Zechariah 3

Chapters 1–6 of Zechariah contain a series of night visions seen by Zechariah, and this chapter is commonly counted as the fourth of them. Following the vision of the man with a measuring line (Zechariah 2), it depicts the cleansing of the high priest of the community that had returned from exile.

Outline

• Verses 1–2: Joshua the high priest stands before the angel of the LORD, and Satan stands at his right hand to resist him. The LORD rebukes Satan and calls Joshua "a brand plucked out of the fire."
• Verses 3–5: Joshua, clothed in filthy garments, has them taken away; his iniquity is declared removed, and he is clothed with a change of raiment. At Zechariah's request, a fair mitre is also set upon his head.
• Verses 6–7: A conditional promise is given: if Joshua walks in the LORD's ways and keeps His charge, he will judge the LORD's house and keep His courts.
• Verses 8–10: Joshua and his fellows are called "men wondered at" (that is, men who serve as a sign), and the LORD promises to bring forth "my servant the BRANCH." He will engrave the graving upon a stone with seven eyes and remove the iniquity of the land in one day, and in that day people will invite one another under the vine and under the fig tree.

Key Verses

• Zechariah 3:2: "Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" — an image of a community rescued on the verge of destruction.
• Zechariah 3:4: "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee" — the changing of garments represents the forgiveness of sin.
• Zechariah 3:8: "I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH" — widely cited as a promise concerning a figure yet to come.

People and Places

• Joshua the high priest: The son of Josedech (Haggai 1:1), he was the high priest who led the returned community together with Zerubbabel. He is a different person from Joshua, the successor of Moses.
• The angel of the LORD: A heavenly being who appears on the LORD's behalf.
• Satan: The name derives from a Hebrew word meaning "adversary" or "accuser." Korean Bible translations differ in spelling: the Korean Revised Version renders it "Sadan," while the New Korean Revised Version renders it "Satan."
• Zechariah: The prophet who sees the vision; in verse 5 he himself asks that a mitre be set on Joshua's head.
• Jerusalem: Mentioned as the place the LORD has "chosen."

Points for Reflection

• Read against its historical background, the scene portrays the restoration of a priesthood defiled during the exile and the renewed acceptance of the returned community.
• In Christian interpretation, the changing of garments is often explained as a picture of justification. The "BRANCH" (rendered "sprout" in the New Korean Revised Version) and the promise to remove iniquity "in one day" are regarded as messianic prophecy and connected with Christ. The text itself, however, does not name this figure.
• Some interpreters regard the angel of the LORD as the preincarnate Christ, while others regard him as an angel.
• Interpretations differ as to what the stone with seven eyes signifies; proposals include the foundation stone of the temple, the plate on the high priest's mitre, and the Messiah. The seven eyes also appear in Zechariah 4.
• The figure of Satan bringing accusation in the heavenly court resembles Job 1. In the New Testament it is compared with "the accuser of our brethren" in Revelation 12. The words "The Lord rebuke thee" in Jude 9 also closely resemble the wording of Zechariah 3:2.
• John Wesley is well known for recalling his childhood rescue from a fire at the rectory with the phrase "a brand plucked out of the fire."