Zechariah 6:12
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And you are to tell him that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Here is a man whose name is the Branch, and He will branch out from His place and build the temple of the LORD.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
The meaning of this is explained in Zac 6:12-15. Zac 6:12. "And speak to him, saying, Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, Behold a man, His name is Tsemach (Sprout), and from His place will He sprout up, and build the temple of Jehovah. Zac 6:13. And He will build the temple of Jehovah, and He will carry loftiness, and will sit and rule upon His throne, and will be a priest upon His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between them both. Zac 6:14. And the crown will be to Chelem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedahjah, and the favour of the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of Jehovah. Zac 6:15. And they that are far off will come and build at the temple of Jehovah; then will ye know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me to you; and it will come to pass, if ye hearken to the voice of Jehovah your God." Two things are stated in these verses concerning the crown: (1) In Zac 6:12 and Zac 6:13 the meaning is explained of the setting of the crown upon the head of Joshua the high priest; and (2) in Zac 6:14, Zac 6:15, an explanation is given of the circumstance, that the crown had been made of silver and gold presented by men of the captivity. The crowning of Joshua the high priest with a royal crown, which did not properly belong to the high priest as such, as his headdress is neither called a crown (‛ătârâh) nor formed part of the insignia of royal dignity and glory, had a typical significance. It pointed to a man who would sit upon his throne as both ruler and priest, that is to say, would combine both royalty and priesthood in his own person and rank. The expression "Speak thou to him" shows that the words of Jehovah are addressed to Joshua, and to him alone (אליו is singular), and therefore that Zerubbabel must not be interpolated into Zac 6:11 along with J…
Open source ↗The two kingdoms of providence and grace are what we are all very nearly interested in, and therefore are concerned to acquaint ourselves with, all our temporal affairs being in a necessary subjection to divine Providence, and all our spiritual and eternal concerns in a necessary dependence upon divine grace; and these two are represented to us in this chapter - the former by a vision, the latter by a type. Here is, I. God, as King of nations, ruling the world by the ministry of angels, in the vision of the four chariots (Zac 6:1-8). II. God, as King of saints, ruling the church by the mediation of Christ, in the figure of Joshua the high priest crowned, the ceremony performed, and then explained concerning Christ (Zac 6:9-15).
Open source ↗6:12-13 The Branch is a title for the Messiah (see 3:8), whom Jeshua represents. • he will build the Temple of the Lord: Just as Jeshua the high priest helped to build the Temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 3:1-2, 8-9; 5:2), Jesus the Messiah would build the eternal heavenly Temple through his death, burial, and resurrection (John 2:19-22; 4:23-24; Eph 2:19-22; Heb 8:1-2). • The Messiah would rule as king, a role associated with David and the tribe of Judah (2 Sam 7:12-16). • He will also serve as priest from his throne: The Messiah’s priestly role is associated with Aaron and the tribe of Levi (Exod 29:44). • Jeshua’s crown represents his two roles. Melchizedek also fulfilled the double functions of priest and king (Gen 14:17-20), as does the Messiah (Ps 110:4; Heb 7:1-3, 15-17).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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Hear now, O high priest Joshua, you and your companions seated before you, who are indeed a sign. For behold, I am going to bring My servant, the Branch.
In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a righteous Branch, and He will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
On that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors.
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.
For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”
When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had prescribed.
And He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land and tramples our citadels. We will raise against it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men.