Charles Ellicott Commentary Zechariah 7:2

"Now [they of] Beth-el had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, and their men, to entreat the favor of Jehovah," — Zechariah 7:2 (ASV)

When they had sent ... before the Lord. —Better, Then [the people of] Bethel [such as] Sherezer and Regemmelech, and his men, sent to entreat the Lord. “Bethel” stands for the inhabitants of Bethel, many of its former inhabitants had returned (Ezra 2:28); similarly, “Jerusalem” often means “the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” The verb “then there sent” seems to denote an event subsequent to the revelation spoken of in Zechariah 7:1. (Compare to 1 Kings 14:5, where the prophet Ahijah receives warning of the coming of the wife of Jeroboam.)

Though the literal meaning of “Bethel” is house of God, no instance can be cited of the words being used to denote the Temple (as it is taken by the English Version). Some (with the Septuagint) translate “to Bethel;” but this rendering is unsuitable, for we have no reason to suppose that “the priests belonging to the house of the Lord” resided specially at Bethel. Others, again, render the words, “when Bethel sent Sherezer, and Regem-melech, and their people.” Sherezer, or rather Sarezer, is mentioned as a name of one of the sons of Sennacherib (Isaiah 37:38), and Nergal-Sarezer occurs in Jeremiah 39:3. The name is Assyrian, [Nirgal] -sar-uśur, “May [Nergal] protect the king” (Schrader).