Zechariah 6:9–15

6:9–11 Zechariah is told to “take from the exiles.” It is not clear until verse 11 that he is to take “silver and gold.” The exiles are named, suggesting they were well known in the community. As returnees “from Babylon,” they have heeded the call to “flee from the land of the north” (2:6). Many exiles returned from Babylon with wealth (cf. Ezra 2:68–69).

Zechariah is to use the “silver and gold” to “make a crown” (Zech. 6:11).¹ He is then to symbolically crown the high priest, Joshua (cf. comment on 3:1). Joshua featured centrally in the fourth vision (ch. 3), where he was cleansed, clothed, and commissioned to serve in the rebuilt temple. Joshua and his fellow priests also serve as a sign of the coming “Branch” (or “Shoot”). In the exile, the Davidic king was removed from the throne and his crown defiled in the dust (Ps. 89:39; Jer. 22:24–30; Ezek. 21:26–27). This new crown is placed on the high priest possibly in order to sanctify it in preparation for a future king to wear without defiling it.

6:12 Zechariah is to speak to Joshua, who also represents the future “Branch” (or “Shoot”) in this symbolic action (cf. comment on 3:8 concerning the messianic significance of this title).

The “Branch . . . shall branch out from his place”—this reflects a wordplay in Hebrew, which can also be translated, “Shoot . . . will shoot up in his place.” The statement implies the Shoot will take the place of Joshua and claim his rightful crown, presumably as a legitimate descendant of David (“his place”).² In addition, when he comes, the future king “shall build the temple of the LORD” (this is repeated at the beginning of 6:13 for emphasis and possibly in contrast to Zerubbabel). Temple building is the task of a Davidic king (cf. 2 Samuel 7). However, the temple the future Davidic king will build will be much greater than Zerubbabel’s. It is the eschatological temple of which the earlier prophets spoke (e.g., Isa. 2:2–4; Jer. 3:16–18; Ezekiel 40–42; Mic. 4:1–5). This eschatological temple is also anticipated in Zechariah 14.

While some scholars argue Zerubbabel was the Branch, this is problematic. First, this is unstated in the text of Zechariah. Second, many of the descriptions of the Branch in 6:13 were never realized for Zerubbabel. Nor did Zerubbabel bring in the day of peace and prosperity associated with the Branch in 3:8–10. Lastly, Zechariah’s claiming this would have posed great problems for his authenticity as a prophet when such a key prophecy failed to take place. Instead, the Branch (Shoot) is a future Davidic king beyond Zerubbabel, and the crown functions to anticipate his coming.

6:13 The Branch (Shoot) will “bear royal honor” (or “be clothed with majesty”; NIV)—a status appropriate for a king (cf. Jer. 22:18). Furthermore, he “shall sit and rule on his throne,” echoing Jeremiah 22:30, where these things are denied to King Jehoiachin and his immediate offspring because of his sin. Straight after this, Jeremiah 23:5 prophesies the coming of the “righteous Branch,” who will do what is just and right—a hope reaffirmed here.

Commentators debate whether the next phrase—“There shall be a priest on his throne”—refers to the hope of Jeremiah for a Levitical priest accompanying the Davidic Branch (cf. Jer. 33:17–22) or to the Branch functioning also as a priest—“He will be a priest on his throne” (cf. ESV mg.). In Hebrew, the Branch is the most natural subject of “he will be,” but if the Branch is also a priest, why does the verse refer to “them both”? Psalm 110 seems to be the conceptual background for this verse. In this psalm, the Messiah sits by the Lord’s throne (v. 1) to rule (vv. 2–3) and is designated a priest in the order of Melchizedek (v. 4; cf. Heb. 5:1–10; 6:20–8:2). If this idea of a priest-king is the background, Zechariah is saying the reign of the Lord and his Messiah (“them both”) will issue in “peace” (Hb. shalom). In this case, Jeremiah’s hope for a priest and king is merged into the one figure, a co-regent with the Lord.

6:14 After the symbolic action is performed, Zechariah is to give the crown to the returned exiles for safekeeping in Zerubbabel’s temple. There it will function as a “reminder” or memorial of what these men have done. Elsewhere, memorials function as a testimony to the Lord (e.g., Ex. 28:29; 30:16; Num. 10:9–10)—the crown in the presence of the Lord in the temple assures the people that his plans to send the Branch will come to pass (cf. the symbols of Zech. 3:8–9).

It is not clear why two of the names in 6:14 are different from those in verse 10. Perhaps they are alternative nicknames, or are changed to reflect a new meaning; for instance, “Hen” means “grace” and may refer to the kindness of the son of Zephaniah. Perhaps they are simply different individuals. We do not have enough information to be sure.

6:15 The ones “far off” may be Gentiles (cf. 2:11; 8:20–23; 14:16–19), but they are more likely Jewish exiles living in foreign lands (cf. 6:10 and 2:6). They will come to help complete Zerubbabel’s temple and thereby authenticate Zechariah’s message. Since the temple was completed by the time the book of Zechariah was finished, it assures future readers and hearers that other aspects of his message will come to pass as well (such as the coming Branch and the peace he will bring) and functions as a call to obedience.