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Zechariah

About this book
Chapter 13

1 “In that day there will be a fountain opened up for the dynasty of David and the people of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity. 2 And also on that day,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will remove the names of the idols from the land and they will never again be remembered. Moreover, I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3 Then, if anyone prophesies in spite of this, his father and mother to whom he was born will say to him, ‘You cannot live, for you lie in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and mother to whom he was born will run him through with a sword when he prophesies. 4 “Therefore, on that day each prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies and will no longer wear the hairy garment of a prophet⁠ to deceive the people. 5 Instead he will say, ‘I am no prophet; indeed, I am a farmer, for a man has made me his indentured servant since my youth.’⁠ 6 Then someone will ask him, ‘What are these wounds on your chest?’ and he will answer, ‘Some that I received in the house of my friends.’ 7 “Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate, ”says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Strike the shepherd that the flock may be scattered;⁠ I will turn my hand against the insignificant ones. 8 It will happen in all the land,” says the Lord, “that two-thirds of the people in it will be cut off and die, but one-third will be left in it. 9 Then I will bring the remaining third into the fire; I will refine them like silver is refined and will test them like gold is tested.⁠ They will call on my name and I will answer; I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

Texts in conversation

Compare Zechariah 13:4 and Matthew 3:4

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

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Summary

Matthew’s description of John the Baptist wearing a rough garment recalls Zechariah’s image of false prophets who once wore such clothing to appear authentic. By reversing this association, Matthew presents John as a true prophet in the line of Elijah.

Passages

Zechariah 13:4

Hebrew Bible
2 And also on that day,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will remove the names of the idols from the land and they will never again be remembered. Moreover, I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3 Then, if anyone prophesies in spite of this, his father and mother to whom he was born will say to him, ‘You cannot live, for you lie in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and mother to whom he was born will run him through with a sword when he prophesies. 4 “Therefore, on that day each prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies and will no longer wear the hairy garment of a prophet to deceive the people. 5 Instead he will say, ‘I am no prophet; indeed, I am a farmer, for a man has made me his indentured servant since my youth.’ 6 Then someone will ask him, ‘What are these wounds on your chest?’ and he will answer, ‘Some that I received in the house of my friends.’
500–401 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Zechariah

Matthew 3:4

New Testament
2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3 For he is the one about whom the prophet Isaiah had spoken: “The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’” 4 Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. 5 Then people from Jerusalem, as well as all Judea and all the region around the Jordan, were going out to him, 6 and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... John's ministry looks like the ministry of the eschatological Elijah from Malachi 3:1 and 4:5–6. John did no miracles unlike the Elijah of 1 Kings and 2 Kings. Instead, John's ministry was about calling Israel back to repentance and preparing God's people for God's arrival (compare Matt 3:2, 4–9 with Malachi 3:1 and 4:5–6). John the Baptist also dresses in the prophetic garb that Elijah was particularly remembered for wearing (2 Kings 1:8; Zechariah 13:4). The description of John the Baptist’s dress in Matthew 3:4 strongly resembles the description of Elijah’s dress in the LXX version of 2 Kings 1:8 ... Matthew was not telling us about John the Baptist’s dress sense to give fashion advice. He was doing it because it identifies John the Baptist with Elijah. John the Baptist also chooses the wilderness around the Jordan as the place of his ministry, which was also near the place that Elijah was believed to have ascended to heaven in 2 Kings 2:1–11. Finally to make the connection between John the Baptist and Elijah certain, John is explicitly called Elijah from Malachi 3:1 and 4:5–6 in Matthew 11:10, 14; 17:13 ..."
Aaron William Geddis, “The Concept of the Return of Elijah in Matthew 11:2–24 and Its Christological Implications” (ThM diss., University of Otago, 2020), 124.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Zechariah 13:4 and Matthew 3:4

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