Reference: Zacharias
American
1. A person mentioned in Mt 23:35; Lu 11:51, and most probably designating the son of the high-priest Jehoida, or Barachias, who was stoned to death by order of king Joash for publicly rebuking the king, his court and the people for their growing corruption, 2Ch 24:20-22. Some suppose the prophet Zechariah to be intended; but history gives no account of his death. Others refer it to a Zacharias the son of Baruch, who was put to death just before the destruction of Jerusalem; but it seems unnatural and unnecessary to suppose that Christ here spoke prophetically.
2. A priest belonging to the eighth course or class, called that of Abia, 1Ch 24, the husband of Elisabeth, and father of John the Baptist. His residence, when not on duty, was in the hill-country south of Jerusalem. He is known to us by his pious and blameless life; his vision of Gabriel in the temple, promising him a son in his old age; his hesitancy in believing, for which he was visited by a temporary dumbness; his miraculous restoration at the circumcision of his son; and his noble and prophetic song of praise, Lu 1:5-25,57-59.
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And the Spirit of God clothed himself in Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, who being over the people, said unto them, Thus hath God said, Why do ye transgress the commandments of the LORD? Ye shall not prosper in this; for because ye have forsaken the LORD, he shall also forsake you. And they conspired against him and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. read more. Thus Joash, the king, did not remember the mercy which Jehoiada, his father, had done to him but slew his son; who said when he died, The LORD look upon it and require it.
that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye murdered between the temple and the altar.
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless. read more. And they had no child because Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well advanced in years. And it came to pass that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense entering into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he shall turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the rebellious to the prudence of the just, to make ready a prepared people for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and am sent to speak unto thee and to show thee this gospel. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou didst not believe my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for Zacharias and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he communicated with signs and remained speechless. And it came to pass that as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her relatives heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her, and they rejoiced with her. read more. And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called him Zacharias after the name of his father.
from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the temple; verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
Easton
(1.) A priest of the course of Abia, the eighth of the twenty-four courses into which the priests had been originally divided by David (1Ch 23:1-19). Only four of these courses or "families" of the priests returned from the Exile (Ezr 2:36-39); but they were then re-distributed under the old designations. The priests served at the temple twice each year, and only for a week each time. Zacharias's time had come for this service. During this period his home would be one of the chambers set apart for the priests on the sides of the temple ground. The offering of incense was one of the most solemn parts of the daily worship of the temple, and lots were drawn each day to determine who should have this great honour, an honour which no priest could enjoy more than once during his lifetime.
While Zacharias ministered at the golden altar of incense in the holy place, it was announced to him by the angel Gabriel that his wife Elisabeth, who was also of a priestly family, now stricken in years, would give birth to a son who was to be called John, and that he would be the forerunner of the long-expected Messiah (Lu 1:12-17). As a punishment for his refusing to believe this message, he was struck dumb and "not able to speak until the day that these things should be performed" (Lu 1:20). Nine months passed away, and Elisabeth's child was born, and when in answer to their inquiry Zacharias wrote on a "writing tablet," "His name is John," his mouth was opened, and he praised God (60-79). The child (John the Baptist), thus "born out of due time," "waxed strong in spirit" (1:80).
(2.) The "son of Barachias," mentioned as having been slain between the temple and the altar (Mt 23:35; Lu 11:51). "Barachias" here may be another name for Jehoiada, as some think. (See Zechariah.)
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So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon, his son, king over Israel. And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, and the priests and the Levites, read more. were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward; and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand. Of which, twenty-four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the LORD, and six thousand were officers and judges; moreover, four thousand were porters, and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which David had made to praise therewith. And David divided them into courses according to the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons of Gershon: Laadan and Shimei. The sons of Laadan: Jehiel, the first, Zetham and Joel, three. The sons of Shimei: Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the chief of the fathers of Laadan. And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. And Jahath was the first, and Zizah the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not multiply in many sons; therefore, they were in one reckoning, according to their father's house. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was separated, that he should be dedicated to the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister unto him and to bless in his name for ever. And the sons of Moses, the man of God, were counted in the tribe of Levi. The sons of Moses were Gershon and Eliezer. Of the sons of Gershon, Shebuel was the chief. And the son of Eliezer was Rehabiah, the chief. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. The sons of Izhar: Shelomith, the chief. The sons of Hebron: Jeriah, the first, Amariah, the second, Jahaziel, the third, and Jekameam, the fourth.
The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three. The sons of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two. read more. The sons of Pashur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven. The sons of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.
that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye murdered between the temple and the altar.
