Zechariah and His Visions: An Exegetical Study of Zechariah's Vision Report

Did Zechariah really see visions? This question cannot be definitely answered, so the idea must remain a hypothesis. Here, Tiemeyer shows that this hypothesis is nonetheless reasonable and instrumental in shedding light on matters in Zechariah's vision report that are otherwise unclear.

Tracking through each verse of the text, the key exegetical problems are covered, including the topics of the distinction between visions and dreams, dream classification, conflicting sources of evidence for dream experiences, and rhetorical imagery as opposed to dream experience. Further attention is focused on the transmission of the divine message to Zechariah, with the key question raised of whether a visual or oral impression is described. Tiemeyer's study further demonstrates that Zech 1-6 depicts a three-tier reality. This description seeks to convey the seer's visionary experience to his readers. In a trance state, Zechariah communicates with the Interpreting Angel, while also receiving glimpses of a deeper reality known as the 'visionary world.'

• Contents
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Preliminary Matters
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Dreams and Visions in the Hebrew Bible
• Chapter 2: Dreams and Visions in Ancient Near Eastern Texts
• Chapter 3: Visions and Culture
• Chapter 4: The Structure of Zechariah's Vision Report
• Chapter 5: The Account of Zechariah's First Vision (Zechariah 1:8-11)
• Chapter 6: The Account of Zechariah's Second Vision (Zechariah 2:1-4 [Eng. 1:18-21])
• Chapter 7: The Account of Zechariah's Third Vision (Zech 2:5-9 [Eng. 2:1-5])
• Chapter 8: The Account of Zechariah's Fourth Vision (Zech 3:1-10)
• Chapter 9: The Account of Zechariah's Fifth Vision (Zech 4:1-14)
• Chapter 10: The Account of Zechariah's Sixth Vision (Zech 5:1-4)
• Chapter 11: The Account of Zechariah's Seventh Vision (Zech 5:5-11)
• Chapter 12: The Account of Zechariah's Eighth Vision (Zech 6:1-8)
• Concluding Remarks
• Bibliography
• Index