Charles Ellicott Commentary Zechariah 1:5

"Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?" — Zechariah 1:5 (ASV)

Fathers ... prophets. —To show the evil result of the obstinate disobedience of their fathers, the prophet asks, “Your fathers, where are they?”— that is, they have perished through their iniquity. To this the people answer, “But the prophets, do they live [ or did they go on living] forever?”— that is, the prophets, who did not sin, are dead too; so what is your argument worth?