Zechariah

Zechariah comes from the Hebrew name Zekharyah (זְכַרְיָה) meaning “Yahweh remembers”. In the Bible, around the time the Persians conquered the Babylonians in the 6th century B.C., the Jews were allowed to return from exile and rebuild their temple. God realized that the Israelites needed a little motivation and called upon the prophet Zechariah to help. In the Old Testament’s Book of Zechariah, the prophet reassures the people of Israel of God’s continued covenant with them, and of His abiding comfort and care. In other words, Zechariah served to remind the Israelites that “Yahweh remembers”. According to Zechariah 1:17 thus says the Lord: “[I] will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.” Aside from this Zechariah, there is also a New Testament figure by this name. It belonged to the father of John the Baptist. In this Biblical story, Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth became pregnant very late in life (way past childbearing years, and we mean WAY past). Zechariah didn’t believe it and was thus “struck dumb” as punishment for his disbelief (i.e., he couldn’t speak). After the baby John was born, his speech was restored to him, but any relevant remarks he may have made are lost to history. It must not have been too bad, however, because he was named a saint and his feast day is celebrated on November 15th. The English would eventually swap the “e” for an “a” and change it to Zachariah (the more popular version today). The Puritans revived the name in the 17th century during and after the Protestant Reformation. Zechariah with an “e” is more true to the ancient and Hebrew Biblical version.