Zechariah 3:1

Hebrew Bible

1 Next I saw Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “May the Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Isn’t this man like a burning stick snatched from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood there before the angel.

Job 1:6

Hebrew Bible

5 When the days of their feasting were finished, Job would send for them and sanctify them; he would get up early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s customary practice. 6 Now the day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord—and Satan also arrived among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” And Satan answered the Lord, “From roving about on the earth, and from walking back and forth across it.” 8 So the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil.”

 Notes and References

"... Zechariah 3:1–7 is clearly a Council of Yahweh text. Present at this meeting of the council are 'ha-satan', a specific messenger of Yahweh, and Joshua. The text states that 'ha-satan' intends to accuse Joshua. No speech is actually attributed, but a rebuke is delivered from Yahweh, perhaps for the intended accusation. The Lord then redeems Joshua and provides him with new clothes as he is installed in the office of high priest. This passage shows the legal context of the heavenly council. The reader is told that Joshua is “standing before the messenger of the Lord” (1:1). This verb “to stand” is present throughout the pericope: “The verb for ‘stand’ recurs in this verse and is found again once each in verses 3, 4, 5, and 7. It is a key word, making the audience fully aware, from first to last, of the divine council setting and of Yahweh’s exalted presence.” The imagery of the council in this passage differs slightly from the passage in Job. Here the legal context is more dominant. There is little debate that 'ha-satan' is the prosecuting attorney as it is depicted as being on the right hand side of 'the messenger of YHWH' ..."

White, Ellen Yahweh's Council: Its Structure and Membership (p. 87) Mohr Siebeck, 2014

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