“And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:”
My Notes
What Does Zechariah 6:12 Mean?
Zechariah prophesies the Messiah as builder of God's temple: and speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.
Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH (tsemach) — the Branch is the messianic title used in Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15, and here. The Branch grows — organic, living, emerging from the Davidic line. The command behold demands attention: look at this person. His name is significant. His identity is prophetic. He is the Branch.
He shall grow up out of his place — grow up (tsamach — to sprout, to spring forth). Out of his place — from his own location, from below, from humble origins. The Branch does not descend from above in visible glory. He grows up from below — from the earth, from obscurity, from a place no one expected to produce a king. The growth is organic and humble.
He shall build the temple of the LORD — the primary messianic work described here is building. Not conquering. Not judging. Building — specifically, the temple (heykal — the palace-temple, the dwelling place of God). The immediate context relates to the rebuilding of the Second Temple under Zerubbabel (4:9). But the language transcends the historical temple: the Branch builds the LORD's temple — the ultimate dwelling place of God among his people.
The New Testament identifies this temple as the church: ye are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). Christ builds the temple — his body, the church (Matthew 16:18: I will build my church). The building the Branch accomplishes is not a physical structure but a living temple — the community of believers in whom God dwells.
Verse 13 adds: 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. The Branch is simultaneously king (sit and rule upon his throne) and priest (a priest upon his throne). The two offices — separated throughout Israel's history — are united in one person. Only Christ fulfills both: king and priest, ruling and interceding, from the same throne.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does the Branch 'growing up out of his place' communicate about the humble, organic nature of the Messiah's arrival?
- 2.How does the Branch building 'the temple of the LORD' point beyond the physical temple to the church Christ builds?
- 3.What is the significance of the Branch being both king and priest — two offices united in one person?
- 4.How does the 'counsel of peace' between the kingly and priestly offices describe the gospel's resolution of justice and mercy?
Devotional
Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH. Behold — look. Pay attention. This person matters more than anyone you have ever looked at. His name is The Branch — the messianic title that runs from Isaiah through Jeremiah to Zechariah. The shoot from Jesse's stump. The righteous Branch of David. The one who grows up from below and builds from above.
He shall grow up out of his place. From below. From obscurity. From a place nobody was watching. The Branch does not arrive with trumpets and imperial fanfare. He grows — quietly, organically, the way a plant emerges from the soil. Bethlehem. Nazareth. A carpenter's shop. The Branch grew up out of his place — and the world did not notice until the temple started rising.
He shall build the temple of the LORD. The Branch builds. Not destroys. Not conquers first. Builds — and what he builds is the dwelling place of God. The historical temple was rebuilt by Zerubbabel. But the ultimate temple — the one the Branch builds — is the church: the living community of believers in whom God dwells. Christ builds his church (Matthew 16:18). And the gates of hell cannot prevail against what the Branch constructs.
He shall be a priest upon his throne (v.13). King and priest. Two offices that were always separate in Israel — the king from Judah, the priest from Levi. Never combined. Until the Branch: who sits on a throne and serves as a priest simultaneously. Ruling and interceding. Governing and mediating. Authority and compassion from the same seat.
The Branch is Christ. The temple is his church. The throne holds both a king and a priest. And the counsel of peace (v.13) — the harmony between the two offices — is the gospel: the king who rules is the priest who atones. The authority that demands your obedience is the same authority that secures your forgiveness. One person. One throne. Both offices. Perfect peace.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Even he shall build the temple of the Lord,.... Which is repeated, as Kimchi observes, for confirmation sake:
and he…
The prophet is taught to explain his own symbolic act. “Behold the Man whose name is the Branch” . “Not for himself, but…
Behold the man whose name is The Branch! - I cannot think that Zerubbabel is here intended; indeed, he is not so much as…
God did not only at sundry times, but in divers manners, speak in time past by the prophets to his church. In the former…
the Branch] See chap. Zec 3:8 and note.
out of his place Lit. from under him. Comp. for the expression Exo 10:23; and…
Cross References
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