Albert Barnes Commentary Zechariah 1:4

"Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets cried, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Return ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith Jehovah." — Zechariah 1:4 (ASV)

Be you not like your fathers - Strangely infectious is the precedent of evil. Tradition of good, truth, and faith is decried; only tradition of evil and error is adhered to. The sin of Jeroboam was held sacred by every king of Israel: “The statutes of Omri were diligently kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab” (Micah 6:16). “They turned back and were treacherous like their forefathers; they turned themselves like a deceitful bow” (Psalms 78:57), is God’s summary of the history of Israel. Cyril says: “Absurd are they who follow the ignorances of their fathers, and ever plead inherited custom as an irrefutable defense, though blamed for the gravest ills. So idolaters especially, being called to the knowledge of the truth, ever bear in mind the error of their fathers and, embracing their ignorance as an hereditary lot, remain blind.”

The former prophets - The prophets spoke God’s words, both in their pastoral office—predicting things to come, enforcing God’s law, and exhorting to repentance—and in announcing the judgments on disobedience.

The predictive as well as the pastoral office were united in Nathan (2 Samuel 7:4–16; 2 Samuel 12:1–14), Gad (1 Samuel 22:5; 1 Samuel 24:11), Shemaiah (2 Chronicles 11:2–4; 2 Chronicles 12:5–8), Azariah (2 Chronicles 15:0), Hanani (2 Chronicles 16:7–9), Elijah (1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 17:14; 1 Kings 18:1; 1 Kings 18:41; 1 Kings 21:19; 1 Kings 21:21; 1 Kings 21:23; 1 Kings 21:29; 2 Kings 1:4; 2 Kings 1:16), Elisha (2 Kings 3:17–18; 2 Kings 4:16; 2 Kings 5:27; 2 Kings 7:1–2; 2 Kings 8:10–13; 2 Kings 13:14–19), and Micaiah the son of Imlah, whose habitual predictions against Ahab induced Ahab to say, “I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil” (1 Kings 22:8).

The specific calls to conversion mentioned here, and their fruitlessness, are summed up by Jeremiah as the words of all the prophets. For ten years, he says, “The word of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking, and ye have not hearkened. And the Lord hath sent unto you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending; but ye have not hearkened nor inclined your ear to hear. They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil ways and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you and to your fathers forever and ever; and go not after other gods to serve and worship them, and provoke Me not to anger with the works of your hands, and I will do you no hurt.”

“But ye have not hearkened unto Me, saith the Lord; that ye might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. Therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Because ye have not heard My words ...” (Jeremiah 25:3–8).

The prophetic author of the book of Kings sums up in a similar way, concerning “all the prophets and all the seers”: “The Lord testified against Israel and against Judah by the hand of all the prophets and all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets, and they did not hear, and hardened their neck, like the neck of their fathers” (2 Kings 17:13).

The characteristic phrase, “turn from your evil ways and the evil of your doings,” occurring in Jeremiah, makes it probable that this summary was chiefly in Zechariah’s mind, and that he refers not to Isaiah, Joel, Amos, etc. (as all the prophets were preachers of repentance), but to the whole body of teachers, whom God raised up, analogous to the Christian ministry, to recall people to Himself.

The title, “the former prophets,” contrasts the office of Haggai and Zechariah not with definite prophets before the captivity, but with the whole company of those whom God sent, as He says, so unremittingly.

And they hearkened not unto Me - Jerome says: “They heard not the Lord warning through the prophets; they attended not—not to the prophets who spoke to them but—not to Me, says the Lord. For I was in them who spoke and was despised. Thus also the Lord in the Gospel says, “He that receiveth you, receiveth Me” (Matthew 10:40).