Background of Zechariah

With the mention of Iddo and Zechariah in Nehemiah 12:4, 16, plus Zechariah’s opening verse, we know that Zechariah was active in the early years of the return from Babylon, probably about 520-518 B.C.E. The visions and oracles of chapters 1-8 clearly refer to this period when the Temple was rebuilt. Chapters 9-14 are more difficult to determine. Often called “Deutero-Zechariah” or “Second Zechariah,” their historical setting is a matter of speculation, with references generally considered to be from the fifth or fourth centuries B.C.E., although some scholars suggest that some of the material might be preexilic (before 587 B.C.E.)