Joshua the high priest stands before the angel of Hashem, and Satan at his right hand to accuse him — 'Hashem rebuke you, O Satan... is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?'; the filthy garments are taken from him: 'Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you'; a fair mitre is set upon his head; 'Behold, I will bring forth My servant the Shoot... and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Hashem, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
verse value 2693
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "standing" (עֹמֵ֕ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "Joshua" (אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 114: standing, standing. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "Joshua" (אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙), "and·the·adversary" (וְהַשָּׂטָ֛ן), "at·his·right·hand" (עַל־יְמִינ֖וֹ). The root עמד appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "and·he·showed·me" (root ראה, 22x in Zechariah); "messenger" (root מלאך, 20x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root כהן ("priest") in Zechariah. First appearance of the root שטן ("and·the·adversary") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּרְאֵ֗נִי [and·he·showed·me] (277) + אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ [Joshua] (792) + הַכֹּהֵ֣ן [priest] (80) + הַגָּד֔וֹל [great] (48) + עֹמֵ֕ד [standing] (114) + לִפְנֵ֖י [to·face·of] (170) + מַלְאַ֣ךְ [messenger] (91) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וְהַשָּׂטָ֛ן [and·the·adversary] (370) + עֹמֵ֥ד [standing] (114) + עַל־יְמִינ֖וֹ [at·his·right·hand] (216) + לְשִׂטְנֽוֹ [to·accuse·him] (395) = 2693.
Rashi
To his Satan. To accuse him, because his sons had married foreign women, as it is written in the Book of Ezra: “And among the sons of the priests, those who had taken foreign wives, were found from the sons of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak.”
Radak
"And He showed me." The Satan. The matter is analogous to Sanballat and his companions, who were harassing them and interrupting their work. And the Targum [renders it]: "And the accuser stood at his right hand to accuse him."
Metzudat David
And He showed me. In a prophetic vision:
"Upon his right hand." Upon the right hand of Joshua:
To his accuser, to bring charges against him for not having protested against his sons who married foreign women, as it is stated: “And they found among the priests who had married foreign women, namely from the sons of Joshua ben Jozadak” (Ezra 10). Thus our Sages of blessed memory said.
Metzudat Zion
The Satan. An angel who brings accusations:
To his Satan. The matter of the accusation, and similarly they wrote: "an accusation" (Ezra 4).
Malbim
"And He showed me Joshua the high priest" – He saw in prophecy how Joshua stood before the angel of the Lord, who was judging him for his deeds, and the Satan, who is the Accuser, stood at his right hand to accuse him. For the one who teaches obligation stands to the left of the angel who judges, which is to the right of Joshua, who stands opposite him. It is clarified here that there were two types of judgments upon Joshua: one judgment upon himself, for which there was some accusation against him. This accusation already existed at the time when they cast him into the fiery furnace (which was in an earlier time), when he stood in judgment as to whether he was worthy that a miracle be performed for him by means of the angel, and then the Satan accused him, and then.
And Hashem said to Satan: ‘Hashem rebuke you, O Satan, indeed, Hashem that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you; is not this man a brand plucked out of the fire?’
verse value 3079
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "against·you" (בְּךָ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·Jerusalem" (בִּירֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem, Hashem. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "to·the·adversary" (אֶל־הַשָּׂטָ֗ן), "let·him·rebuke" (יִגְעַ֨ר), "adversary" (הַשָּׂטָ֔ן). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "and·said" (root אמר, 110x in Zechariah); "not" (root לא, 36x in Zechariah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Rashi
The Lord rebuke you, O Satan. The Holy One, blessed be He, rebuke you, you Satan. And it repeats and says, "and the Lord rebuke you" — He who chooses Jerusalem — that you should not enter before Him to accuse this righteous man. Is he not worthy and deserving of this, having been rescued from the fire of the burning?
Is this not the "brand plucked from the fire"? It is explicitly stated in the Aggadah of chapter Chelek (Sanhedrin, page 93) that he was thrown into the fire along with Achav ben Koliah and his companion.
Radak
"And He said, 'The Lord.'" This refers to the angel, who is called by the name of his Master; similarly, in the case of Gideon, and in other places.
And the Lord rebuked. It is the Holy One, blessed be He:
“He who chooses Jerusalem” – to build it, and you shall not be able to oppose Him.
Is this not "a brand plucked from the fire"? Just as a burning brand is removed from the fire so that it will not continue to burn, so too this one is saved from the fire of exile, to come to Jerusalem, to build the Temple, and to serve as a priest therein. And our Sages of blessed memory interpreted it according to its plain meaning: that he was with Zedekiah and Achav, whom the king of Babylon roasted in fire; they were burned, but he was saved, as stated in that midrash. And so Targum Jonathan renders.
Metzudat David
And the Lord said. This means the angel of the Lord.
"He will rebuke, etc.": [The repeated word] "and He will rebuke" means that He will rebuke, and then go back and rebuke again.
"The One who chooses Jerusalem" – this is referring to the Lord, to say: "The Lord, who chooses Jerusalem, will rebuke you."
Is this not so? The meaning is: How can you bring a charge against him? Is he not like one who has been rescued from the fire? For he was cast into the fire by Nebuchadnezzar, together with Ahab and Zedekiah, the false prophets, yet he was saved from the burning, as our Sages of blessed memory stated. And therefore, his merit is great; how, then, can you bring a charge against him?
Metzudat Zion
Yig'ar. The matter of a cry is a reproof:
Aod. It is the tree in which they fan the fire, as it is said, “Like a brand plucked from the burning” (Amos 4:11).
Malbim
And He said, 'The Lord' — meaning: hear that the Lord, who is the Master of mercy, spoke to the Satan, to rebuke him on two grounds: (a) 'The Lord rebuke you, O Satan' — He rebukes him because He is the Lord, the Master of mercy, who inclines His creatures toward merit; (b) 'The Lord rebuke you' — because He is the One who chooses Jerusalem, and on this basis He will save the High Priest whose ancestors served in the Temple; and by this the judgment was decided that he was fit for the miracle of being saved. And concerning this it says, 'Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?' — meaning: even though he is not worthy that a miracle be done for him like Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, over whom the fire had no power at all, not even over their garments — whereas here, like a brand, the fire had somewhat taken hold, for his garments were burned — nevertheless he is 'plucked from the fire,' in that the fire did not take hold of his body, even though it consumed his garments.
Cross-references: II Kings 25:18; Haggai 1:1; I Chronicles 5:40
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
verse value 1341
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "was" (הָיָ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Joshua" (וִיהוֹשֻׁ֕עַ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "and·Joshua" (וִיהוֹשֻׁ֕עַ), "are·clothed" (לָבֻ֖שׁ), "filthy" (צוֹאִ֑ים). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "was" (root היה, 66x in Zechariah); "messenger" (root מלאך, 20x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root יהושע ("and·Joshua") in Zechariah. First appearance of the root לבש ("are·clothed") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'filthy', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וִיהוֹשֻׁ֕עַ [and·Joshua] (397) + הָיָ֥ה [was] (20) + לָבֻ֖שׁ [are·clothed] (332) + בְּגָדִ֣ים [clothes] (59) + צוֹאִ֑ים [filthy] (147) + וְעֹמֵ֖ד [and·standing] (120) + לִפְנֵ֥י [to·face·of] (170) + הַמַּלְאָֽךְ [messenger] (96) = 1341.
Rashi
“Clothed in filthy garments.” As its Targum renders it: “He had sons who took for themselves wives unfit for the priesthood,” and he was punished for not protesting against them.
Radak
“And Joshua was clothed with filthy garments.” This is an allegory for his sons, who married foreign women. And the Targum reads: “And Joshua had sons who married women who were not fit for the priesthood.” And so our Sages of blessed memory said: Because of the sin that his sons were committing by marrying women who were not fit for the priesthood, and he did not protest against them, it is said: “And Joshua was clothed with filthy garments.” For was it the custom of Joshua to wear filthy garments? Rather, his sons were marrying women who were not fit for the priesthood, and he did not protest against them. And similarly it is written in Ezra: “And I found among the priests who had married foreign women, from the sons of Joshua son of Jozadak and his brothers, etc.”
Metzudat David
"And Joshua..." And "standing..." means that at the time he stood before the angel, he was still clothed in dirty garments; that is to say, he was still clothed in this sin, for the foreign women still dwelt among his sons, and they had not driven them out, and he did not protest against them.
Metzudat Zion
Tzoin. This means soiled. And since excrement is filth, it refers to soiled garments as "tzoin" garments.
Malbim
And Joshua: he further saw that there was a second judgment upon him, as to whether he should serve in the High Priesthood; and our Sages of blessed memory explained that this was because his sons had married foreign women. (For what Ibn Ezra found puzzling about this — that it occurred after his death — is no difficulty, for what is mentioned in Nehemiah, that some of the sons of Eliashib, of the sons of Joshua, had married foreign women, means that they had already married them long before, as per the tradition of our Sages.) And therefore he was clothed in filthy garments: since the judgment concerned the garments, it depicts that beneath the priestly garments he wore garments indicating his sins; and it also took this depiction from what actually occurred — that his garments were burned — for his garments were filthy and were not fit for the miracle.
And he answered and spoke to those that stood before him, saying: ‘Take the filthy garments from off him.’ And to him he said: ‘Behold, I cause your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with robes.’
verse value 4538
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 88 letters. The shortest word is "see" (רְאֵ֨ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·those·standing" (אֶל־הָעֹמְדִ֤ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "to·those·standing" (אֶל־הָעֹמְדִ֤ים), "to·his·face" (לְפָנָיו֙), "remove" (הָסִ֛ירוּ). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 110x in Zechariah); "to·him" (root אל, 36x in Zechariah); "from·him" (root על, 33x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root סור ("remove") in Zechariah. First appearance of the root עבר ("I·cause·to·pass") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
"Remove the filthy garments from him." His sons shall put away their wives, and He will forgive him.
“Machlotzot.” Garments of exchange, that is, righteous deeds. However, since he likened sin to filthy garments, he likened righteous deeds to “machlotzot,” fine and white garments.
Radak
And he answered. The angel said to the other angels standing before him, for he was greater than them and he was sending them; and the Targum: “to those who minister before him.”
"Remove them." This is an allusion that they should separate themselves from non-Jewish women:
"Your iniquity." Explanation: The soiled garments are an allegory for iniquity.
“From clean garments.” They are clean garments, and this is an allusion to merits, meaning that once the evil eye is removed, your merits will be seen in you. And so does the Targum render it: “And I will clothe you with your merits.”
Metzudat David
"And he answered and said." The angel before whom Joshua stood said to the angels standing before him: "Remove from Joshua the filthy garments," meaning: Separate his sons from their foreign wives, so that the sin may be removed from Joshua.
And He said to him. The angel said to Joshua:
See, I have transferred. In that which I commanded you to separate your sons from the foreign women, I have transferred from you the sin that was in you, namely that you did not protest against them.
And He clothed. I commanded to clothe you:
“Fine garments.” This means that when the sin is removed, the merit is revealed.
Metzudat Zion
And he answered. The matter of raising the voice is like “and you shall answer and say” (Deuteronomy 26:5).
Fine garments. Thus they call a type of beautiful garments, and likewise “the fine garments and the mantles” (Isaiah 3:22).
Malbim
And He answered and said to those standing before Him: The angel said to those appointed under Him, “Remove the iniquity and make atonement for sin.” Remove the filthy garments from him. This means that he should not bear punishment for the sins of his sons. And it can also be said that his sons had divorced their wives. And He explained to him the intent of the parable: “See, I have removed your iniquity from you.” This means the sins that were upon you from the outside, by means of the sons, who are like the garments, which are on the outside. I have removed them, and you shall be clothed with pure garments. This means you shall clothe yourselves with merits in their place.
And I said: ‘Let them set a fair mitre upon his head.’ So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments; and the angel of Hashem stood by.
verse value 3764
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "standing" (עֹמֵֽד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·clothed·him" (וַיַּלְבִּשֻׁ֙הוּ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 607: upon·his·head, upon·his·head. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "let·them·put" (יָשִׂ֛ימוּ), "turban" (צָנִ֥יף), "pure" (טָה֖וֹר). The root שום appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 110x in Zechariah); "and·messenger·of" (root מלאך, 20x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root שום ("let·them·put") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·his·head', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words. Full calculation: וָאֹמַ֕ר [and·I·said] (247) + יָשִׂ֛ימוּ [let·them·put] (366) + צָנִ֥יף [turban] (230) + טָה֖וֹר [pure] (220) + עַל־רֹאשׁ֑וֹ [upon·his·head] (607) + וַיָּשִׂ֩ימוּ֩ [and·they·put] (372) + הַצָּנִ֨יף [turban] (235) + הַטָּה֜וֹר [pure] (225) + עַל־רֹאשׁ֗וֹ [upon·his·head] (607) + וַיַּלְבִּשֻׁ֙הוּ֙ [and·they·clothed·him] (359) + בְּגָדִ֔ים [clothes] (59) + וּמַלְאַ֥ךְ [and·messenger·of] (97) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + עֹמֵֽד [standing] (114) = 3764.
Rashi
And it says: “I am Zechariah.”
"They shall put on a clean turban, etc." I prayed for mercy for him.
Radak
And he said. Zechariah the prophet said: “I said to the angel, ‘Place a clean turban upon his head.’” After you commanded to remove the filthy garments from him and to clothe him with festal robes, you also commanded that a clean turban be placed upon his head, to initiate him as the High Priest, for the High Priest wore a turban upon his head.
“And they clothed him with garments.” Yet they had already clothed him with garments, for behold, it states, “And I will clothe you with a change of raiment,” prior to the prophet Zechariah mentioning it. Similarly, “And worms shall rise up, and he shall rot,” yet he had already rotted, for everything rots before worms rise up from it. And likewise, “If You are angry, we have sinned,” and similar cases.
"And the angel of the Lord stood." Thus he saw in the prophetic vision that until they placed the pure turban upon his head, the angel of the Lord stood and did not depart from his sight.
Metzudat David
And it is said: This is the statement of Zechariah, who said: “I prayed for him that they might place upon his head a pure diadem,” meaning that the crown of the High Priesthood should be inherited by his descendants after him, since he separated himself from the gentiles.
"And they placed..." – This means that his prayer was accepted, and immediately they granted him the inheritance of the crown of the High Priesthood.
And He clothed him with garments. This means that his merits were revealed.
"And the angel of the Lord stood." Throughout the entire duration during which all of this occurred.
Metzudat Zion
Tz'rif. From the word "mitznefet," which is made to encircle the head.
Pure. This means clear and clean.
Malbim
And it says, when the prophet saw that his sins had been forgiven, he prayed on his behalf and said, “Let them place a clean turban on his head,” meaning that he should return to the rank of the High Priesthood and don the mitznefet, which is the insignia of the High Priesthood. And the prophet’s words were accepted, and they placed the turban on his head; moreover, they clothed him in the garments that are the additional vestments of the High Priest.
And the angel of Hashem forewarned Joshua, saying:
verse value 871
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 871 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·he·forewarned" (וַיָּ֙עַד֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "against·Joshua" (בִּיהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "and·he·forewarned" (וַיָּ֙עַד֙), "against·Joshua" (בִּיהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "saying" (root אמר, 110x in Zechariah); "messenger" (root מלאך, 20x in Zechariah). Full calculation: וַיָּ֙עַד֙ [and·he·forewarned] (90) + מַלְאַ֣ךְ [messenger] (91) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + בִּיהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ [against·Joshua] (393) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 871.
Rashi
And he testified. This is the language of warning, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 31:28): "And I will call the heavens and the earth to witness against them," etc.
Radak
"And the angel of the Lord testified." He testified to him regarding this matter, just as it says, "I testify against you today." the man solemnly forewarned us. The ayin is open because it is a guttural letter, for its grammatical form should have been "ve'ya'ad" (with a closed ayin), like "ve'yashav" in the phrase "and he brought back all the property."
Metzudat David
"And he appointed." After all the deeds, the angel warned Joshua:
Metzudat Zion
And he admonished. A matter of warning, for most who issue warnings do so in the presence of witnesses, so that the accused will not deny it at a later time.
Malbim
And the angel of the Lord testified, at the time when He clothed him with the garments of the High Priest, He testified and warned him in the name of the Lord:
’Thus says Hashem of hosts: If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My charge, and will also judge My house, and will also keep My courts, then I will give you free access among these that stand by.
verse value 8669
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 94 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "my·charge" (אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֣י, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 940: you·shall·keep, you·will·keep. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "if·in·my·ways" (אִם־בִּדְרָכַ֤י), "you·will·walk" (תֵּלֵךְ֙), "and·if" (וְאִ֣ם). The root שמר appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "thus·says" (root אמר, 110x in Zechariah); "hosts" (root צבא, 54x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root אם ("and·if") in Zechariah. First appearance of the root שמר ("you·shall·keep") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·courts', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 6 words.
Rashi
"If you walk in My ways, I also will do this for you:"
"You shall judge my house. You shall judge and be an overseer of my sanctuary:"
“And I will give you steps.” As its Targum renders: “And at the resurrection of the dead I will revive you, and I will give you feet that walk among these fiery beings.” And according to the simple meaning, it refers to his sons, that they will merit in the future.
“The ones who stand”: the seraphim and the ministering angels, who have no sitting.
Radak
“Thus said [the verse]: ‘You shall judge my house.’ This is because he was the High Priest, and the other priests would act in accordance with his ruling.”
"And I will give." I will give to you. And the vav is like the vav in "And it came to pass on the third day" and "And Abraham lifted up his eyes."
“Walking among these standing ones.” These are the angels, who stand and exist eternally. The meaning is: go among them. This is an allusion to his soul at the time of its separation from the body. And the Targum: “And at the resurrection of the dead, etc.”
Metzudat David
“If you will walk in My ways.” This means: If your offspring will walk in My ways. And He spoke as if addressing him directly, because a person’s offspring is considered as himself. Similarly, it is stated: “I will take you, Zerubbabel” (Haggai 2:23).
"And if you keep My charge." This means: if they observe the matters that I commanded them to observe. The matter is repeated in what is stated:
“And you also shall judge.” This means that even your descendants will be like you, serving as High Priests and officials for all time, to judge My house, and according to their judgment all the needs of the house will be carried out.
“And you shall also keep.” This means that the guards shall be in their hands. And this idea is repeated in what is stated:
"And I will give you walks." This means that, in addition to this, their reward will not be diminished in the World of Souls, for I will grant them walks and strolls among these angels who stand here, as stated above: "And He said to those who stood before Him."
Metzudat Zion
"Judge." The word is derived from "din" (judgment), and it refers to the concept of setting the matter straight.
"Mahalakim." A noun derived from the root meaning "to go" and "to walk about":
Malbim
“If you walk in My ways,” meaning that he conducts himself according to the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, for He is merciful and gracious, as our Sages of blessed memory expounded regarding the verse “and you shall walk in His ways”; and “if you keep My charge,” meaning the charge of the Torah of the Holy One, blessed be He, and its commandments; and furthermore, “you shall also judge My house,” meaning that he shall oversee the service of the Temple and the laws of the sacrifices; and “you shall also keep My court,” meaning the courts of the Temple, to oversee the Temple service in all its details; then I promise you, “and I will give you those who walk among these that stand.” This means that although the priests of this era are human beings, inhabitants of houses of clay, and their level is low compared to the level of the angels, there shall emerge from you a shoot in the future who shall serve in the Third Temple. They shall be sanctified like angels, and they shall walk among the eternal angels who stand before the Holy One, blessed be He, and shall walk with them in their life. And this prophecy, besides being specific to Joshua as mentioned, was also general and a future prophecy concerning his descendants. From this aspect, he saw Joshua—meaning his descendants who are called by his name—that at times they would stand in judgment, and the Satan would bring accusations against them that they would be burned in fire. This occurred during the decree of persecution in the days of Antiochus, who sought to destroy the priests of the Holy One, blessed be He. And the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked the Satan, and they were like a brand plucked from the fire, as happened in the days of the Hasmoneans, when they were saved by a miracle and by the providence of the Holy One, blessed be He. And there was also an accusation regarding their priesthood, and the Holy One, blessed be He, forgave their sin and clothed them with clean garments. Specifically, as Abarbanel wrote, the filthy garments allude to the generation of the Hasmoneans, who wore royal garments, which are garments unfit for the High Priest who serves in the Temple of the Holy One, blessed be He. And the Holy One, blessed be He, removed them from them in the days of Herod, when the arrogance of royalty and the haughtiness of spirit departed from them. This is alluded to by the clean turban placed upon their heads, for the turban comes to atone for haughtiness of spirit, so that they would not have the crown of royalty, but only the turban of the priesthood alone. And He promised him that in the future He would give him sons who walk among the angels in the Eternal House.
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your fellows that sit before you; for they are men that are a sign; for, behold, I will bring forth My servant the Shoot.
verse value 4039
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "you" (אַתָּה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·dwell" (הַיֹּשְׁבִ֣ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 391: Joshua, for·men·of. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "hear·now" (שְֽׁמַֽע־נָ֞א), "and·your·friends" (וְרֵעֶ֙יךָ֙), "that·dwell" (הַיֹּשְׁבִ֣ים). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·behold·I" (root כי, 36x in Zechariah); "that·dwell" (root ישב, 23x in Zechariah); "for·men·of" (root איש, 21x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root צמח ("Shoot") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'abundance', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
"You and your companions." Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were [the three youths].
Men of marvel. Worthy men, fit to perform miracles for them, for a miracle was performed for them as well.
For behold, I am bringing My servant the Branch. For now, Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, is small in the king’s court; I will cause greatness to sprout for him, and I will place him in favor in the eyes of the king, to fulfill his request regarding the building of the Temple and the city, as is explicitly stated in Ezra and the words of Nehemiah son of Hachaliah, and he is Zerubbabel, as we say in Sanhedrin.
Radak
“Hear, please, and your companions”—the remaining priests:
"For they are men of wonder." They are worthy that a wonder be made through them. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: Who are these "men of wonder"? They are men for whom a wonder was performed. These are Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
"For behold, I am bringing My servant the Branch." Explanation: "My servant" refers to Zerubbabel. The meaning of "bringing" is that he has already come; this serves to further elevate his status, so that his greatness will grow like a plant in the earth, which continues to grow. Similarly, it is stated further below: "Behold, the man whose name is Branch, and he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the Temple of the Lord." And so too did the prophet Haggai say: "I will take you, Zerubbabel," etc., as we have explained. And some say that "the Branch" refers to King Messiah. He says: Even though I am bringing you this salvation, I will yet bring you a greater salvation than this in the time when I bring My servant the Branch. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded upon it that Messiah's name is Menachem, and Menachem is the gematria of Tzemach (Branch). And Targum Jonathan renders: "My servant the Messiah."
Metzudat David
"You and your companions." Just as you heard, so too your companions will hear; and they are Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, for they too were men of wonder, as they were saved from the fiery furnace, just like you. And it is fitting to single out the speech also for them.
"For behold, I am bringing." This means: and the utterance is that I am bringing My servant the Branch, who is the Messiah, as it is stated, "And I will raise up for David a righteous Branch" (Jeremiah 23:5).
Metzudat Zion
A sign. The matter of a miracle and a sign:
Malbim
“Hear now, Joshua.” At this time, He explained to him when he would have sons walking among the eternal standing ones—namely, that this would be in the days of the Messiah. And He said, “so that he and his companions who sit before him should hear this future promise,” meaning that they, the sages, his students, were men of wonder and worthy of prophecy. And our Sages of blessed memory explained that his companions were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. For He said, “Behold, I will bring My servant the Branch,” meaning that in the end of days I will bring the King Messiah, and He called him by the name “Branch” to hint that now a shoot has been cut off from the stump of Jesse, and he is hidden, concealed in the earth. He is only like a seed hidden in the depths of the soil, which in its time will sprout and be revealed, and from beneath it the Branch will sprout. And on this the name Zerubbabel hinted, meaning “sown in Babylon,” i.e., that he was like a seed sown in the ground, from whom the Branch will sprout when the time of redemption comes.
For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone are seven facets; behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, says Hashem of hosts: And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
verse value 6612
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 91 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·land·that" (הָאָֽרֶץ־הַהִ֖יא, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: stone, in·day. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "stone" (הָאֶ֗בֶן), "I·gave" (נָתַ֙תִּי֙), "upon·stone" (עַל־אֶ֥בֶן). The root הן appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "hosts" (root צבא, 54x in Zechariah); "that" (root אשר, 44x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root אבן ("stone") in Zechariah. First appearance of the root אחד ("one") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'eye', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 11 words.
Rashi
For behold the stone, the foundation of the house which you laid in the days of Cyrus, and which was nullified by your hands; that very foundation and the thickness of the wall were considered little in your eyes, as is explicitly stated in the Book of Ezra and in the prophecy of Haggai.
“Upon one stone seven eyes.” Its ultimate meaning is to expand upon “one” with “seven,” and so too does the Targum render it: “Upon one stone, seven eyes behold it.” The term “eyes” is in the language of “vision.” And it seems to me that “seven eyes” refers to the Eyes of the Holy One, Blessed be He, which are ever watchful, and He adds seven to the one, because its counterpart is found in this prophecy: “And you shall see the tin stone in the hand of Zerubbabel; upon it are seven eyes, which are the eyes of the Lord, ranging throughout the earth.” Rather, this teaches that He set His eyes to increase the honor of the Temple in its construction.
Behold, I am opening an open door. I am loosening its bonds, and I am thwarting the counsel of the enemies who wrote slander in order to abolish the work.
And from two. And I will remove:
"On one day." I did not know which day it was. (Tosafot: "On the day" refers to the day that they began to add to the building, for then the sin of the land ceased and blessing came to its fruits, for now it shines, as it is stated in the prophecy of Haggai.)
Radak
"For behold, the stone." It is the plummet stone with which they level the building. Or the explanation is: the stone that they would place first—Zerubbabel placed it before Joshua, as it is stated below: "and they brought forth the head stone."
“Upon one stone seven eyes.” This means that upon each and every stone there shall be seven eyes, namely, many watchful guardians from the Lord, blessed be He, against the enemies who plot to halt their work. These are the “seven eyes of the Lord” mentioned below.
And seven. This is the total of the calculation; for the majority, it is not necessarily exactly seven. Likewise, “seven times as your sins” (Leviticus 26:18), “a righteous person falls seven times and rises” (Proverbs 24:16), and similar verses. My father, my teacher, of blessed memory, explained that it is specifically seven, namely: Joshua, Ezra, Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, and three prophets: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. And Jonathan’s Targum rendered it: “Seven eyes watched over him.”
"Behold, I will engrave its engraving." This is as if the stone had been tied up all the days during which work was suspended, and now He will open it, place it in the building, and it is possible to interpret it in connection with "and you shall engrave upon them the engravings of a signet" (Exodus 28:11). And since the completion of the characteristics of the beautiful stone—the carvings, the flowers, and the knobs that will be engraved upon it—is accomplished in its being opened, He said so, by way of a parable: namely, "Behold, I am completing them for the building in all their characteristics."
And I will remove. A transitive verb; not 'mashu,' which is an intransitive verb. And this will be at the time when the prophets assured Zerubbabel, magnifying his stature — as Haggai said, 'I will take you, Zerubbabel,' and Zechariah said, 'Behold, I am bringing My servant the Branch' — and then Israel will be at peace in the Second Temple; therefore it says, 'you shall call, each man to his neighbor.'
“the iniquity of the land.” Is it possible that it means literally as it reads? Or perhaps the explanation is “punishment,” like “for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete,” meaning that He will remove from them at that time all evil and all distress, and they will live in peace.
Metzudat David
"For behold, the stone..." This means that the stone which is to be set as the foundation stone of the future Temple by the High Priest from the lineage of Joshua, who will serve as priest at that time, is already prepared. That is to say, that decree has already been decreed.
“Upon one stone.” And upon every stone of the building there shall be seven eyes; that is to say, there shall be many watchmen from the Omnipresent, blessed be He, over that building.
“Behold, I am opening an open door, etc.” the Omnipresent, blessed be He, will Himself engrave the designs on the stones to beautify them; that is to say, He will provide strength and assistance for the work.
"And I will remove..." – "In one day" means in a single instance, the iniquity of that land will be removed, for I will renew within them a proper spirit, and they will no longer sin, and iniquity will no longer be found.
Metzudat Zion
"Seven eyes": This means many. And similarly, "A righteous person falls seven times" (Proverbs 24:16).
Engraving its engraving. A matter of engraving the design, like “and he knows how to engrave engravings” (2 Chronicles 2:13).
And from the two. The matter of "removing" is similar to [the verse] "the pillar of cloud did not depart" (Exodus 13:22):
Malbim
For behold the stone: when the house was built by Zerubbabel, and they prepared the cornerstone—namely, the corner stone that is placed first in the foundation of the building—Zerubbabel handed the stone to Joshua, so that he should place it in the foundation, since he was a priest to the Most High God. And Joshua engraved upon the stone the form of seven eyes, to allude thereby that the seven eyes of the Lord, which patrol the earth—meaning the influence of the seven planets by means of which the Lord conducts the ordered natural governance from the days of Creation, to govern His world through them, and through them He watches over His world—should now be engraved upon this stone, namely upon the Temple which they would build there, so that from now on the watchfulness of the Lord would be through the Temple, in which He would dwell, and from there He would watch over His world.
Now, these seven eyes, which watch over through the seven planets, draw their abundance from seven upper eyes, higher than them, higher above higher, up to the seven Sefirot of the Building, from where the abundance and watchfulness descend through the lower eyes, which are the seven planets. And by engraving seven eyes upon this stone, he also alluded to drawing down to this stone the watchful eyes that stand at the top. (And it is known that the seven upper eyes will influence the known cornerstone, which is the attribute of Malchut, which is the stone that the builders rejected; this is what is meant by “Upon one stone are seven eyes.”)
Regarding this, He said to him that the seven eyes which Joshua engraved upon the foundation stone are the work of flesh and blood (B’V) and will not endure, because in this time the lower eyes, which are the planets and the celestial order, rule. But when I bring My servant the Branch, then I will open an open opening; then I will open the opening of this seal and the image of the eyes, as will be explained in the vision he saw subsequently. And then I will silence the sin of that land, for then they will no longer sin, and I will forgive the previous sins, and then.
In that day, says Hashem of hosts, shall you call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig-tree.
verse value 4293
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "utterance" (נְאֻם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·under" (וְאֶל־תַּ֥חַת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: man, to·his·neighbor. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Zechariah. Unique to this verse in Zechariah (hapax): "you·will·call" (תִּקְרְא֖וּ), "to·his·neighbor" (לְרֵעֵ֑הוּ), "to·under" (אֶל־תַּ֥חַת). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 132x in Zechariah); "hosts" (root צבא, 54x in Zechariah); "in·the·day" (root יום, 40x in Zechariah). First appearance of the root תחת ("and·under") in Zechariah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·neighbor', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֗וּא [that] (17) + נְאֻם֙ [utterance] (91) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֔וֹת [hosts] (499) + תִּקְרְא֖וּ [you·will·call] (707) + אִ֣ישׁ [man] (311) + לְרֵעֵ֑הוּ [to·his·neighbor] (311) + אֶל־תַּ֥חַת [to·under] (839) + גֶּ֖פֶן [vine] (133) + וְאֶל־תַּ֥חַת [and·under] (845) + תְּאֵנָֽה [fig] (456) = 4293.
Radak
"On that day, you will call out." Because of the abundance of peace that will be yours.
Metzudat David
Under the vine. [Each shall invite his neighbor to sit] at leisure in its shade and eat of its fruit, from the great goodness that will be at that time.
Malbim
"On that day you shall call," for at the time of the laying of the foundation, they brought trees of the vine and the fig, and made from them a shade, under which the builders and those laying the foundation stood for honor, for there they stood in a festive multitude. It says that then you shall call each man to his neighbor, "Under the vine," at the time when the eyes will be opened, because then there will be peace in the land, not now, as will be explained shortly.
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim