Gender Masculine
Scripts Ζαχαρίας(Greek)
Greek form of ZECHARIAH. This form of the name is used in most English versions of the New Testament to refer to the father of John the Baptist.
The masculine name is derived from the Hebrew זְכַרְיָה, meaning “The Lord remembered”.
The men in the Bible named Zechariah are:
Elizabeth’s husband and father of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5). Zechariah was a Levite priest of the division of Abijah (1 Chronicles 24:10). He entered the biblical story when the archangel Gabriel met him in the temple, and Zechariah assumed that Gabriel had come down from heaven for the sole purpose of mocking Zechariah. Gabriel, not amused, struck Zechariah with muteness until his prophecies would come true. Of Elizabeth it is said that she was “of the daughters of Aaron” without further distinction. She was, however, a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
A mysterious murder victim, Jesus speaks of (Matthew 23:35, Luke 11:51). We will discuss the identity of this man later.
Overall, the name Zechariah occurs 11 times in the New Testament.
Quran
Zechariah (Arabic: زكريا Zakarya) in Islamic tradition is a figure also reported in the Quran (19:2-15). A prophet in Islam therefore, and is mentioned in the Qur’ān as the father of Yaḥyā (John the Baptist). Zechariah is also believed by some Muslims to be a martyr. An ancient tradition has it that Zechariah was sawn in half, in a death that resembles that attributed to Isaiah in the Lives of the Prophets.