Zechariah 6:12-13
What is written? (ESV)
And say to him, Thus says the Lord of hosts, Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
What does it say?
Say to him [Joshua, the son of Jehozadak] the Lord of hosts says, ‘Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”
What is its immediate context?
Zechariah prophesied to those Jews that returned to the land after the seventy years of Babylonian captivity. In this immediate context, God is telling Zechariah to crown Joshua the priest in a ceremony ushering the imminent building of the temple in their day.
How Zechariah 6:12-13 is applied across Bible answers
Who is the Root of David?
This is also a probable application as again, Jesus is likely foreshadowed since He would build God's temple, a spiritual household under the new covenant of peace (Ephesians 2:13-22).
Will King David return to reign again?
It is difficult to imagine that these words and circumstances are not yet another example of prophetic duality. They were fulfilled in Zechariah's day with the physical priest (Joshua) and temple, but these words could also apply to Jesus and His ultimate station and duty3 as priest and king (Hebrews 7-8).
