated “walk” frequently has the idea of dominion. To walk about on the earth is to assert sovereignty over it [Gen. 13:17].” Merrill, An Exegetical Commentary: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, (1994) 104. In Job 1:6-7 we find a similar phrase describing Satan’s activity. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the Lord said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ So Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.’”
xxiii Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