And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. read more. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he shall turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the rebellious to the prudence of the just, to make ready a prepared people for the Lord.
And, behold, thou shalt be dumb and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou didst not believe my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the temple; verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
Fausets
1. Father of John the Baptist. (Lu 1:5). (See JOHN THE BAPTIST.) Of the course of Abia or Abijah, eighth of the 24 (1Ch 24:10); walking with Elizabeth his wife "in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." His lot was to burn incense, the embodiment of prayer (from whence also during the burning of incense the whole people prayed: Re 8:3-4; Ps 141:2), and esteemed so honourable an office that the same person (say the rabbis) was not allowed to discharge it twice. His unbelief ("whereby shall I know this, seeing I am old?" etc.) at the angel' s announcement of John's birth was retributively punished by dumbness (contrast Ps 116:10; 2Co 4:13), a warning to Israel whose representative he was of the consequences of unbelief if the nation should reject the gospel just coming; just as Mary on the contrary was an example of the blessedness which would flow if they believed (Lu 1:45,38).
Faith (dictating the name for his son given by the angel: Lu 1:13,63-64) opened his mouth, as faith shall cause Israel in the last days to confess her Lord, and the veil on her heart shall be taken away (2Co 3:15-16). Then followed his song of thanksgiving under the Holy Spirit, as Israel shall sing when turned to the Lord according to "the oath which He sware to our father Abraham," etc. (Lu 1:68-80; Isa 12:1-3; Zec 12:10,) "The horn of salvation in the house of David" contrasts beautifully with "the little horn" or antichrist destroying Israel before Messiah shall appear for Israel's help (Da 7:8; 8:9-14,11; 12:1-3).
2. Son of Barachias (Mt 23:35). The same as the sire of Jehoiada; Joash ungratefully forgetting that he owed his throne to Jehoiada slew Zacharias for his faithful reproof: "Why transgress ye the commandments of Jehovah, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken Jehovah, He hath also forsaken you." By Joash's command they stoned Zacharias "in the court of the house of Jehovah!" And to it the tradition may be due which assigns the tomb in the valley of Jehoshaphat to Zacharias. Contrast Jehoiada's reverent care not to slay Athaliah in the temple precincts (2Ch 23:14; 24:20-22,25). Joash slew other "sons" of Jehoiada besides Zacharias.
The Lord look upon it and requite it was the martyr's dying sentence, which Jesus refers to as about to be executed on Israel; "that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar," i.e. in the interior court of the priests, in which was the altar of burnt offerings. As Zacharias' prayer for vengeance is the judicial side of God's word by His prophets (Re 6:9-11; Lu 18:7), so Stephen's prayer is the gospel loving side of it (Ac 7:60). Though Urijah was slain subsequently to Zacharias (Jer 26:23), yet Zacharias is the last as the canon was arranged, Chronicles standing in it last; Christ names Zacharias as the last and Abel as the first martyr in the Scripture canon. Barachias may have been a second name of Jehoiada, meaning "the blessed," because he preserved David's house in the person of Joash from the murderous Athaliah, slew her, and restored the rightful king. However, as "son of Barachias" does not occur in Lu 11:51, perhaps the words in Matthew were a marginal gloss, confusing this Zacharias with Zechariah the prophet, son of Berechiah.
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Then Jehoiada, the priest, brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host and said unto them, Remove her from the order of the house, and whoever follows her, let them be slain with the sword. For the priest had commanded, Slay her not in the house of the LORD.
And the Spirit of God clothed himself in Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, who being over the people, said unto them, Thus hath God said, Why do ye transgress the commandments of the LORD? Ye shall not prosper in this; for because ye have forsaken the LORD, he shall also forsake you. And they conspired against him and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. read more. Thus Joash, the king, did not remember the mercy which Jehoiada, his father, had done to him but slew his son; who said when he died, The LORD look upon it and require it.
And when they were departed from him (for they left him in great diseases), his own slaves conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada, the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the sepulchres of the kings.
Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense, the gift of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will sing unto thee; though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou hast comforted me. Behold, O God my saving health, I will trust and not be afraid for JAH, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he also is become saving health unto me. read more. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of saving health.
and they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
As I was considering the horns, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking grand things.
And out of the first of them came forth a little horn, which grew much toward the south and toward the east and toward the desirable land. And it magnified itself unto the host of heaven, and it cast down part of the host and of the stars to the ground and trod them under. read more. Even against the prince of the host did he magnify himself, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast to the earth.
