The King-Priest – Zechariah 6:9-15

Introduction

The oracle concerning a future king-priest apparently was addressed to leaders among the first returnees from Babylon, principally Yehosua ben-Yehozadak, the one then designated as high priest, and Zerubbabel, the heir to the Davidic throne.  At this point, evidently no part of the second temple had yet been built other than its foundation.  This Yehoshua serves as a symbolic representative for a future person called jm'x, (Sprout, Shoot) who would arise from his place at some unspecified future time.  This person would build the temple of YHWH, and he would become both king and priest over the people of Israel.

Analysis

.rmoale yl'ae hwhyArb'd“ yhiy“w"  9

Then the word of YHWH came to me saying:

µ/YB' hT;a' t;ab;W hy:[“d"y“ taemeW hY:bi/f taemeW yD"l]j,me hl;/Gh' taemeW j"/ql; 10

.lb,B;mi WaB;Arv,a} hyn“p'x]Aˆb, hY:viayO tyBe t;ab;W aWhh'

Take from the exiles, from Cheldai, Toviah, and Yedayah, and you shall go on that day to the house of Yoshiah ben-Tzephanyah, who have come from Babylon.

... taemeW j"/ql   This verse begins with Take even from the exiles followed by a list of three names, but the direct object is not mentioned until the beginning of the next verse.  The names of the individuals listed evidently were prominent leaders among the returnees from Babylon.

hl;/Gh'   This term literally means the captivity or the exiles.  This usage seems peculiar today, but it actually refers to the company who had been exiles but were then returnees to Jerusalem.  The form is singular, but it is evidently being used as a collective.

lb,B;mi WaB;Arv,a}   At first reading, this clause appears to apply to just to Yoshiah; however, the verb is a 3mp perfect form, so this clause apparently applies to the three individuals who had just arrived from Babylon.  Neither this book nor Ezra-Nehemiah provides any detail about these people, but evidently they were leaders among the first returnees.  

A more compact translation according to English usage would be 'Take gold and silver from the returned exiles Heldai, Toviah, and Yedayah who have come from Babylon, and go to the house of Yoshiah ben-Tzephanyah.'

ˆheKoh' qd:x;/hy“AˆB, ["vu/hy“ varoB] T;m]c'w“ t/rf;[} t;yci[;w“ bh;z:w“A5s,q, T;j]q'l;w“ 11

.l/dG:h'

And you shall take silver and gold and make crowns (or an ornate crown).  Then you shall place (them, it) on the head of Yehoshua ben-Yehotzadak, the high priest.

t/rf;[} t;yci[;w    The term t/rf;[} is plural, but nothing in this verse indicates whether he was to make one or two crowns.  If one crown, then the plural form would indicate that it was to be a majestic crown made from both gold and silver.  If two crowns, then presumably one would be for the king and one for the high priest.  Tr:f;[} (singular form) refers to something more like a garland rather than the heavy crowns of European kings.

["vu/hy“ varoB] T;m]c'w“   Again the direct object is missing from this clause and must be assumed from the previous clause.  As a result, the ambiguity for the meaning of t/rf;[} remains.  Zerubbabel was heir to the Davidic throne, but he never became king over the returned exiles; Yehoshua was designated as high priest, and he also never became a king, so this act, if it was ever carried out literally, would necessarily have been symbolic.

/mv] jm'x, vyaiAhN<hi rmoale t/ab;x] hwhy rm'a; hKo rmoale wyl;ae t;r“m'a;w“ 12

.hwhy lk'yheAta, hn:b;W jm;x]yI wyT;j]T'miW 

Then you will say to him, 'Thus YHWH of Hosts has said, "A man named Tzemach (Sprout) will sprout from his place (or instead of him), and he will build the temple of YHWH.

jm;x]yI … /mv] jm'x, vyaiAhN<hi  Behold a man, Sprout is his name, will sprout up….  Note the repetition of the root צמח.  This is one characteristic of ancient Semitic poetic style.

jm'x,I   The man called jm'x, appears twice in this book and nowhere else by this name.  Three other related names, evidently for the same individual, do appear in other locations of the later prophets:

·      חטר – branch -- Is 11:1

·      נצר -- sprout, shoot -- Is 11:1, 14:19, 60:21; Dan 11:7

·      יונק – tender shoot – Is 53:2

All of these terms have a similar symbolic significance.  They all refer to the characteristics of a root sprout, particularly one of an olive tree.  Such a root sprout is initially invisible developing below the ground, but after it appears it grows rapidly upward and generally straight rather than gnarled and twiggy, like most of the above ground growth of an olive tree.  As a result it is distinctively different from the rest of the growth produced by the tree.

