Structure of Zechariah

Meredith Kline has argued that the entire book of Zechariah is organized as a pair of “diptychs,” each of which “hinges” on a passage about the work of the King-Shepherd of Israel.  The entire book itself, moreover,  is a diptych, hinging around the crowning of Joshua in Zechariah 6:9-15.  Below I present Kline’s conclusions in outline form.

A. First “Diptych,” 1:1-6:8

1. Exhortation, 1:1-6

2. Visions, 1:7-2:13

a. Horses in myrtle grove, 1:7-17

b. Horns (of altar) cast down, 1:18-21

c. Jerusalem without walls, 2:1-13

Minor Hinge 1: Joshua reclothed, 3:1-10

c ¹ . Lampstand, 4:1-14

b ¹ . Evil purged, 5:1-11

a ¹ . Horses sent out, 6:1-8

Major Hinge: Joshua crowned, 6:9-15

B. Second “Diptych,” 7:1-14:21

1. Exhortation, 7:1-8:23

2. Two burdens, 9:1-14:21

First Burden , 9:1-10:12

a. Advent of the king, 9:1-17

b. Condemnation of shepherds, 10:1-4

c. Lord’s defense of Israel, 10:5-12

Minor Hinge 2: Shepherd rejected, 11:1-17

Second Burden , 12:1-14:21

c ¹ . Lord’s defense of Jerusalem, 12:1-13:1

b ¹ . False prophets, 13:2-9

a ¹ . Advent of king, 14:1-21

Helpful as this is, I do not find Kline’s outline entirely convincing.  The major problem with his outline is that it blurs divisions within the text.  Kline, for example, treats Zechariah 5 as a single vision, though 5:5 has all the marks of an introduction to a new vision.  Similarly, Kline includes all of chapter 9 in a single section, but there are good reasons for seeing a textual break after 9:10.

Finally, I am not persuaded that Zechariah 7-8 introduces the second half of the book, rather than concluding the first part.  If 7-8 are taken with 9-14, they provide some context and chronology for the “burdens” in the second half of the book, but 7-8 are so neatly structured, and conclude so conclusively, that they seem more like a self-contained unit or the conclusion to the night visions.