The Motif of the Messiah in Zechariah 9-14

Topic Zechariah 9-14 is full of prophecies regarding the coming of the messiah. The Jews at the time of Jesus awaited a messiah different from the one that came but how so? Did they misunderstand the prophecies or, by any chance, were the prophecies not clear enough? Purpose Firstly, it will be given an overview of the Book of Zechariah. Then, the messianic prophecies in Zechariah 9-14 will be examined closer and how they fit into the context of the prophets, the book of Zechariah, and the different chapters. An analysis of the similarities and differences will be written afterwards. Then Jewish expectation will be analysed. Afterwards, a conclusion will be drawn. Sources To have an in-depth study of the Texts of Zechariah, each messianic prophecy is translated with my own words from Hebrew into English. The context of the prophecies will be closer examined and the most recent and important commentaries will be considered. To understand the Jewish expectation of the messiah, Jewish literature and statements of Rabbis will be considered before a conclusion will be drawn. Conclusions The in-depth study of Zechariah showed that the messianic prophecies are in fact always in a military and judgment setting. However, it is not the messiah who acts belligerent, but it is the Lord who is fighting for his people. Zechariah shows that the messiah, was supposed to come as someone who restores the leadership and the nation, someone who restores the spiritual constitution. After this is accomplished, the restoration of the land will be the next goal. The Jews did not recognize their messiah because they did not anticipate forgiveness of their sins.