Wrath. The substance of his words is this: He said to them that during the First Temple period, before God destroyed the Temple and exiled Israel, He would continually send His prophets. They would warn and rebuke the people and foretell the calamity that was destined to come, so that they might repent and He would not bring the calamity upon them. Thus, it was Hashem who first took the initiative to bring them back to Him, but they were unwilling. Now, even after the calamity has befallen them, the wrath still remains and the exile still continues, for the redemption under Cyrus was not a complete redemption. Concerning this he says, “Hashem was exceedingly angry with your fathers.” That is, the wrath still exists, for Hashem has not yet turned away from His burning anger.

And you shall say to them. Therefore, you shall say to them and inform them that from now on He will no longer send prophets to warn them and bring them back to Him (for prophecy ceased after the last prophets). Henceforth, they must endeavor on their own to repent. Concerning this He says, “Return to Me,” and as a result, “I will return to you”—you must be the ones to take the initiative and awaken yourselves to return.

Do not be like your fathers, to whom the earlier prophets called and whom they warned concerning their evil ways, but they did not heed the words of the prophets. Consider what became of them, for:

Where are your fathers? Did they not die, perish, and come to an end amid terrors and afflictions? And the prophets whom I sent at that time—do they live forever? For I will no longer send new prophets, since prophets are no longer necessary now that you have seen that all the calamities foretold by the prophets have befallen you. This is what Scripture means when it says:

But did not My words and My decrees overtake your fathers? There is no longer any need for a prophet to foretell what will befall you because of your sins, for the calamities have already come and still remain, since you have not yet been delivered from the dominion of Cyrus. Moreover, you have already recognized Hashem’s Providence and His punishments: (1) You have seen that He has the power to punish sinners, as indicated by their admission, “Just as Hashem intended to do to us, so He has done with us”; (2) the punishment corresponded measure for measure to the sin, as indicated by the words, “According to our ways and according to our deeds, so He has dealt with us.” Thus, prophecy is no longer necessary, for your eyes have already been opened to recognize the workings of Hashem.

On the twenty-fourth day. Regarding the fact that this prophecy specifies the exact day and month, Abarbanel wrote that it teaches that this occurred fifty-nine days after the foundation of the Temple of Hashem was laid on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since he then prophesied concerning the completion of the Persian Empire, which lasted fifty-nine years, Scripture informs us that the interval between the laying of the Temple’s foundation and this prophecy was fifty-nine days—one day for each year. It mentions his father and grandfather again to indicate that it was through their merit that he received such exalted prophecies.

I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding upon a red horse. Our Sages said [in the chapter Ha-Ro’eh, Berakhot 57b]: One who sees a red horse in a dream—if it is galloping, it is an unfavorable sign for him, but if it is at rest, it is a favorable sign; a white horse, whether galloping or at rest, is a favorable sign. This is because a horse signifies war, as it is written, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle,” while in another respect it signifies pride and exaltation. When the horse is red, a color signifying bloodshed, and is galloping, indicating that it is pursuing others to shed blood, it is a sign of murder. But if it is at rest, or if it is a white horse, it signifies exaltation rather than bloodshed. Now, he saw horses, a man riding, and an angel. The horses represent mighty warriors, men of war. He saw a red horse, signifying a mighty man who would go forth to wage war against the king of Persia and seize the kingdom after him. This was Alexander the Macedonian, who defeated Darius in his wars. Daniel saw him in the form of the male goat goring the ram, while Zechariah saw him as a red horse, signifying the blood that would be shed. The man riding upon it is the prince of Greece, who guided him through his power and might to achieve great victories. Concerning this he says, “I saw in the night,” for each king of the four empires who arose to rule was likened to a separate night, since affliction is compared to night. Rabbi Yoḥanan said (in the chapter Ḥelek) that the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to turn the entire world into night. However, Zechariah saw that the horse and its rider were standing still, which was a favorable sign. That is, “He stood among the myrtles that were in the depths,” meaning among the righteous people who would be found in that generation, in the depths of this lowly world. There the horse would stand still and would not gallop forth to shed blood. And so it happened: when Alexander came to Jerusalem, Shimon the Righteous and his fellow priests went out to meet him, and Alexander dismounted from his horse and bowed before him. He neither destroyed Jerusalem nor harmed its inhabitants. Following this horse upon which the man rode—that is, following Alexander the Macedonian—there were red, mottled, and white horses. The red horses signify war, the white horses signify peace, and the mottled horses, combining red and white, occupy an intermediate position between them. That is, among the commanders of his armies who inherited his kingdom after him, some loved war and shed blood, some loved peace and tranquility, and some were intermediate—at times they waged war, and at other times they dwelt in peace.

