Zechariah 3:3-4 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Zechariah 3:1-7

There was a Joshua that was a principal agent in the first settling of Israel in Canaan; here is another of the same name very active in their second settlement there after the captivity; Jesus is the same name, and it signifies Saviour; and they were both figures of him that was to come, our chief captain and our chief priest. The angel that talked with Zechariah showed him Joshua the high priest; it is probable that the prophet saw him frequently, that he spoke to him, and that there was a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Zechariah 3:3

Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments ,.... Having fallen into sin. The Jewish writers F26 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 93. 1. interpret this of the sin of his children in marrying strange wives, Ezra 10:18 or he had married one himself, as Jerom from the Jews, on the place; or a whore, as Justin Martyr F1 Dialog. cum Trypho, p. 344. suggests; or had been slothful and sluggish in rebuilding the temple; and, be it what it will, Satan had aggravated it, and represented him as a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Zechariah 3:4

And he answered, and spake ,.... That is, the Angel of the Lord, before whom Joshua stood, answered to the accusations of Satan, and the entreaties of Joshua: and spake unto those that stood before him ; not the fellows that sat before Joshua, Zechariah 3:8 for the priests, who were Joshua's fellows, could not take away sin; nor indeed can ministers of the Gospel, only ministerially or declaratively, as instruments, in bringing the good news of pardon to the comfort of distressed... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 3:3

Joshua was clothed with filthy garments - The Jewish people were in a most forlorn, destitute, and to all human appearance despicable, condition; and besides all, they were sinful, and the priesthood defiled by idolatry; and nothing but the mercy of God could save them. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 3:4

Take away the filthy garments - The Jews wore sackcloth in times of public calamity; probably the filthy garments refer to this. Let their clothing be changed. I have turned again their captivity; I will fully restore them, and blot out all their iniquities. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 3:3

Verse 3 Zechariah adds here another thing, — that Joshua had on mean garments, but that new garments were given him by the angel’s command. And by this he means, that though the priesthood had been for a time contemptible, it would yet recover whatever dignity it had lost. But he ever leads the minds of the faithful to this point, — to look for what they did not then see, nor could conjecture from the state of things at that time. It is certain that the sacerdotal vestments, after the return... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 3:4

Verse 4 We now see that he who is often said to be Jehovah is called an angel: the name therefore of Angel as well as of Jehovah, I doubt not, ought to be applied to the person of Christ, who is truly and really God, and at the same time a Mediator between the Father and the faithful: and hence he authoritatively commanded the angels who were present; for Christ was there, but with his hosts. While therefore the angels were standing by, ready to obey, he is said to have bidden them to strip the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 3:1-5

The priesthood restored. "And he showed me Joshua the high priest," etc. Here begins a new vision, which, like that described in Zechariah 2:1-4 , takes us back to the date of utterance. In that we saw the restoration of the ancient city Jerusalem. In this we seem shown the restoration of the ancient Levitical priesthood. For seventy years the functions of that priesthood appear to have been in abeyance. Nowhere in Daniel and Ezekiel do we read of sacrifices being offered by the children... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 3:1-5

Satan and Christ. Joshua was the representative of the people, not personally, but in his public character. What was done to him in a figure was to be done to them and for them in fact. The great object was to restore confidence in God and in his servants, and to raise the hopes of the people that the work of grace would triumph in spite of all opposition. I. THE POWER OF SATAN TO RESIST . The adversary. Cunning and strong. Maliciously working as he has done from the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 3:1-6

The good man on earth in his intercessory function. "And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him," etc. Our prophet here delivers to the Jews who had been restored from Babylon a vision which he had witnessed, in order to encourage them in the work of rebuilding the temple. The scene of the vision seems to have been the precincts, of the temple. He saw Joshua, the high priest, standing before the Lord on... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Zechariah 3:1-7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Zechariah 3:3

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Zechariah 3:4

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 3:3

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 3:4

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 3:3

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 3:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 3:1-5

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 3:1-5

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 3:1-6

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