Zechariah 6:13 - Exposition

Even he shall build. A forcible repetition of the preceding statement, laying stress on the Person, "He, and no one else, shall build." The clause is omitted by the Septuagint. He shall bear the glory. The word rendered "glory" is used to denote royal honours here, as in 1 Chronicles 29:25 ; Jeremiah 22:18 ; Daniel 11:21 . Messiah shall have regal majesty. Compare the many passages where the glory of Christ is spoken of; e.g. John 1:14 ; John 2:11 ; John 17:5 ; Luke 9:32 ; Luke 24:26 ; Hebrews 2:9 ; Revelation 5:12 , etc. Shall sit and rule upon his throne (comp. Zechariah 9:10 ). Thus Christ says, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" ( Matthew 28:18 ; see Luke 1:32 ). And he shall be a Priest upon his throne; Septuagint, καὶ ἔσται ἱερεὺς ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ , "There shall be a Priest upon his right hand." The Authorized Version is doubtless correct, as the clause is intended to declare that Messiah should, like Melchizedek, combine the offices of Priest and King ( Psalms 110:4 ; Hebrews 5:6 , Hebrews 5:10 ). The counsel of peace shall be between them both. The two offices or dignities are meant, which are combined in one person. The Messiah, in his two offices of Priest and King, has one common design, to bring peace to his people ( Isaiah 9:6 ; Micah 5:5 , where see note). Other interpretations are unsuitable. Thus: There shall be harmony between Joshua and Zerubbabel; but the two are nowhere mentioned together in the paragraph, and, indeed, the statement would be superfluous. There shall be perfect concord between the two offices; but a person is spoken of. not an abstraction. Others explain the "counsel of peace" to be between Jews and Gentiles, or the returned and the exiled Jews; but neither of these have been named. Pusey takes it to mean, "between the Father and the Son;" but there is nothing in the passage to lead to this. Kuabenhauer expounds it of those who alone are mentioned in the text, Messiah and Joshua, seeing in it an exhortation to the latter to make the type correspond to the Antitype, so that all may see that there is perfect harmony between them.