The first mention of the man called jm'x, is in Zech 3:8.  There the verse states that Yehoshua the high priest and his associates constitute a symbol for which the man called jm'x, my servant as the literal fulfillment.  The present passage describes what the man called jm'x, will accomplish when he finally appears.

jm;x]yI wyT;j]T'miW    Literally, and from under him (or it) he will sprout up.  BDB lists this verse and Ex 10:23 as the two places where wyT;j]T'mi means from his place.  This translation seemed peculiar to me, and it is not obviously connected to the basic meaning of the preposition.  The renderings of this expression by the ancient translations may be illuminating.

·      Ex 10:23a

o   MT – A man could not see his brother, and no man arose wyT;j]T'mi (from his place) for three days… (Note: The term חשך (darkness) is masculine so wyT;j]T'mi could just as easily mean from under it – i.e., from under the darkness.)

o    LXX – And nobody could see his brother for three days, and nobody got up from his bed for three days.

o   Targum – A man could not see his brother, and a man did not rise up from his place (מתחותוהו) for three days…

o    Syriac – A man could not see his brother, and a man did not rise from his place (מן דוכתא) for three days.

Note that the Targum uses the Aramaic form of the same expression as the Hebrew text – literally from below him (it).  The range of uses for the base term are under, beneath, in place of, instead of.  The Syriac translation uses a different term: from his place, office.

·      Zech 6:12

o   MT – Behold, a man, Sprout (jm'x,) is his name, and he will sprout up wyT;j]T'mi…

o   LXX –  Behold, a man, the East (Sun-rising – Ανατολη) is his name, and he will arise (like the sun) from underneath him/it (υποκατωθεν αυτου ανατελη)… (Ανατολη is feminine and αυτου is masculine/neuter, so the pronoun cannot refer back to this name.)

o   Targum – Behold the man, the Messiah (משיחא) is his name, who will be revealed and anointed in the future (עתיד דיתגלי ויתרבי)…

o   Syriac – Behold, the man, his name is the Epiphany (דנחא), and he will rise up (like the sun) and from below he will shine (ומן לתחת נדנח)…

Interestingly, none of these ancient translations for this verse support the rendering for wyT;j]T'mi offered by BDB, and all of them are significantly more messianic in nature than the original Hebrew text.  Both the LXX and the Syriac texts use the imagery of the sun rising from below the eastern horizon to depict the appearance of this individual.  Targum Jonathan specifically calls this person the Messiah and states that he would be revealed and anointed at some time in the future.

The fundamental ambiguity in the Hebrew text is the significance of wyT;j]T'mi and the antecedent of the pronominal suffix.  If the antecedent is the man called Sprout, then he comes from his place to build the temple of YHWH.  If the antecedent is Yehoshua, the high priest in this context, then this person, who is the manifestation of God, arises from Yehoshua's position to take the place of high priest and build the temple of YHWH.  From the standpoint of the Christian scriptures, both statements are true.  The distinctive thing about this passage is that the LXX and the Targum texts, both generated over a period of time from about 200 BCE onward, expected a man who would be the manifestation of YHWH.  He would appear suddenly from apparent obscurity, and he would build the temple of YHWH.  (Note: According to tradition, the Torah was translated into Greek all at one time, but the remaining books would have been translated over a more extended period.) The Syriac Peshitta was produced perhaps about 200 CE, and here it follows the interpretation of the LXX rather closely.

hwhy lk'yheAta, hn:b;W   This is a claim that Yeshua of Nazareth made about himself at least twice in the Gospels (Mat 16:18, Jn 2:19, 21), and Paul developed this theme by asserting that the corporate body of believers constituted the body of Messiah and so the temple of YHWH, the living God (1 Cor 3:16, 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16; Eph 2:21).  Surely, Paul's understanding about this temple of YHWH was influenced by this verse.  However, surprisingly, this passage of Zechariah is never specifically cited in the Christian scriptures.

