3 The Repentance of Israel

This prophecy of Zechariah’s came about two months after Haggai’s first prophecy and the start of the rebuilding of the temple. Haggai’s prophecy was given to promote a desire within the Jews to rebuild God’s House in Jerusalem (Haggai 1:1 and 15), and a few weeks after Haggai’s prophecy of the great glory, which would come upon the Temple (Haggai 2:1–9). Haggai was very specific and directed the people to the past glory of Jerusalem as a motivation to continue building the temple. Zechariah is more general in his messages, and he focuses much more on the future glory of Jerusalem as a motivation for building the temple.