Zechariah 6:11

Then take silver and gold, c. Which the Jewish writers suppose were brought by the above men from their brethren in Babylon, as a free will offering towards the building of the temple: and make

Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; The high priest wore a holy crown, or 'golden plate,' 'upon his fore-front,'

Then take silver and gold: this reiterating the command both confirms and explains the former command. Make crowns; two, the one of silver, the other of gold. Set them, put both of them, i.e. one after the other, upon the head of Joshua, who now in this circumstance stands a type of Christ, King and Priest for ever for his people, and this extraordinary act was to represent something extraordinary in the Messiah.

Zechariah 6:11 Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set [them] upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;Ver. 11. Make crowns] Two, saith Piscator; one of gold, for the kingly dignity, another of silver, for the priesthood. Three, saith a Lapide, who makes it a type, as of Christ’ s threefold office, so of the Pope’ s triple crown; which latter relates rather to Pride’ s picture drawn by the old Romans, with three crowns on her head: on the first whereof was inscribed Transcendo; I pass on, on the second Non obedio; I disobey, the third Perturbo. I throw into confusion, Danaeus thinks it likely, by Zechariah 6:14, that here were four crowns made, according to the number of the four persons here mentioned, that brought in the gold and silver. Ribera will have it to be all but one crown made of both metals, and called crowns for the greatness of it; as wisdoms, for singular wisdom, Proverbs 1:20 marg; Behemoth, beasts, for a huge beast, Job 40:15. The verb singular, tihieh, Zechariah 6:14, seems most to favour this conceit of his. But in Hebrew the singular is often put for the plural (Chald. vertit Facies coronam magnam).

(11) Then take.—Better, yea take: viz., from the three mentioned above. Crowns.—Better, a composite crown, since the word is construed with a singular verb in Zechariah 6:14, and though plural in form it seems to be used of a single crown or fillet in Job 31:36. Zechariah is commanded to go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah, who was entertaining certain Jews, who seem to have come from Babylon with gifts and offerings for the House of the Lord. From these men he was to take gold and silver, and to cause to be made thereof a composite diadem, with which he was to crown Joshua the high-priest. We cannot, of course, venture with Ewald to insert the words “and upon the head of Zerubbabel” after the words “upon the head of Joshua”; and to insert the name “Joshua” in the clause “and will be a priest upon his throne.” Even if such an arbitrary alteration of the text were admissible, it would be most inappropriate. No crown was placed on Zerubbabel, for such an act would have been a seeming restoration of the kingdom, when it was not to be restored. God had foretold that none of the race of Jehoiakim should prosper, “sitting on the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah” (Jeremiah 22:30). Moreover, the crown had been definitely taken away in the time of Zedekiah, “until he come whose right is” (Ezekiel 21:27 [32]): viz., the “king who should reign in righteousness” (Is. xxxii, 1), “and prosper,” a Branch of righteousness (Jeremiah 23:5). But there was placed upon the head of Joshua, the high priest, this “royal” (2 Samuel 12:30) crown—for the high priest did not properly wear a crown, and this word is never used for “mitre “—that in his person might be symbolised the twofold office of the Messiah, who, like Melchizedek, was to be a priest and king (Psalms 110). That the high priests during a succeeding period were practically the rulers of the nation is not sufficient to account for the terms of this prophecy, especially for the emphatic personality of the royal priest mentioned in the next verses.

Verse 11. Make crowns] עטרות ataroth; but seven MSS. of Kennicott's and De Rossi's, and one ancient of my own, with the Syriac and Chaldee, have עטרת atereth, a crown, or tiara. And as Joshua the high priest is alone concerned here, I think one crown only is intended.

11. crowns] The plural may perhaps be used for one crown (a crown, R. V. margin), as it is apparently in Job 31:36. Or there may have been two wreaths or fillets, possibly one of each precious metal, woven into a crown. In Zechariah 6:14 where the word again occurs it is joined with a verb in the singular: lit. the crowns (it) shall be. In any case it refers exclusively to the royal crown or crowns (Revelation 19:12). The High-priest’s mitre is never called a crown. Josedech] Jehozadak. R. V.

And make crowns - Or a “crown” , as in Job, “I would bind it as a crown unto me,” and our Lord is seen in the Revelation, “on His Head were many crowns” .

THE OF JOSHUA, THE HIGH PRIEST, 9-15.The series of symbolical visions is followed by a command to perform a symbolical act, which is so closely connected with the preceding visions that it seems best