Zechariah 6, Four Chariots and a Golden Crown

In the night Zechariah has had a sequence of seven visions. Here is the eighth.

Zechariah 6:1-8, Four chariots
I looked up again--and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains--mountains of bronze! The first chariot had red horses, the second black, the third white, and the fourth dappled--all of them powerful.

I asked the angel who was speaking to me, "What are these, my lord?"

The angel answered me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south."

When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, "Go throughout the earth!" So they went throughout the earth.

Then he called to me, "Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north."

In his first vision, Zechariah saw a red horse, accompanied by red, brown and white horses. Here he sees four chariots, led by red, black, white and dappled horses coming from between two bright mountains made of bronze. These chariots, he is told, represent four spirits of heaven, reaching out to the four corners of the compass. The black horse that goes to the north gives rest in the land to the north (Babylon.) Barker suggests that the two mountains represent Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives, with the Kidron Valley between them; the "rest in the land of the north" represents peace with Babylon.

In the New Testament, four horses with these colors appear in Revelation 6:1-8. The supernatural white horse reappears in Revelation 19:11-16.

Zechariah 6:9-14, A golden crown
The word of the LORD came to me:

"Take [silver and gold] from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon. Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak. 

Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: `Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD. It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.'

The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the LORD.

Now Zechariah is to crown the high priest Joshua, with a crown made of silver and gold. Joshua is here called "the Branch." He will "branch out" and build the temple. He will be a priest, but sitting on a throne. The messianic image of king and priest is mingled here. According to Barker (p. 640), this passage has long been viewed by Jewish scholars as messianic. (The priest-king messiah also appears in Psalm 110.)

Four men, Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and a son of Zephaniah are involved in the crowning of Joshua. At the beginning of the message, the son of Zephaniah is called Josiah; at the end he is called Hen. Barker suggests Josiah and Hen are the same person with Hen being an honorific term.

Zechariah 6:15, Those far away

Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the LORD, and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the LORD your God."

In the future day of the messianic priest-king, people (non Jews) will come from far away to help build a new, future temple. The messianic invitation will be emphasized later in 8:23; Gentiles will follow Jews as the Messiah welcomes all nations. 

First published December 16, 2025; updated December 16, 2025