Hebrew word · H2148
זְכַרְיָהוּ
zekharyahu
Zechariah
A sentence name: zakhar ("remember") + Yah ("YHWH has remembered"). It carries the sense of God paying attention and acting faithfully, not just recalling something.
Appears 43 times in 43 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at 1Ch.9.21;
son of: Meshelemiah (H4920);
brother of: Jediael (H3043J), Zebadiah (H2069J), Jathniel (H3496), Elam (H5867H), Jehohanan (H3076I) and Eliehoenai (H0454A)
§ Zechariah = "Jehovah remembers"
1) king of Israel, son of Jeroboam II
2) son of Meshelemiah of Shelemiah, a Korhite, and keeper of the north gate of the tabernacle of the congregation
3) one of the sons of Jehiel
4) a Levite of the second order in the temple band in the time of David
5) one of the princes of Judah in the reign of Jehoshaphat
6) son of the high priest Jehoiada, in the reign of Joash king of Judah, who was stoned in the court of the temple
7) a Kohathite Levite in the reign of Josiah
8) the leader of the sons of Pharosh who returned with Ezra
9) son of Bebai
10) one of the chiefs of the people whom Ezra summoned in council at the river Ahava; stood at Ezra's left hand when Ezra expounded the law to the people
11) one of the family of Elam who had married a foreign wife after the captivity
12) ancestor of Athaiah or Uthai
13) a Shilonite, descendant of Perez, grandfather of Athaiah
14) a priest, son of Pashur
15) the representative of the priestly family of Iddo in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua; possibly the same as 1 above
16) one of the priests, son of Jonathan, who blew with the trumpets at the dedication of the city wall by Ezra and Nehemiah
17) a chief of the Reubenites at the time of the captivity by Tiglath-pileser
18) one of the priests who accompanied the ark from the house of Obed-edom
19) son of Isshiah of Jesiah, a Kohathite Levite descended from Uzziel
20) 4th son of Hosah, of the children of Merari
21) a Manassite, father of Iddo
22) father of Jahaziel. He prophesied in the spirit
23) one of the sons of Jehoshaphat
24) a prophet in the reign of Uzziah, who appears to have acted as the king's counsellor, but of whom nothing is known
25) father of Abijah or Abi, Hezekiah's mother
26) one of the family of Asaph in the reign of Hezekiah
27) one of the rulers of the temple in the reign of Josiah
28) son of Jeberechiah who was taken by the prophet Isaiah as one of the 'faithful witnesses to record' when he wrote concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of 1 Chronicles 9:37
- Range of meaning
A sentence name: zakhar ("remember") + Yah ("YHWH has remembered"). It carries the sense of God paying attention and acting faithfully, not just recalling something.
- Against the English
English "Zechariah" keeps the name but hides its meaning. That is normal for names and does not mislead.
- Used elsewhere in the period
About thirty different men in the Hebrew Bible are called Zechariah, and the name is common on seals from the late monarchy and after the exile. In 1 Chronicles 8:31 the same man appears as "Zecher" ("remembrance"), a shortened form without the divine element.
From the study of 2 Kings 15:8
- Range of meaning
A personal name built from the verb zakhar, 'to remember, call to mind, act on what one remembers', plus -yahu, a short form of YHWH: 'The LORD has remembered'.
- Against the English
English readers mainly know the name from the prophet Zechariah or from Zechariah the father of John the Baptist. This is a different man: the last king of Jehu's dynasty.
- Used elsewhere in the period
It is one of the most common Yahwistic names in the Hebrew Bible, borne by about thirty people. Names with -yahu are also widely found on Iron Age seals and ostraca (inscribed pottery shards).
Where it appears
2 Kings · 4
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2 Kings 14:29 זְכַרְיָ֥ה Zechariah
And Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. And his son Zechariah reigned in his place.
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2 Kings 15:8 זְכַרְיָ֨הוּ Zechariah
In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah’s reign over Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria six months.
Here: 'The LORD has remembered.' This is the northern king, not the post-exile prophet Zechariah or any of the roughly thirty other men in the Bible with this common name.
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2 Kings 15:11 זְכַרְיָ֑ה Zechariah
As for the rest of the acts of Zechariah, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
Here: Son of Jeroboam II and the last king of Jehu's dynasty. He reigned only six months, around 753 BC (v. 8), before Shallum assassinated him (v. 10). His name means "the LORD remembered", which sits ironically beside a reign that left almost nothing to remember.
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2 Kings 18:2 זְכַרְיָֽה׃ Zechariah
He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah.
1 Chronicles · 12
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1 Chronicles 5:7 וּזְכַרְיָֽהוּ׃ and Zechariah
His relatives by their clans are recorded in their genealogy: Jeiel the chief, Zechariah,
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1 Chronicles 9:21 זְכַרְיָה֙ Zechariah
Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
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1 Chronicles 9:37 וּזְכַרְיָ֖ה and Zechariah
Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth.
Here: "YHWH has remembered". This was one of the most common names in Israel. The parallel in 8:31 has the shortened form Zecher. Here it is the name of a Benjaminite of Gibeon, a relative of Saul's family line.