Even against the prince of the host did he magnify himself, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast to the earth. And the host was given over by reason of the prevarication upon the daily sacrifice; and he cast the truth to the ground; and he did whatever he would and prospered. read more. Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto the one which spoke, How long shall the vision of the daily sacrifice last and the prevarication of desolation that places both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days of evening and morning; then shall the sanctuary be justified.
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who is for the sons of thy people, and it shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there were people until now, but in that time thy people shall escape, all those that are found written in the book. And many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth shall be awakened, some for eternal life, and some for shame and everlasting confusion. read more. And those that understand shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and those that teach righteousness to the multitude as the stars in perpetual eternity.
And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of prayer, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn over him as one mourns for his only son, afflicting themselves over him as one afflicts himself over his firstborn.
that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye murdered between the temple and the altar.
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Then Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
And he asked for a writing table and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they all marvelled. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke blessing God.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and made redemption for his people And has raised up a horn of saving health for us in the house of his servant David, read more. as he spoke by the mouth of the saints who from the beginning were his prophets; salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us; to fulfill mercy unto our fathers and remembering his holy covenant of the oath which he made to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that without fear delivered out of the hand of our enemies, we might serve him in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. And thou, child, shalt be called prophet of the Most High, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, giving knowledge of saving health unto his people for the remission of their sins through the bowels of mercy of our God, whereby the dayspring from on high has visited us to give light to those that dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet into the way of peace. And the child grew and was comforted of the Spirit and was in the deserts until the day of his showing unto Israel.
from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the temple; verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
And shall not God avenge his own elect who cry day and night unto him though he bears long regarding them?
And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, impute not this sin to their charge. And having said this, he fell asleep in the Lord.
But even unto this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when they convert to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.)
For I bear witness of him, that he has a great zeal for you and those that are in Laodicea and those in Hierapolis.
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those that had been slain because of the word of God and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on those that dwell in the earth? read more. And white robes were given unto each one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little while until their fellow servants and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense of the prayers of all the saints, that he should offer upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Morish
Zachari'as
1. Son of Barachias, who was slain between the temple and the altar. Mt 23:35; Lu 11:51. This probably refers to Zecharias the son of Jehoiada, who was thus slain by order of the king. '/2-Chronicles/24/20/type/j2000'>2Ch 24:20-22; 'son' in one of the places may signify 'grandson.' As the Book of Chronicles closes the Hebrew Bible, this assassination of a righteous man may well be deemed the last as that of Abel was the first.
2. Priest of the course of Abia, and father of John the Baptist. Because of his unbelief he was dumb until the child was born. When his son was circumcised, his voice was restored, and being full of the Holy Ghost he praised God and prophesied. His friends proposed the same name for his son; but he objected, and the babe was named John, as directed by the angel. Luke 1.
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And the Spirit of God clothed himself in Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, who being over the people, said unto them, Thus hath God said, Why do ye transgress the commandments of the LORD? Ye shall not prosper in this; for because ye have forsaken the LORD, he shall also forsake you. And they conspired against him and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. read more. Thus Joash, the king, did not remember the mercy which Jehoiada, his father, had done to him but slew his son; who said when he died, The LORD look upon it and require it.
that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye murdered between the temple and the altar.
from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the temple; verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
Smith
Zachari'as
(Greek form of Zechariah).
1. Father of John the Baptist.
Lu 1:5
etc. He was a priest of the course of Abia. the eighth of the twenty-four courses who ministered at the temple in turn. He probably lived at Hebron. His wife's name was Elisabeth. John was born to them in their old age, and the promise of this son was communicated to Zacharias by an angel while he was offering incense and praying in the temple.
2. Son of Barachias, who, our Lord says, was slain by the Jews between the altar and the temple.
Mt 23:35; Lu 11:54
There has been much dispute who this Zacharias was. Many of the Greek fathers have maintained that the father of John the Baptist is the person to whom our Lord alludes but there can be little or no doubt that the allusion is to Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada,
and he may have been called "the son" of Barachias from his grandfather. (B.C. 838.) He is mentioned as being the martyr last recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures (as Abel was the first) -d Chronicles being the last book in their canon.
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And the Spirit of God clothed himself in Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, who being over the people, said unto them, Thus hath God said, Why do ye transgress the commandments of the LORD? Ye shall not prosper in this; for because ye have forsaken the LORD, he shall also forsake you. And they conspired against him and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.
that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye murdered between the temple and the altar.
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
laying wait for him and seeking to catch something out of his mouth that they might accuse him.