Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Zechariah 1

Zec 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,

eighth month

i.e. November.

Darius

Zec 1:7; Zec 7:1; Ezr 4:24; 6:15.

Zechariah

Ezr 5:1.

Iddo

Neh 12:4.

Zec 1:4 Be 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.

former prophets

Zec 7:7; 2Ch 24:19.

Zec 1:7 Upon 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,

eleventh month…Sebat

i.e. February.

Zec 1:8 I 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.

I saw by night

The "man" (Zec 1:8) is the "my lord," "the angel that talked with me" (Zec 1:9), and "the angel of the Lord" (Zec 1:10, 11). The "man" "stood among the myrtle trees" (Zec 1:8). The prophet addresses him as "my lord" (cf. Gen 19:2), but when the "man" answers he perceives that he has addressed an angel—"the angel that talked with me" (Zec 1:9). In Zec 1:10 the being of the vision is again "the man that stood among the myrtle trees." In Zec 1:11 he is called "the angel of the Lord," and to him the (riders on the) "red horses, speckled and white" say: "We have walked to and fro," etc. Then (Zec 1:12) "the angel of the Lord" (i.e. the "man," "my lord," "the angel that talked with me") intercedes for the land against a world at ease. The date of the intercession was at the end of the 70 years' captivity of Judah.
Taken as a whole (Zec 1:8-17), Zechariah's first vision reveals Judah in dispersion; Jerusalem under adverse possession; and the Gentile nations at rest about it. This condition still continues, and Jehovah's answer to the intercession of the angel sweeps on to the end-time of Gentile domination, when "the Lord shall yet comfort Zion," etc. (Zec 1:16, 17; Isa 40:1-5). See "Kingdom (O.T.)" (Scofield Gen 1:26; Zec 12:8, note).

red horse

Cf. Rev 6:4. The whole Gentile period is characterized by the red horse, i.e. "sword." Dan 9:26; Mat 24:6, 7.

Zec 1:9 Then 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.

angel [See also Zec 1:11-14, 19.]

Scofield Hebrews 1:4, note.

Zec 1:15 And 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.

heathen

i.e. nations.

Zec 1:18 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.

horn

A "horn" is the symbol of a Gentile king (Dan 7:24; Rev 17:12), and the vision is of the four world empires (Dan 2:36-44; 7:3-7) which have "scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem" (Zec 1:19).

Zec 1:20 And the LORD shewed me four carpenters.

carpenters

Or, carvers, or smiths.

The word charash, translated "carpenter," is literally carver, engraver. Zec 1:21 makes it plain that, whatever the four carvers may be, they are used to "fray," or carve away (Hebrew charad) in the sense of diminishing, enfeebling, the great Gentile world-powers. They may stand for Jehovah's "four sore judgments," the sword, famine, evil beasts, and pestilence (Eze 14:21), the four horses of Rev 6.