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1 Chronicles 15:18 זְכַרְיָ֡הוּ Zechariah
and with them their brothers next in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.
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1 Chronicles 15:20 וּזְכַרְיָ֨ה and Zechariah
Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play the harps according to Alamoth.
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1 Chronicles 15:24 וּ֠זְכַרְיָהוּ and Zechariah
Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer—the priests—were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be guardians of the ark.
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1 Chronicles 16:5 זְכַרְיָ֑ה Zechariah
Asaph was the chief, Zechariah was second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel. They were to play the harps and lyres, while Asaph sounded the cymbals
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1 Chronicles 24:25 זְכַרְיָֽהוּ׃ Zechariah
The brother of Micah: Isshiah; from the sons of Isshiah: Zechariah.
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1 Chronicles 26:2 זְכַרְיָ֤הוּ Zechariah
Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,
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1 Chronicles 26:11 זְכַרְיָ֖הוּ Zechariah
Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and brothers of Hosah numbered 13 in all.
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1 Chronicles 26:14 וּזְכַרְיָ֨הוּ and Zechariah
The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him.
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1 Chronicles 27:21 זְכַרְיָ֑הוּ ס Zechariah
over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead was Iddo son of Zechariah; over Benjamin was Jaasiel son of Abner;
2 Chronicles · 9
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2 Chronicles 17:7 וְלִזְכַרְיָ֔ה and <to> Zechariah
In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah,
Here: The name means 'YHWH has remembered'. It was one of the most common names in Israel, and this man is otherwise unknown.
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2 Chronicles 20:14 זְכַרְיָ֡הוּ Zechariah
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite from Asaph’s descendants, as he stood in the midst of the assembly.
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2 Chronicles 21:2 וּזְכַרְיָ֣הוּ and Zechariah
Jehoram’s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; these were all sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
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2 Chronicles 24:20 זְכַרְיָה֙ Zechariah
Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.’”
Here: A priest, son of the high priest Jehoiada. His name means 'YHWH has remembered', which turns ironic two verses later when King Joash 'did not remember' the loyalty of Zechariah's father (v. 22).
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2 Chronicles 26:5 זְכַרְיָ֔הוּ Zechariah
He sought God throughout the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. And as long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.
Here: An adviser to Uzziah known only from this verse. He is not the prophet whose book bears the name, and not the priest Zechariah son of Jehoiada, who was stoned under Joash (24:20–22).
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2 Chronicles 29:1 זְכַרְיָֽהוּ׃ Zechariah
Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
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2 Chronicles 29:13 זְכַרְיָ֖הוּ Zechariah
Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites; Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites;
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2 Chronicles 34:12 וּזְכַרְיָ֧ה and Zechariah
And the men did the work faithfully. The Levites overseeing them were Jahath and Obadiah, descendants of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descendants of Kohath. Other Levites, all skilled with musical instruments,
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2 Chronicles 35:8 וּזְכַרְיָ֜הוּ and Zechariah
His officials also contributed willingly to the people and priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the chief officials of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 Passover offerings and 300 bulls.
Ezra · 6
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Ezra 5:1 וּזְכַרְיָ֤ה and Zechariah
Later, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
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Ezra 6:14 וּזְכַרְיָ֖ה and Zechariah
So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.
Here: The second prophet of the rebuilding, who worked alongside Haggai. The name means 'YHWH has remembered', which fits a community returned from exile.
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Ezra 8:3 זְכַרְיָ֑ה Zechariah
of the descendants of Shecaniah; from the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;
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Ezra 8:11 זְכַרְיָ֖ה Zechariah
from the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;
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Ezra 8:16 וְלִזְכַרְיָ֥ה and for Zechariah
Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.
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Ezra 10:26 זְכַרְיָה֙ Zechariah
From the descendants of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
Nehemiah · 7
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Nehemiah 8:4 זְכַרְיָ֥ה Zechariah
Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for this occasion. At his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and at his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
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Nehemiah 11:4 זְכַרְיָ֧ה Zechariah
while some of the descendants of Judah and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem.) From the descendants of Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez;
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Nehemiah 11:5 זְכַרְיָ֖ה Zechariah
and Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, a descendant of Shelah.
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Nehemiah 11:12 זְכַרְיָ֔ה Zechariah
and their associates who did the work at the temple—822 men; Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah;
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Nehemiah 12:16 זְכַרְיָ֖ה Zechariah
of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;
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Nehemiah 12:35 זְכַרְיָ֨ה Zechariah
and some of the priests with trumpets, and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,
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Nehemiah 12:41 זְכַרְיָ֥ה Zechariah
as well as the priests with their trumpets—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah—
Isaiah · 1
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Isaiah 8:2 זְכַרְיָ֖הוּ Zechariah
And I will appoint for Myself trustworthy witnesses—Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”
Zechariah · 4
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Zechariah 1:1 זְכַרְיָה֙ Zechariah
In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying:
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Zechariah 1:7 זְכַרְיָה֙ Zechariah
On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo.
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Zechariah 7:1 זְכַרְיָ֗ה Zechariah
In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Chislev.
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Zechariah 7:8 זְכַרְיָ֖ה Zechariah
Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.