Friday, November 16, 2018

Reading for November 24th

Read Zechariah 6.9-15 A charge to the high priest Joshua.
This speech, placed between Zechariah's last vision and his concluding speech
(chs. 7-8) may be an editorial  addition.
In verse 10 Josiah is a priestly figure, whose father Zephaniah was killed alongside
Joshua's grandfather Seraiah when Jerusalem was conquered (2 Kings 25.18-21).
In verses 11-13 while this speech is directed to Joshua, its content seems more suitable
for Zerubbabel.
In 3.8 the Branch is not Joshua but an individual presented to him.
In 4.6-10 Zerubbabel, not Joshua, is commissioned as the Temple builder.
Moreover, the Hebrew text does not say that a crown but that (two?) crowns were made (see note b), perhaps for both the royal figure and the priest mentioned in v. 13.
It appears almost as if a speech once directed to Judah's political leader has been redirected to its religious leader.
In any case, the concept of a leadership shared between religious and political figures found elsewhere in Zechariah (4.14)  is present here too.
Comments or Questions...


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