Texts in Conversation
Zechariah refers to a figure called the “Branch,” interpreted as a messianic reference. The Greek Septuagint replaces this with “the Rising Sun,” a term from the Greek version of Jeremiah, a choice that may intentionally obscure that interpretation.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Zechariah 3:8
Hebrew Bible
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.
LXX Zechariah 3:8
Septuagint
7 Thus says the Lord Almighty; If you will walk in my ways, and take heed to my charges, then you will judge my house: and if you will diligently keep my court, then I will give you men to walk in the midst of these that stand here. 8 Hear now, Jesus the high priest, you, and your neighbors that are sitting before you: for they are diviners, for, look, I bring forth my servant The Rising Sun. 9 For as for the stone which I have set before the face of Jesus, on the one stone are seven eyes: look, I am digging a trench, says the Lord Almighty, and I will search out all the iniquity of that land in one day.
Search:
Notes and References
"... the Septuagint often makes it more difficult to recognize a reference to an eschatological messiah in such texts.” The term προσδοκία in Genesis 49:10 presupposes ('hope') instead of ('obedience'); the term ἀνατολή ('the rising of the sun') in Jeremiah 23:5–6 and Zechariah called to the mind the image of the rising sun ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,