Zechariah 6:13

"Even he shall build the temple of Jehovah; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."

"Even he shall build the temple of Jehovah ..." So weighty a promise is repeated for emphasis. See further comment below.

"And he shall bear the glory ..." This is terminology that never applied to the earthly monarchs of Israel, and the appearance of these words here denotes that the Messianic age is being spoken of.

"Shall sit and rule upon his throne ..." Zerubbabel was denied this on the basis of Jeremiah 23; Jeremiah 30; the promise must be understood of the Messiah. Joshua also did not qualify, for the priesthood never included the kingship. Not even Moses was both king and priest. Only Jesus Christ our Lord can be meant by this passage.

"And the counsel of peace shall be between them both ..." There is much difference of opinion about what this means. "It is a reference to Joshua and Zerubbabel";[24] "The counsel of peace shall be between Jesus and the Father";[25] We believe that Harley is correct in the explanation that, "Peace will be provided by the Branch holding the twofold office of king and priest."[26]

"He shall build the temple of Jehovah ..." The repetition of this clause at the end of Zechariah 6:12 and the beginning of Zechariah 6:13 has been cited as suggestive of the combining of two literary units; but we agree with Baldwin who suggested that the repetition "was deliberate."[27]

It was a device to distinguish between "he" Joshua and "he" the Branch, as well as between the temporary temple and the one to come.[28]

A careful study of the passage shows how necessary such a repetition is and how it illuminates and emphasizes the true meaning of the passage.