/as]KiAl[' lv'm;W bv'y:w“ d/h aC;yIAaWhw“ hwhy lk'yheAta, hn<b]yI aWhw“ 13

.µh,ynEv] ˆyBe hy<h]Ti µ/lv; tx'[}w" /as]KiAl[' ˆheko hy:h;w“

"When he builds the temple of YHWH, he will take up splendor and have dominion on his throne, and he will become a priest on his throne.  Then a counsel of peace will exist between the two (offices)."

hn<b]yI aWhw“  This construction is always emphatic because the third person pronoun is indicated by the form of the verb.  The implication is that though a physical structure called the temple of YHWH may already have existed, he will build a temple of YHWH that will supplant it in some way.

d/h aC;yIAaWhw“  Again emphatic, this clause asserts that when he arises, the man called Sprout will take up splendor, majesty, brightness and glory, attributes applied to YHWH as king.  This also is a theme present in the Gospels in at least two places: In the transfiguration of Yeshua, he manifested supernatural glory (Mt 17:2, Mk 9:2, 3, Lk 9:29), and in Jn 17:5 he requests that the Father restore to him the glory that he had before the foundation of the earth.

lv'm;W bv'y:w“  This is a pleonasm – two verbs that express a single verbal idea.  That is, he will sit upon his throne and have dominion…  The three parallel clauses in this verse assert that the man called Sprout will exhibit an attribute of God, rule as king, and function as priest.  Yeshua acknowledged before Pilate that he was born to be king of the Jews (Mt 15:11, Lk 23:3, Jn 18:36) but that his kingdom was separate from that present world.

µ/lv; tx'[}w"   This is a construct chain that is generally translated counsel of peace, but this translation avoids any attempt to determine exactly what is being expressed.  There are three reasonable possibilities:

·      Attributive – peaceful counsel.

·      Purpose – counsel in order to bring peace

·      Result – counsel that produces peace

In my opinion, the last option fits the context best.

/as]KiAl[' ˆheko hy:h;w  Yeshua never claimed to be a priest during his earthly ministry, but this is a major theme in the book of Hebrews (Heb chapters 5, 7 ff).  The major point in Hebrews is that Yeshua, being from the tribe of Judah could never function as a priest in the existing earthly temple, but rather he is the eternal high priest in the heavenly temple of which the tabernacle and later the temple in Jerusalem were only material copies.

ˆ/rK;zIl] hy:n“p'x]AˆB, ˆjel]W hy:[]d"yliW hy:bi/fl]W µl,jel] hy<h]Ti trof;[}h;w“ 14

.hwhy lk'yheB]

Now, the crown(s) will become a memorial for Chelem, Toviyah, Yedayah, and Chen ben-Tzephanyah in the temple of YHWH.

ˆ/rK;zIl] … hy<h]Ti trof;[}h;w  This clause indicates that the ornate crown (or crowns) were symbolic and that nobody would actually take up the crown of king-priest at the present time.  Note that the verb form is singular, indicating that the plural form of trof;[} should be understood as a plural of majesty.  Additionally, note that the list of names here is not quite the same as those in verse 10.  Since the crown was supposed to be placed in the temple, these individuals must have been priests and/or Levites.

µk,ylea} ynIj'l;v] t/ab;x] hwhyAyKi µT,[]d"ywI hwhy lk'yheB] Wnb;W Waboy: µyqi/jr“W 15

.µk,yheOla‘ hwhy l/qB] ˆW[m]v]Ti ["/mv;Aµai hy:h;w“

Then those far off will come, and they will build in the temple of YHWH.  Then you will know that YHWH of hosts has sent me to you.  It will come to be if you truly listen to the voice of YHWH your God.

