The historical background of the Book of Zechariah is closely tied to the post-exilic period of Israel’s history. After the Babylonian Empire conquered Judah and destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BC, many Israelites were taken into captivity in Babylon for a period of around seventy years. Following the fall of Babylon to the Persian Empire under King Cyrus the Great in 538 BC, Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. This marked the beginning of the post-exilic period and the subsequent waves of Jewish returnees to Jerusalem. Continue reading →