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Zechariah

About this book
Chapter 3

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. 4 The angel spoke up to those standing all around, “Remove his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “I have freely forgiven your iniquity and will dress you in fine clothing.”⁠ 5 Then I spoke up, “Let a clean turban be put on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood nearby. 6 Then the angel of the Lord exhorted Joshua solemnly: 7 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, ‘If you follow my ways and keep my requirements, you will be able to preside over my temple and attend to my courtyards, and I will allow you to come and go among these others who are standing by you. 8 Listen now, Joshua the high priest, both you and your colleagues who are sitting before you, all of you are a symbol that I am about to introduce my servant, the Branch.⁠ 9 As for the stone I have set before Joshua—on the one stone there are seven eyes. I am about to engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘to the effect that I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. 10 In that day,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘everyone will invite his friend to fellowship under his vine and under his fig tree.’”⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Zechariah 3:1 and 1 Enoch 40:7

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

In 1 Enoch, a divine council scene is reimagined in an apocalyptic tradition where Satan still holds access to both heaven and earth, echoing Zechariah’s courtroom setting. This places the imagery of accusation in a broader vision of cosmic judgment.

Passages

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.
500–401 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Zechariah

1 Enoch 40:7

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
5 The second voice I heard blessing the Elect One and the elect ones who depend on the Lord of Spirits. 6 The third voice I heard praying and interceding for those who dwell on the earth and making requests in the name of the Lord of Spirits. 7 The fourth voice I heard fending off the Satans, forbidding them to come before the Lord of Spirits to accuse those who dwell on the earth. 8 After that I asked the angel of peace who went with me, who showed me everything that is hidden: 'Who are these four presences I have seen, whose words I have heard and written down?'
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

References

"... In the Apocalypse, John portrays the world in such a way that Satan’s downfall inaugurates an irretrievable and categorical conflict. In addition, traditions that speak of the fall of Satan locate this event in primordial time. While it is not easy to discern John’s use of time in the Apocalypse, it is clear that the defeat of the Dragon and his angels is closely connected to the ascension and enthronement of Christ (Rev 12:5, 10) and the subsequent inauguration of the eschatological age. Jewish traditions also viewed Satan as one who has access to both the throne-room of God and the earth (Job 1:6–7; Zech 3:1; 1 Enoch 40:7). John, however, indicates that a definitive moment has occurred which limited his activity to the earthly realm (compare 1 Enoch 14:5). Furthermore, the Dragon is aware that the eschatological age has been inaugurated and he has only a limited time (Rev 12:12). The imagery of the Dragon being flung down to the earth and the knowledge of his impending doom is that of a wild animal cornered before it is killed, lashing out in a last attempt to inflict as much damage as possible ..."
Mark D. Mathews, Riches, Poverty, and the Faithful: Perspectives on Wealth in the Second Temple Period and the Apocalypse of John, SNTSMS 154 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013), 191.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Zechariah 3:1 and 1 Enoch 40:7

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