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Zechariah 6

KJV · Chapter 6/14

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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Zechariah sees four chariots pulled by horses of different colors coming out from between two mountains of bronze, representing God's spirits going out across the earth; he is then instructed to crown Joshua as a symbol of the 'Branch' who will build the temple of the LORD.

Explanation

The vision of the four chariots, each with horses of a distinct color heading in different directions, picks up the theme of the 'four winds of heaven' patrolling and bringing rest to the land of the north (where Babylon lay), signaling that God's sovereignty reaches every direction of the earth. The high point of the chapter, however, is a symbolic prophetic act: Zechariah is instructed to make crowns of silver and gold and place them on the head of Joshua, the high priest, symbolically uniting the roles of priest and king in a single figure called 'the Branch,' who 'shall build the temple of the LORD' and will have 'the counsel of peace' upon his throne. This unusual combination of priestly and royal roles points prophetically to Christ, who would unite both offices. The application for today: God's plans often combine roles that humans keep separate, pointing to a more complete and integrated leadership than any purely human system.

Fun facts

  • The symbolic crowning of Joshua as priest-king is one of the few examples in the Old Testament of a fully enacted prophetic act (not merely seen in a vision, but physically carried out), similar to the symbolic actions performed by prophets such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
  • The crowns were made from silver and gold brought by exiles returning from Babylon (Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah), symbolically joining the people's practical generosity with the greater prophetic meaning of the act.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Zechariah 6:1Seventh vision: four chariots with horses of different colors coming out from between two mountains of bronze — echoing the book's first vision, now representing the four winds of heaven patrolling the whole earth.
  2. Zechariah 6:2Each chariot is described with horses of a different color: red in the first, black in the second — together the four form the book's seventh vision.
  3. Zechariah 6:3Completing the list: white horses in the third chariot and strong grizzled horses in the fourth — the four colors echo the first vision of chapter 1.
  4. Zechariah 6:4Again the prophet asks the interpreting angel who accompanies him through the visions what the scene means.
  5. Zechariah 6:5The answer reveals that the four chariots represent the four spirits of the heavens, going out from the presence of the Lord to patrol the whole earth.
  6. Zechariah 6:6Each chariot heads in a specific direction: the black horses toward the north, the white ones following them, the grizzled ones toward the south — symbolically covering the known world.
  7. Zechariah 6:7The strong horses press on to range through the whole earth and are given the order to go — a complete and active patrol carried out in God's name.
  8. Zechariah 6:8The chariot that goes to 'the north country' (the direction the Mesopotamian empires, including Babylon, came from) has 'quieted my spirit' there — a sign that judgment against that region had already been carried out.
  9. Zechariah 6:9After the vision, a practical word from God arrives with specific instructions on what the prophet should do next.
  10. Zechariah 6:10Zechariah is told to collect silver and gold brought by Jews who had returned from the Babylonian exile — Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah — resources that support the next part of the scene.
  11. Zechariah 6:11With that gold and silver, the prophet is to make crowns and set them on the head of Joshua the high priest — an unusual symbolic gesture.
  12. Zechariah 6:12Here the title 'the Branch' (already used in chapter 3) reappears, now with crowns placed on the head of the priest Joshua — an unusual scene, since kings (from Judah) and priests (from Levi) were normally separate roles in Israel.
  13. Zechariah 6:13The promise spells out the role of 'the Branch': he will build the temple, rule with glory, and also serve as priest, with peace between the two roles united in a single person.
  14. Zechariah 6:14The crowns used in the ceremony are kept in the temple as a permanent memorial of the names of those who contributed the gold and silver — Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen.
  15. Zechariah 6:15'They that are far off shall come' broadens the promise's reach once more: even distant foreigners would help build the temple, a sign of inclusion reaching beyond Judah's borders.

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