Waboy: µyqi/jr“W   The term qi/jr“ iis an adjective being used as a noun.  It could refer to unspecified individuals separated in space or time from those presently being addressed.  It could be a reference to additional people to arrive from Babylon, or it could refer to people coming from far off after the appearance of the man called jm'x,,.  Interestingly, this is just the term used by Rav Shaul to refer to gentile believers in Ephesians 2:13.  If Yeshua is understood as the man called jm'x,,, then this is a reference to the gentile believers who would also became constituents of the temple of YHWH.

hwhy lk'yheB] Wnb;W  According to Zech 4:9, Zerubbabel had laid the foundation of the temple, and he would complete it.  Historically, this is just what happened in 515 BCE.  At that time the man called Sprout had not appeared; but if he is identified with Yeshua, then this occurred during his physical life from c. 4 BCE to 32 CE.  If those from far off are identified with the gentile followers of Yeshua, then this is a reference to the building up of the true gentile believers, who constitute part of the Body of Messiah here on earth up to the present time.  That is, they constitute a part of Messiah's body, but not its totality. 

µk,ylea} ynIj'l;v] t/ab;x] hwhyAyKi µT,[]d"ywI  This is a common formulaic expression accompanying futuristic prophesies: when the prophetic events actually take place, and you will know….  The second person plural forms could refer to the first returnees from Babylon (or the people alive at the time of fulfillment), and the first person pronoun refers to the spirit messenger speaking with Zechariah.  The verbal root ידע signifies know by experience rather than a mere awareness of information.  (In classical Hebrew this verb had a relatively broad range of uses, including sexual intercourse.   In modern Hebrew usage using this verb with a personal direct object implies sexual intercourse, and a different root is used to express acquaintance of a nonsexual nature.) 

ˆW[m]v]Ti ["/mv;Aµai hy:h;w“  This clause appears to make the oracle contingent on strict obedience to the word of YHWH.  Not until the time of Simon Hyrcanus did anyone take both the role of high priest and political rulership, but his son, Judah was the first to take the title of king in c. 104 BCE.  As a result the Hasmoneans were the first to claim the dual roles of priest and king, but they did not retain autonomous rule over the region for long.  After the Roman conquest under Pompey in 63 BCE, the region became tributaries to Rome, and the Hasmonean rule ended in 37 BCE.  From that time until the first Judean revolt, the region was ruled first by Roman client kings and then directly by Roman officials.

Summary

Up to this point, all of the oracles in this book were addressed primarily to the leaders of the first group of exiles to return to Jerusalem from Babylon.  The principal leaders were Zerubbabel, heir to the Davidic throne and Yehoshua the high priest.  Evidently, the occasion for the oracles was the discouragement of these leaders and their followers over the task of rebuilding the temple.  The sources for discouragement are never addressed directly, but based on the content of the first six chapters, it probably included the following factors:

·    YHWH had expelled the people and destroyed the temple because of the sin and covenant faithlessness of the people in general and the leaders in particular.  As a result there was doubt that YHWH would again favor the people and show mercy for Jerusalem.  (Ch 1, 2)

·      The pre-exilic priesthood had been hopelessly corrupt, and according to Torah, the guilt of the fathers affected the descendants up to the third and fourth generations.  (Ch 3)

·      Zerubbabel had laid the foundation for the second temple, but the people were disheartened because it seemed so much less that the glorious temple that had been built under Solomon. (Ch 4; Ezra 3:12)

·      Spiritual wickedness resided in the region of Babylon, from which authorization to rebuild the temple had come.  (Ch 5, 6:1-9)  

The apparent answer to these doubts and fears were presented by Zechariah's oracles and yet go beyond the prophets own time.

·      YHWH's favor would again rest on Jerusalem.

·      Generational guilt was symbolically removed from Yehoshua the high priest.

·      Zerubbabel had laid foundations for the new temple, and he would complete it.

·      YHWH's wrath against the land of the north – presumably Babylon – had been appeased.

·    A man called Sprout would arise, build the temple of YHWH that would supersede the one presently under construction, and he would assume the roles of both king and priest.

·    Men from far off (in distance or in time) would come and build within the temple established by the man called Sprout.

Moreover, Yehoshua and his associates constituted a living symbol for the man who would arise, seemingly from nowhere.  He would build the temple of YHWH, which would either supplant the one built physically in Jerusalem or be completely different in nature, and he would rule as both king and priest.  This man is designated as My Servant in Zech 3:8, and this undoubtedly connects him with the servant oracles of Isaiah.