Vision Report: Four Winds and God’s Spirit:

6:1–3 Again, and for the last time in this book, Zechariah reports that he looked up. He saw four chariots, each pulled by horses of a different color—red, black, white, and dappled. As in the first vision of red, brown, and white horses (1:8), there is no reason to think that the colors are individually symbolic. The variety of colors emphasizes the owner’s wealth. In the ancient world, kings and emperors owned chariots and used them to exert their military power in war and their authority over conquered territory. These horses and chariots suited their purpose, for all of them were powerful. Israel’s most powerful enemies had used chariots against them—Egypt (Exod. 14:25; 15:4) and the Canaanites at Hazor (Josh. 11:6, 9) and Tabor (Judg. 4:5; 5:…