Zechariah 6:12
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:
Study Note
Study Note
The prophetic designation of the figure called 'the Branch' (tsemah) — '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' — is one of the most important messianic titles in the prophetic literature. The Branch imagery originates in Isaiah 4:2 and 11:1 (a branch from Jesse's stump) and Jeremiah 23:5 and 33:15 (a righteous Branch for David), forming a consistent messianic figure across three major prophets. Zechariah's application to Zerubbabel (the post-exilic governor) is historically partial — he did rebuild the Temple — but the full weight of the promise pointed beyond any single fulfillment. John 19:5 ('behold the man') uses language reminiscent of this verse in a passage that early Christian readers heard as a messianic echo.
Other Translations
and speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh Jehovah 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 Jehovah;
and hast spoken unto him, saying: Thus spake Jehovah of Hosts, saying: Lo, a man! A Shoot--<FI> is<Fi> his name, And from his place he doth shoot up, And he hath built the temple of Jehovah.
And say to him, These are the words of the Lord of armies: See, the man whose name is the Branch, under whom there will be fertile growth.
Cross References
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: …
And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers …
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of …
In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall …
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable …
To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and …
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall …
And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel …