Chapter Six

1–8. Eighth vision—four chariots. 9–15. Symbolic action, concluding the series of night visions; the coronation of the high priest Joshua.

Zechariah 6:1. Again I lifted my eyes and looked: and there, four chariots came out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of bronze. God’s dwelling-place is presupposed by this vision to be in Jerusalem; consequently, the departure of the chariots from God’s presence Zech 6:5 should be understood to take place from the vicinity of Jerusalem, from the surrounding mountains. The mountains are called bronze: this signifies, according to Keil’s phrase, “the unshakable strength of the place where the Lord abides and where He has established His Kingdom” (cf. Kohl. Sach. 1–8, p. 182).

Zechariah 6:4. And I began to speak and said to the angel who talked with me: “What are these, my lord? Zechariah 6:5. And the angel answered and said to me: “These are the four spirits of heaven, which stand before the Lord of all the earth. The content of this last vision corresponds closely with the first vision: there, horses of symbolic colors traversed the whole earth to learn the condition of kingdoms and peoples; here, chariots drawn by horses of the same colors, heading into various lands to execute God’s judgment upon the pagans. The first mission is carried out by the horses (or their riders); the second can be carried out by armed war chariots, so only in the last vision are they mentioned. Earlier, threats were pointed to distant, indefinite future afflictions; now the executors of God’s will, called in Zech 6:5 heavenly spirits, standing before the Lord of all the earth—under the image of combat chariots—are already bringing the afflictions of war, with its consequences, to all pagan lands. At the same time, the eighth vision is connected with the immediately preceding visions. In the sixth and seventh visions are depicted the punishment of sinners in the holy land and the removal of wickedness to the bounds of paganism. The eighth vision depicts God’s judgment upon all pagan peoples for their godlessness and for the wickedness which has found a place for prolonged dwelling among them. This judgment shall come upon all the kingdoms of the earth, in all four quarters of the world, to which the very number of chariots alludes.

Zechariah 6:6. The black horses go toward the north country, and the white ones go after them, and the spotted ones go toward the south country. Zechariah 6:7. And the strong ones went forth and strove to go forth to traverse the land; and he said: “Go, traverse the land,” so they traversed the land. The eighth vision has close resemblance to the second vision. There, four horns and four craftsmen designate the pagan powers of all lands and the afflictions that smite them. Here, more specifically indicated are the north country, by which Babylon is understood, and the south, representing Egypt, according to Cornill’s phrase: “Egypt and Babylon always appear as hostile powers to the Lord” (p. 167, Kohl. Sach. 1–8, pp. 185, 187–188); but other lands are not left unvisited by the executors of God’s wrath (Zech 6:7).

Zechariah 6:8. Then he called to me and said to me: “Behold, those going toward the north country have given rest to My Spirit in the north country. The punishment falling upon Babylon, it appears, corresponds most fully to the intentions of God; the enemies of God’s people, who have brought upon them great afflictions that have not yet been forgotten, deserve God’s wrath in the strongest measure.

Zechariah 6:9. And the word of the Lord came to me: Zechariah 6:10. “Take from the exiles—from Heldai, from Tobijah, and from Jedaiah—and go that same day, go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah, to which they have come from Babylon, The content of the second half of chapter six, not understood in the same way by all interpreters, is as follows: the Jews remaining in Babylon, wishing to come to the aid of their compatriots who had returned to Jerusalem in the work of temple restoration, sent via chosen representatives of the Babylonian Jews to the builders gold and silver. The prophet receives a command from the Lord—on the very day the Babylonian envoys arrive in Jerusalem, to go to the house of a certain Josiah, where they will stop.

Zechariah 6:11. “Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, Zechariah 6:11. Taking from the arrivals gold and silver, the prophet was to make a crown and set it on the head of the high priest Joshua. To designate the crown intended for the high priest, the original uses the plural: “crowns.” From this Ewald concludes that, according to God’s command, two crowns were to be made: for Joshua and for Zerubbabel; thus, in the text of Zach. 6:11 one must presume an omission of the words: “and on the head of Zerubbabel.” But the context does not support this interpretation: by the sense of the entire section, the crown was intended for one person—namely, for the high priest Joshua. According to some, the plural ataroth indicates only the complexity of the crown’s structure, which perhaps had not one rim (resembling the papal tiara). Zechariah 6:12. And say to him: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, a Man—His name is the Branch, and He shall grow up from His place and build the temple of the Lord. Zechariah 6:13. He shall build the temple of the Lord, and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between the two. The placing of a crown, which the high priest had no right to wear, has only a symbolic meaning, as is evident from the subsequent revelation about the Man whose name is the Branch; He shall come forth from His people, build the temple of the Lord (the handmade one: Zerubbabel’s temple is but a type), and, having reached glory from humiliation, shall be king and priest upon His throne; then there shall be no place for discord and enmity between the royal and priestly powers, sorrowful examples of which occurred in Jewish history. Saint Cyril, after giving the literal and simple explanation of the historical sense (of the prophecy) contained in the passage under discussion, continues: “but that this, evidently, relates to the mystery of Christ, in this no one will doubt, if he investigates well. We have from the beginning asserted that in Zerubbabel and Joshua, Christ is depicted both in each individually and in both together as a single person; for in Him are combined both the King of Israel and the High Priest” (p. 78).

Zechariah 6:14. And the crown shall be for Helem and for Tobijah, and for Jedaiah and for Hen son of Zephaniah, as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. The crown is to remain in the temple as a memorial of the donors, so that from this too we can see that the crown has only a symbolic meaning. In Jewish tradition, there is testimony of the actual preservation of the crown made by Zechariah in the temple. (Babylonian Talmud Codex Middoth... Opera et Studio Constantini l’Empereur de Oppyck. Luqduni Batarorum, 1630. pp. 130–132). The very names of the donors, according to the text of the LXX, should also have symbolic significance (Reinke 63).

Zechariah 6:15. And those from far away shall come and build the temple of the Lord, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you, and it shall be if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God. The fact of the donation for the temple on behalf of those remaining in Babylon shall not be an isolated occurrence: many from afar will come and take part in the construction of the temple of the Lord; and other promises shall also be fulfilled if the people do not cease to listen to the voice of the Lord their God.