Bible Strands
Zechariah 6:12
And you are to tell him that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Here is a man whose name is the Branch, and He will branch out from His place and build the temple of the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The LORD of Hosts speaks through the prophet directly to Joshua son of Jehozadak, immediately after the command to place a silver and gold crown on the high priest’s head.
The words — The phrase וְ/אָמַרְתָּ֤ (ve./'a.mar.Ta) translates literally as “and you will say,” specifying a singular recipient rather than a corporate audience. The term צְבָא֖וֹת (tze.va.'ot) means “of hosts,” identifying the speaker as the commander of heavenly armies.
The thread — The designation “the Branch” appears in Jeremiah 33:15, Zechariah 3:8, and Isaiah 4:2 to describe a figure who will sprout, administer justice, and bring glory.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that the one who will construct the temple will also occupy both the throne and the priestly office, uniting royal and priestly functions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And 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:
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 33:15 In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a righteous Branch, and He will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
- Zechariah 3:8 Hear now, O high priest Joshua, you and your companions seated before you, who are indeed a sign. For behold, I am going to bring My servant, the Branch.
- Isaiah 4:2 On that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors.
- Isaiah 11:1 Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
- Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
- Isaiah 53:2 He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.
- Zechariah 4:6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.
- Acts 17:31 For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”
- Ezra 3:8 In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise the construction of the house of the LORD.
- Ezra 3:10 When the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel had prescribed.