Original Word: זְכַרְיָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Zkaryah
Pronunciation: zeh-kahr-YAH
Phonetic Spelling: (zek-ar-yaw')
KJV: Zachariah, Zechariah
Word Origin: [from H2142 (זָכַר - remember) and H3050 (יָהּ - LORD)]

1. Jah has remembered
2. Zecarjah, the name of twenty-nine Israelites

Zachariah, Zechariah

Or Zkaryahuw {zek-ar-yaw'-hoo}; from zakar and Yahh; Jah has remembered; Zecarjah, the name of twenty-nine Israelites -- Zachariah, Zechariah.

see HEBREW zakar

see HEBREW Yahh

זְכַרְיָהוּ, oftener זְכַרְיָה proper name, masculine (Sabean ידֿכראל DHM^{Epigr. Denkm. 43}) ᵐ5 Ζαχαρια(ς), etc.: —

1 זכריהו, king of Israel, son of Jeroboam II, 2 Kings 15:8 = זכריה 2 Kings 14:29; 2 Kings 15:11.

2 זכריהו, father of Hezekiah's mother 2 Chronicles 29:1 = זכריה 2 Kings 18:2.

3 זכריהו, contemporary of Isaiah Isaiah 8:2.

4 זכריהו, a Reubenite 1 Chronicles 5:7.

5 זכריה, a Benjamite 1 Chronicles 9:37 (ᵐ5 Ζαχαρια, A Ζαχχουρ ᵐ5^L Ζεχρει) = זָ֑כֶר 1 Chronicles 8:31 (see [I. זֶכֶר]).

6 זכריהו, a Manassite 1 Chronicles 27:21 (ᵐ5 Ζαβδειου, ᵐ5^L Ζαχαριου).

7 זכריהו, a son of Jehoshaphat 2 Chronicles 21:2.

8 זכריה, a captain of Jehosh. 2 Chronicles 17:7.

9 זכריהו, teacher of Uzziah 2 Chronicles 26:5.

10 Levites, זכריהו:

a. 1 Chronicles 15:18 = זכריה 1 Chronicles 15:20, 1 Chronicles 16:5.

b. 1 Chronicles 24:25.

c. 1 Chronicles 26:2,14.

d. 1 Chronicles 26:11.

e.2Chronicles 20:14.

f.2Chronicles 29:13 (ᵐ5 Ἀζαριας, A Ζαχαριας, so ᵐ5^L). זכריה:

g. 1 Chronicles 9:21.

h.2Chronicles 34:12.

i. an Asaphite Nehemiah 12:35.

11 priests, זכריהו:

a. 1 Chronicles 15:24

b.2Chronicles 35:8. זכריה:

c.2Chronicles 24:20 (ᵐ5 Ἀζαριαν; ᵐ5^L Ζαχαριαν; probably referred to Matthew 23:35, where apparently confusion with f).

d. Nehemiah 11:12.

e. Nehemiah 12:41.

f. the well-known prophet Zechariah 1:1,7; Zechariah 7:1,8; Nehemiah 12:16 [compare Aramaic Ezra 5:1; Ezra 6:14].

12 returned exiles, זכריה:

a. Ezra 8:3 and perhaps Ezra 8:16, compare Nehemiah 8:4.

b. Ezra 8:11 (ᵐ5 Ἀζαριας, A Ζαχαριας, so ᵐ5^L).

c. Ezra 10:26.

d. a man of Judah Nehemiah 11:4.

e. id. Nehemiah 11:5 (ᵐ5 Θηζεια, א Θηδεια, A Ζαχαριου, so ᵐ5^L).

זְכַרְיָה proper name, masculine prophet (Biblical Hebrew id.), Ezra 5:1; Ezra 6:14.

Name Significance and Thematic Emphasis

The name Zechariah (“Yahweh remembers”) consistently underscores divine faithfulness. With some forty-three occurrences, Scripture uses the name to highlight God’s covenant memory and the call for His people to remember Him.

Major Individuals Bearing the Name

1. Zechariah son of Berechiah, the Post-Exilic Prophet

• Timeframe: 520-518 BC, alongside Haggai (Ezra 5:1; 6:14).
• Ministry Setting: Returned community rebuilding the second temple.
• Central Message: A call to repentance—“Return to Me … and I will return to you” (Zechariah 1:3)—coupled with encouragement that the temple would be completed “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6).
• Night Visions: Eight interconnected visions (chapters 1–6) reveal God’s global sovereignty, the cleansing of the priesthood, and the crowning of the Branch.
• Messianic Prophecy:

– Humble King (Zechariah 9:9; fulfilled in Matthew 21:5).

– Pierced One (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37; Revelation 1:7).

– Stricken Shepherd (Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:31).

– Universal Reign (Zechariah 14:9).
• Lasting Impact: Provides the fullest Old Testament bridge from temple restoration to eschatological hope, quoted frequently in the New Testament.

