Zechariah 6 · ESV Study Bible

A Vision of a Woman in a Basket

A Vision of Four Chariots

ZECHARIAH 6 [†]Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of m bronze. 2The first chariot had n red horses, the second o black horses, 3the third p white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong. [1] 4Then I answered and said to q the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5[†]And the angel answered and said to me, r “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after s presenting themselves before t the Lord of all the earth. 6[†]The chariot with the black horses goes toward u the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward v the south country.” 7[†]When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and w patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, w patrol the earth.” w So they patrolled the earth. 8[†]Then he cried to me, “Behold, those who go toward u the north country have set my Spirit at rest in u the north country.”

9[†]And the word of the LORD came to me: 10“Take from the exiles x Heldai, Tobijah, and y Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of z Zephaniah. 11[†]Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, a and set it on the head of b Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12[^][†]And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is c the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and d he shall build the temple of the LORD. 13[^][†] d It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD e and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a f priest on his throne, g and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’ 14[†]And the crown shall be in the temple of the LORD as h a reminder to i Helem, [2] j Tobijah, j Jedaiah, and Hen j the son of Zephaniah.

15[†] k “And those who are far off shall come and l help to build the temple of the LORD. m And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. n And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.”

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:13 The coming king will sit on his throne, with a priest also seated on a throne (perhaps next to him). As in Jeremiah 33, the continuance of the Davidic monarchy and the Levitical priesthood are intertwined. The king is necessary to rebuild the temple, while the Levitical priests stand before the Lord in that renewed temple, offering sacrifices (Jer. 33:18). Between them both, the future king and the future priest, there will be a counsel of peace, and flowing from the peace and harmony between these two offices will be peace and blessing for the nation.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:1–3 The eighth vision is clearly similar to the first. Zechariah saw four chariots (v. 1) with horses of different colors: red, black (v. 2), white, and dappled (v. 3). On red horses, see note on 1:8. The chariots were going out from between two mountains … of bronze (6:1), whose color reflects a shining appearance. Chariots were the ancient equivalent of tanks, the key symbol of military power. These chariots were pulled by strong horses (v. 3), and there were four of them, the number of completeness. The heavenly army is finally on the move.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:5 The interpreting angel explains that the chariots represent the four winds of heaven, stressing the universality of their range: nowhere in the world is outside their reach. The Hebrew word for “wind” (Hb. ruakh) is the same as that for “spirit,” so these winds also represent the agency of divine power at work in the world (cf. 5:9).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:8 Victory is easily accomplished, and God’s Spirit (Hb. ruakh) is set … at rest in the north country, the former home of his enemies. This implies the full and final defeat of those opposed to God (cf. Deut. 12:10).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:11 Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest is to be crowned with a crown of silver and gold in a symbolic action. The composite crown reflects the expectation of Hag. 2:8 that both of these elements would come to the temple from afar and fill it with glory. The resources for the sign-act are provided by those “who have arrived from Babylon” (Zech. 6:10), underlining the place of the exiles in the future of the community.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:7 The strong horses (with their chariots) moved out at the divine command to patrol the earth, asserting and imposing God’s sovereign rule over the whole world. The prime target was “the north country,” Babylon, which was the objective assigned to two of the four chariots.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:1–8 Vision Eight: The Lord’s Army on the Move. Zechariah sees four chariots, symbolic of God’s power ruling over all the earth.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:14 The oracle ends with the named exiles, underlining their present responsibilities. Two of the names are slightly different, perhaps nicknames. The crown is to be stored in the temple of the LORD as a reminder for the Lord (cf. Ex. 30:11–16; Num. 10:9–10) and as an assurance, for the people, of God’s determination to act.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:12 Joshua is to be crowned as a symbol of the reality to come, the Branch, a reference to Jer. 33:15. Zechariah reiterates Jeremiah’s promise of a coming king who will flourish and branch out and build the temple of the LORD and will bear royal honor, reflecting the authority and legitimacy of the king’s rule.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 6:6 The “chariots” went in different directions: the white and the black horses went to the north country, while the dappled ones went to the south country. The red horses were not included in the commission, perhaps being held in reserve. Judah’s main enemies always came from the north (Babylon, Assyria, Persia) or the south (Egypt), since to the west is the Mediterranean Sea and to the east is the desert.