Zechariah — Chapter 6

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1And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.

2In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

3And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.

4Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?

5And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

6The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.

7And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.

8Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.

9And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

10Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;

11Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;

12And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:

13Even 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 them both.

14And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD.

15And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.

1And again I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.

2In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

3and in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grizzled strong horses.

4Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?

5And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

6[The chariot] wherein are the black horses goeth forth toward the north country; and the white went forth after them; and the grizzled went forth toward the south country.

7And the strong went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.

8Then cried he to me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, they that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.

9And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

10Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah; and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, whither they are come from Babylon;

11yea, take [of them] silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest;

12and speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: and he shall grow up out of his place; and he shall build the temple of Jehovah;

13even he shall build the temple of Jehovah; 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 them both.

14And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of Jehovah.

15And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of Jehovah; and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto you. And [this] shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of Jehovah your God.

1Once more I looked, and this time I saw four chariots emerging from between two mountains of bronze.

2Harnessed to the first chariot were red horses, to the second black horses,

3to the third white horses, and to the fourth spotted horses, all of them strong.

4Then I asked the angelic messenger who was speaking with me, “What are these, sir?”

5The messenger replied, “These are the four spirits of heaven going out after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.

6The chariot with the black horses is going to the north country, and the white ones are going after them, but the spotted ones are going to the south country.

7All these strong ones are scattering; they have sought permission to go and walk about over the earth.” The Lord had said, “Go! Walk about over the earth!” So they are doing so.

8Then he cried out to me, “Look! The ones going to the northland have brought me peace about the northland.”

9The Lord’s message came to me as follows:

10“Choose some people from among the exiles, namely, Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, all who have come from Babylon, and when you have done so go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.

11Then take some silver and gold to make a crown and set it on the head of Joshua the high priest, the son of Jehozadak.

12Then say to him, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, “Look—here is the man whose name is Branch, who will sprout up from his place and build the temple of the Lord.

13Indeed, he will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed in splendor, sitting as king on his throne. Moreover, there will be a priest with him on his throne and they will see eye to eye on everything.

14The crown will then be turned over to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord.

15Then those who are far away will come and build the temple of the Lord so that you may know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me to you. This will all come to pass if you completely obey the voice of the Lord your God.”’”

1Again I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.

2In the first chariot were red horses; in the second chariot black horses;

3in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot dappled horses, all of them powerful.

4Then I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”

5The angel answered me, “These are the four winds of the sky, which go out from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

6The one with the black horses goes out toward the north country; and the white went out after them; and the dappled went out toward the south country.”

7The strong went out, and sought to go that they might walk back and forth through the earth: and he said, “Go around and through the earth!” So they walked back and forth through the earth.

8Then he called to me, and spoke to me, saying, “Behold, those who go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.”

9Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

10“Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah; and come the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have come from Babylon.

11Yes, take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest;

12and speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh of Armies says, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: and he shall grow up out of his place; and he shall build Yahweh’s temple;

13even he shall build Yahweh’s temple; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on his throne; and he shall be a priest on his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

14The crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in Yahweh’s temple.

15Those who are far off shall come and build in Yahweh’s temple; and you shall know that Yahweh of Armies has sent me to you. This will happen, if you will diligently obey Yahweh your God’s voice.”’”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Four chariots go out to patrol the earth, and Zechariah is told to crown Joshua the high priest, symbolizing the coming "Branch" who will be both priest and king — building the true temple of the LORD.

Authorship & Background

Author: Zechariah son of Berechiah. Prophesied 520-480 BC. Contemporary with Haggai. Key theme: Messianic hope and the coming kingdom. The most Messianic of the Minor Prophets. Famous passages: the Branch (3:8, 6:12), "Not by might... but by my spirit" (4:6), the triumphal entry (9:9), "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced" (12:10), the shepherd struck (13:7), and the LORD's return to the Mount of Olives (14:4).
Classification: Prophetic Vision — The Four Chariots and the Crowning of Joshua as the Branch Key Themes: Divine sovereignty over the nations, the four spirits/winds of heaven executing judgment, the Branch as priest-king, the union of priestly and royal offices in one Person, those "far off" joining in building God's temple
Historical Context: The eighth and final night vision shows four chariots emerging from between two bronze mountains. These are "the four spirits of the heavens" — divine agents of judgment patrolling and pacifying the earth. The vision bookends with vision one (the horsemen): in chapter 1, the earth is at rest while Israel suffers; now God's agents bring divine rest by executing judgment on the nations.
The crowning of Joshua (vv.9-15) is the theological climax of the vision section. A PRIEST receives a CROWN — an act unprecedented in Israel (priests wore turbans, kings wore crowns). This symbolic act declares that the coming "Branch" will unite the offices of priest and king in one Person. He will "build the temple of the LORD" (the true Temple — Christ's body and the church) and "the counsel of peace shall be between them both" — between the priestly and kingly offices, reconciled in Christ alone.
Structure:
  • The Eighth Vision: Four Chariots from Bronze Mountains (vv.1-3)
  • The Interpretation: Four Spirits of Heaven (vv.4-8)
  • The Symbolic Crowning of Joshua (vv.9-11)
  • The Branch Prophecy: Priest-King (vv.12-13)
  • The Crown as a Memorial (v.14)
  • Those Far Off Shall Build (v.15)

Map & Geography

  • Babylon (v.10): Capital of the Babylonian empire; place of Judah's exile (modern Iraq).

Videos

The Bible Project — Zechariah Overview (Video)

Animated overview of the book of Zechariah showing the literary structure, key themes, and how this book fits into the larger biblical narrative. Excellent visual introduction.

Reflection

  • 1. God is sovereign over all nations (vv.1-8). The chariots go north, south, east — covering the entire earth. No empire is beyond God's reach. No political power operates outside His governance. Whatever threatens you, God has agents already dispatched to deal with it.
  • 2. Christ is both your King AND your Priest (v.13). He rules with authority AND intercedes with compassion. He commands AND He understands. You are governed by a ruler who also represents you before God. No tension — only peace between His throne and His altar.
  • 3. "Those far off shall come and build" (v.15). If you feel like an outsider — far from God, far from the inner circle, far from worthiness — hear this: you are INVITED to build. The "far off" ones are included. In Christ, there are no outsiders.
  • 4. God's Spirit finds "rest" when justice is done (v.8). Justice is not optional in God's economy — it is what brings Him peace. Work for justice. Pursue righteousness. When wrongs are righted, God's Spirit rests.