2. Zechariah son of Jehoiada, the Martyred Priest (2 Chronicles 24:20-22)
• Role: Spirit-empowered prophet who confronted King Joash’s apostasy.
• Death: Stoned in the temple court at the king’s command.
• Legacy: His innocent blood became emblematic of rejected prophetic witness; Jesus cites him when indicting Jerusalem (Matthew 23:35).

3. Zechariah son of Jeroboam II, Last King of Jehu’s Dynasty (2 Kings 15:8-12)
• Reign: Six months in Samaria, perpetuating sins of Jeroboam.
• Downfall: Assassinated by Shallum, fulfilling the word that Jehu’s line would last to the fourth generation (2 Kings 10:30).

4. Zechariah the Seer in Uzziah’s Reign (2 Chronicles 26:5)
• Described as one “who instructed him in the fear of God.”
• Uzziah’s prosperity is explicitly tied to heeding this prophet’s counsel.

5. Zechariah in Hezekiah’s Ancestry (2 Chronicles 29:1)
• As father of Hezekiah’s mother Abijah, he likely contributed to Hezekiah’s early spiritual formation that later produced sweeping reforms.

6. Zechariah son of Jeberechiah, Witness in Isaiah’s Day (Isaiah 8:2)
• Served as a trustworthy legal witness to Isaiah’s prophetic sign.

Zechariah and the Restoration Community

Multiple Levites named Zechariah assisted in worship during Davidic preparations (1 Chronicles 15:18, 20; 16:5), guarded temple gates (1 Chronicles 26:2, 11), and later signed Ezra’s covenant (Ezra 8:3-16) or ministered in Nehemiah’s reforms (Nehemiah 8:4; 12:16, 41). The recurrence of the name in post-exilic rosters underscores continuity between pre-exilic worship ideals and the restored community’s aspirations.

Theological Threads

• Covenant Memory: Each bearer of the name highlights either God’s remembrance of His promises or Israel’s need to remember His commandments.
• Prophetic Confrontation and Comfort: Whether warning Joash or encouraging temple builders, Zechariahs appear when God’s people face pivotal decisions.
• Messianic Expectation: The prophetic book of Zechariah paints one of the most vivid portraits of the coming King, integrating priestly and royal motifs that culminate in Jesus Christ.
• Divine Sovereignty over History: From dynastic transitions (2 Kings 15) to eschatological visions (Zechariah 14), the name’s occurrences remind readers that God governs kings, nations, and the final consummation.

Devotional and Practical Implications

1. God remembers His covenant even when His people waver; believers can trust His fidelity.
2. Prophetic rebuke, though costly (as with Jehoiada’s son), is an act of covenant love.
3. True prosperity, political or personal, is tied to seeking the Lord (2 Chronicles 26:5).
4. The Messiah’s humble arrival and future universal reign exhort the Church to combine present meekness with resolute hope.
5. Faithful witness may involve legal testimony (Isaiah 8:2), worship leadership (1 Chronicles 16:5), or prophetic proclamation (Zechariah 1-14); each sphere is vital in God’s redemptive plan.

Summary

Across priestly courts, royal thrones, prophetic scrolls, and genealogical records, the Zechariahs of Scripture collectively testify that the LORD remembers, warns, restores, and will ultimately reign.

וְלִזְכַרְיָ֔ה וְלִזְכַרְיָ֥ה וּ֠זְכַרְיָהוּ וּזְכַרְיָ֖ה וּזְכַרְיָ֜הוּ וּזְכַרְיָ֣הוּ וּזְכַרְיָ֤ה וּזְכַרְיָ֧ה וּזְכַרְיָ֨ה וּזְכַרְיָ֨הוּ וּזְכַרְיָֽהוּ׃ וזכריה וזכריהו וזכריהו׃ ולזכריה זְכַרְיָ֑ה זְכַרְיָ֑הוּ זְכַרְיָ֔ה זְכַרְיָ֔הוּ זְכַרְיָ֖ה זְכַרְיָ֖הוּ זְכַרְיָ֗ה זְכַרְיָ֡הוּ זְכַרְיָ֤הוּ זְכַרְיָ֥ה זְכַרְיָ֧ה זְכַרְיָ֨ה זְכַרְיָ֨הוּ זְכַרְיָֽה׃ זְכַרְיָֽהוּ׃ זְכַרְיָה֙ זכריה זכריה׃ זכריהו זכריהו׃ ū·zə·ḵar·yā·hū ū·zə·ḵar·yāh uzecharYah uzecharYahu ūzəḵaryāh ūzəḵaryāhū velizcharYah wə·liz·ḵar·yāh wəlizḵaryāh zə·ḵar·yā·hū zə·ḵar·yāh zecharYah zecharYahu zəḵaryāh zəḵaryāhūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts