Zechariah 6 explained: Chariots Sent Out, a Priest Crowned

Four chariots appear (vv. 1-4)

Zechariah sees four chariots pulled by horses of different colors, coming out between two bronze mountains, which may picture the gateway of God's own dwelling, solid and unshakable. Many readers take the colors as hints of what the chariots bring, such as red for war, black for grief, white for victory and spotted for mixed times, though the text does not say so.

Sent across the earth (vv. 5-7)

The angel explains that these are the four spirits or winds of heaven, coming from God's presence to carry out his will in every direction. The details are hard to pin down: the red horses are never mentioned again, and the Hebrew could mean the white horses go west or simply follow the black ones.

Rest in the north (v. 8)

The north was the usual way of referring to Babylon, the empire that had taken the Jewish people into exile. Saying God's Spirit now has rest there most likely means his anger over Babylon's cruelty has been satisfied and his purpose there is done.

Gifts from returning exiles (vv. 9-11)

Men newly arrived from Babylon bring silver and gold, and Zechariah is told to make a crown and set it on Joshua the high priest, a striking act since priests and kings were separate roles and Joshua was not from David's royal family. The Hebrew word is actually plural, 'crowns', so some translations keep the plural, and scholars are unsure whether it meant one crown made of several bands or two separate crowns.

The man called the Branch (vv. 12-13)

Elsewhere 'the Branch' points to a coming ruler from David's family line, and many scholars think it first meant Zerubbabel, the governor then rebuilding the temple, working in harmony with Joshua the priest. Christians read this as pointing to Jesus, whom they see as both king and priest.

A reminder and a condition (vv. 14-15)

The crown, or crowns, was to be kept in the temple to honor the men who gave the gifts and to keep the promise in view. People from far away would come to help build, but the promise depends on the people faithfully listening to God.

Key verse: Zechariah 6:13

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on whether the Branch mainly referred to a leader of Zechariah's own day, such as Zerubbabel, or was chiefly a prediction of Jesus, and on how much of the passage still looks to the future.

Something to think about

Can religious leadership and political leadership ever truly work in harmony, or do they tend to pull against each other?