Equip: Resources on the Book of Zechariah

The Book of Zechariah is the second of three post-exilic books in the Minor Prophets.

Zechariah’s ministry overlapped a portion of the prophet Haggai but was longer than Haggai’s. Zechariah ministered as the Israelites returned from Babylonian captivity, rebuilt the temple and anticipated the installation of a king from the line of David.

As a pastor, I have both preached sermons and led Bible studies from the Book of Zechariah.

As a professor, I also regularly teach about this important prophetic book as part of my Old Testament survey courses. Here are the resources I have found most helpful in my study of the Book of Zechariah.

The New American Commentary: Zechariah by George L. Klein

George L. Klein was associate professor of Old Testament and senior associate dean for the research doctoral program at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Klein provides an extensive introduction related to the identity of the prophet, authorship, historical era, literary style, structure, text, canonical position and theology. His volume contains a full exposition of every verse using the New International Version text. Insights from the original Hebrew language are provided in the commentary and are accessible for all readers.

While the main text of this commentary is accessible to all readers, there also are extensive footnotes and references to other resources for those who would like to dig deeper.

The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. VII: ‘Zechariah’  by Ben C. Ollenburger

The New Interpreter’s Bible has been written by a stellar cast of authors. It is accessible and helpful to Christians who want to study the Bible for teaching and preaching.

Ben C. Ollenburger, who retired in 2018 after nearly four decades teaching Old Testament at the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind., wrote an introduction, commentary and reflections on Zechariah.

He also served as assistant professor and instructor of Old Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary (1980–87) and an instructor of religious studies and philosophy at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan. (1975–77).

Ollenburger addresses Zechariah by dividing his commentary into two parts: First Zechariah (1:1-8:23) and Second Zechariah (9:1-14:21) as explained in his introduction. The bibliography at the end of his introduction provides an excellent source of resources for further study.

The commentary portion uses both the New International Version and New Revised Standard Version Bible texts. At the end of each section of commentary, Ollenburger provides insightful reflections that will help the reader apply the text to contemporary needs.

Honorable mention

Joyce G. Baldwin’s Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries provides a succinct treatment of Zechariah.

Baldwin provides a good introduction to Zechariah as she addresses the critical question of its authorship and unity. She also includes additional notes related to the topics of “the divine jealousy,” “Zechariah’s horses” and “the burden of the word of the Lord” mentioned in Zechariah 9:1.

Though it is a briefer treatment than some of the other works reviewed above, it is still a good resource for a pastor or teacher.

Bill Bryan is the pastor of Abingdon Baptist Church in Abingdon, Va. He is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity), Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry), and B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary (Ph.D. in Old Testament literature). He teaches in the masters and Doctor of Ministry programs of B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University. The views expressed in this resource article are those of the author.