And I said, “What are these, my lord?” He asked the angel who was imparting the prophecy to him to tell him what this vision signified. And he said to me, “I will show you what these are,” meaning that through the other visions that I will show you, you will understand the meaning and significance of these things.

And the man standing among the myrtles answered. He heard the prince of Greece, who was then embodied in Alexander and was therefore seen in the form of a man, answer and proclaim aloud, “These are the ones whom Hashem has sent to traverse the earth,” for Hashem entrusted dominion over the world to these princes and sent them to traverse the earth and conquer kingdoms.

And they answered the angel of Hashem who stood among the myrtles. Among the righteous people of that generation stood the angel of Hashem—the angel appointed to watch over Israel—standing guard over the myrtles, which represent the righteous. They informed the angel, “We have traversed the earth,” meaning that we have already gained sovereignty and dominion over the entire earth, “and all the earth sits still and is at rest,” for the wars had ceased, since everything was under their dominion. They also intimated to him that they would not harm Israel at that time, and that Israel would initially dwell peacefully under the protection of the Greek kingdom.

And the angel of Hashem cried out. This expression signifies raising one’s voice. The angel saw that one night was departing and another night was coming, and that another kingdom would gain dominion over Israel and treat them very harshly, as occurred in the days of the wicked Antiochus, who severely oppressed Israel. The angel saw that the time of redemption had still not arrived, and therefore cried aloud, “How long will You not have compassion?” He emphasized the word “You”: Why should I depend upon the compassion of the horses traversing the earth, which represent the kingdoms? Why do You Yourself not have compassion upon Jerusalem? After all, You have been indignant these seventy years; the time of redemption has already arrived.

And Hashem answered—and Hashem answered the angel with good words. He informed him that this was for Israel’s benefit, until the angel was comforted. For in truth, the length of the exiles and the multitude of afflictions will ultimately be transformed into great consolations, and through this there will be a universal redemption and everlasting righteousness. The prophet did not reveal what Hashem said to the angel, because he was not commanded to disclose it.

And the angel said to me. He told him not to reveal everything he had heard, but only, “Proclaim, saying”—this you shall proclaim in the name of Hashem: Thus says Hashem, “I have been zealous for Jerusalem,” meaning that I have already acted zealously on behalf of the honor of Jerusalem and Zion, by becoming incensed against Babylon and destroying it because of the evils its people committed against Zion. It was with great zeal, and therefore Babylon was utterly destroyed and became an everlasting ruin.

And I am exceedingly angry. Now I am exceedingly angry with the complacent nations, namely Media and Persia. Although I am not zealous against them, since they did not destroy the Temple, I am angry with them because they halted its reconstruction. For I was angry only a little: the anger that I now bear toward Israel is slight, since the time of their redemption has arrived, but they furthered the calamity. That is, they assisted the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin, who sought to halt the construction. They accepted their accusations and issued an order to stop the rebuilding, so that Israel still remains subjugated and despised.

Therefore, thus says Hashem: I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. That is, I have therefore been compelled to return to Jerusalem. Although the time of the future redemption has not yet arrived, I am doing this out of compassion, because of their affliction and distress. Moreover, My House shall be built in it; therefore, the Temple will now be rebuilt, so that they will have a place in which to pray, amend their deeds, and, if they prove worthy, bring about everlasting righteousness. At that time, however, they had permission only to rebuild the Temple, not the wall of Jerusalem, for permission to rebuild it was not granted until the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, through Nehemiah. He therefore informed them that a measuring line shall be stretched over Jerusalem to rebuild the wall as well. The word is written קוה, which denotes hope and expectation, indicating that from now on they have hope that, if their deeds merit it, the period of wrath will come to an end.

Proclaim further, saying. Inform them of something else as well: this redemption is not the true and final redemption, for My cities shall yet be dispersed. They will again be exiled by the Romans and scattered among the nations, and they will be driven away from the prosperity they enjoyed during the Second Temple period. But Hashem will yet comfort Zion: after the conflict with the Greeks, who abolished the Temple service—an affliction associated with Zion—Hashem will comfort Zion. Then, following the final exile brought about by the Romans, who exiled the people from Jerusalem and left it desolate, He will yet choose Jerusalem in the future, when its children return to it.