Zechariah 3:5
in Zechariah 3Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So a clean turban was placed on his head, and they clothed him, as the angel of the LORD stood by.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And I said, Let them set a clean mitre upon his head. So they set a clean mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments; and the angel of Jehovah was standing by.
KJV
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 the Lord stood by.
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This verse in Zechariah 3
Commentary
10 notes on this verse(Chapter III - Verse 1 and following) And he showed me Jesus, the great high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord: and Satan was standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan: May the Lord rebuke you, Satan, may the Lord rebuke you who has chosen Jerusalem. Is this not a brand plucked out of the fire? And Jesus was clothed in filthy garments, and he stood before the face of the angel who responded and said to those who stood before him, saying: Take away the filthy garments from him.
This site's exposition
Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord
on Zechariah 3:1-5
The fourth vision moves from open country to courtroom: Joshua the high priest stands before the angel of the Lord, and Satan, the accuser, stands at his right hand to resist him, the nation's own priestly representative arraigned in filthy garments, the defilement of exile carried on the man who should stand cleanest. The Lord's rebuke rests on two grounds rather than on Joshua's own merit, the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem, sovereign election, and is not this a brand plucked out of the fire, an image the bench traces to Amos 4:11, a people nearly consumed yet snatched back. The filthy garments are stripped, the iniquity declared passed away, and a change of raiment given along with a fair mitre set on his head, full reinstatement to office rather than a private pardon.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
He stood by, as one well pleased with it, and resolved to stand by the orders he had given for the doing of it and to continue his presence with that priesthood. The covenant of the priesthood is renewed with him, which is called God's covenant of peace, Num. xxv. Mr. Pemble calls it the patent of his office, which is here declared and delivered to him before witnesses,
I said - Zechariah takes the boldness to desire that for Joshua, which might add to his authority, and he asks the thing of Christ. A fair mitre - The proper ornament for the head of the high-priest.
And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And I said, let them set a fair mitre on his head - This seems to have been purposely omitted, in order to leave something, and that, the completion of all, to be done at the intercession of the prophet.
THE original intention of this vision was to foretell the revival of the Jewish state after its long depression through the Babylonian captivity. Joshua, the high priest, with his tattered garments, must be looked upon as the type of the Jewish people in their deep distress. He was ministering before the Lord in worn and filthy garments, to show at once the sin of Israel and the poverty into which they had fallen.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
He does not command, but prays; not "Set," but "Let them set." Vulgate and Syriac version read it, "He then said," which is the easier reading; but the very difficulty of the present Hebrew reading makes it less likely to come from a modern corrector of the text. angel of . . .
THE original intention of this vision was to foretell the revival of the Jewish state after its long depression through the Babylonian captivity. Joshua, the high priest, with his tattered garments, must be looked upon as the type of the Jewish people in their deep distress. He was ministering before the Lord in worn and filthy garments, to show at once the sin of Israel and the poverty into which they had fallen. They were so poor that the service of God could not be conducted in suitable apparel, but the high priest himself appeared before the altar in robes unfit for his sacred work. The set time to favor Zion is according to the visions most near at hand. And Satan, the old adversary of the chosen race, bestirs himself to resist them and turn away the favor of God from them. But that same Angel of the Covenant who led the people through the wilderness and carried them all the days of old, stands before the Throne as their Advocate and at His request Jehovah rebukes Satan and begins to bless the people. Joshua, their representative, receives a change of clothes, in testimony that the people's sin is forgiven and that God accepts their worship. The vision then sweeps on to the day of the Lord Jesus and the heart of the Prophet Zechariah is cheered by a sight of the whole land restored to its former peace and happiness under the reign of the glorious One who is called, "My servant, THE BRANCH." While we have been interpreting the other visions of Zechariah, we have tried to derive present comfort and profit from them. We will endeavor to do so on this occasion. We may very properly take Joshua as a type of all the people of God as they stand in their sense of sin and natural faultiness, subject to the accusations of Satan, but delivered by their ever gracious Lord.
A fair mitre upon his head - To signify that he had renewed to him the office of the high priesthood, which had been defiled and profaned before. The mitre was the bonnet which the high priest put on his head when he entered into the sanctuary, Exo 28:4, etc. Clothed him with garments - Referring to the vestments of the high priest. The true high priest, who is over the house of God, will establish his office among them, when they shall acknowledge him as their Messiah, and seek redemption in the blood of the sacrifice which he has offered for their sins; and not for theirs only, but for the sins of the whole world.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
“Take the filthy garments off him.” Let his sons separate from their wives, and he will be forgiven.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וָאֹמַ֕ר | vaomar | and I said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יָשִׂ֛ימוּ | yasimu | let them put | H7760 → | 584 times |
| צָנִ֥יף | tzanif | a turban | H6797 → | |
| טָה֖וֹר | tahor | clean | H2889 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| רֹאשׁ֑וֹ | rosho | head his | H7218 → | 599 times |
| וַיָּשִׂימוּ֩ | vaiyasimu | and they put | H7760 → | 584 times |
| הַצָּנִ֨יף | hatzanif | the turban | H6797 → | |
| הַטָּה֜וֹר | hatahor | <the> clean | H2889 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| רֹאשׁ֗וֹ | rosho | head his | H7218 → | 599 times |
| וַיַּלְבִּשֻׁ֙הוּ֙ | vaiyalbishuhu | and they clothed him | H3847 → | 110 times |
| בְּגָדִ֔ים | begadim | garments | H899 → | 217 times |
| וּמַלְאַ֥ךְ | umalakh | and [the] angel of | H4397 → | 213 times |
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| עֹמֵֽד׃ | ʾomed | [was] standing | H5975 → | 521 times |
וָאֹמַ֕רand I said
vaomarH559 →5305 times
יָשִׂ֛ימוּlet them put
yasimuH7760 →584 times
צָנִ֥יףa turban
tzanifH6797 →
טָה֖וֹרclean
tahorH2889 →
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
רֹאשׁ֑וֹhead his
roshoH7218 →599 times
וַיָּשִׂימוּ֩and they put
vaiyasimuH7760 →584 times
הַצָּנִ֨יףthe turban
hatzanifH6797 →
הַטָּה֜וֹר<the> clean
hatahorH2889 →
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
רֹאשׁ֗וֹhead his
roshoH7218 →599 times
וַיַּלְבִּשֻׁ֙הוּ֙and they clothed him
vaiyalbishuhuH3847 →110 times
בְּגָדִ֔יםgarments
begadimH899 →217 times
וּמַלְאַ֥ךְand [the] angel of
umalakhH4397 →213 times
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
עֹמֵֽד׃[was] standing
ʾomedH5975 →521 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 4:10the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
it leads to
- Revelation 5:8
When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which…
- Revelation 19:4
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying: “Amen, Hallelujah!”
- Psalms 95:6
O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
- Revelation 11:16
And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,
- 1 Chronicles 29:11–16
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth belongs to You. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom,…
- Revelation 5:8
Through
Job 29:14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turban.
it leads to
- Isaiah 61:10
I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom…
- Isaiah 59:17
He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal.
- Psalms 132:9
May Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and Your saints shout for joy.
- Isaiah 61:10
Where this verse is studied
About Zechariah
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 611: “Zechariah'S Vision Of Joshua The High Priest” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Zechariah; John Calvin, Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.