Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Zechariah
Chapter 3: I Have Caused Thine Iniquity to Pass From Thee
This is one of the clearest pictures of the gospel in the Old Testament. Zechariah sees Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, 'clothed with filthy garments,' while Satan stands at his right hand 'to resist him', to accuse. But God silences the accuser, 'The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan,' and calls Joshua 'a brand plucked out of the fire.' Then grace acts: 'Take away the filthy garments from him,' and 'Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.' The guilty priest is stripped of his defilement and dressed in clean robes and a fair mitre. And God points beyond Joshua to the One who makes it all possible: 'I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH,' the Messiah, and the stone with seven eyes, promising, 'I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.' Justification by grace, the silenced accuser, and iniquity removed in a single day, all here in ten verses.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Zechariah chapter 3, the cleansing of Joshua the high priest and the promise of the BRANCH. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. This chapter is a vivid picture of justification by grace and the removal of sin through the coming Messiah. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Satan Standing to Resist
The adversary accusing, and God rebuking him.
Take Away the Filthy Garments
Iniquity removed, clean robes given.
My Servant the BRANCH
The Messiah who makes cleansing possible.
Iniquity Removed in One Day
Sin taken away in a single, decisive day.
A Brand Plucked Out of the Fire (Zechariah 3:1-5)
Joshua the high priest stands accused by Satan in filthy garments, but God rebukes the accuser, strips away the defiled clothes, causes his iniquity to pass from him, and dresses him in clean robes and a fair mitre.
Behold, I Have Caused Thine Iniquity to Pass From Thee
"And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by."
Hebrew Study
"Satan standing at his right hand to resist him," satan (שָׂטָן), adversary, accuser. The name means "the accuser," and here he does what he always does: he stands to "resist" (the Hebrew is the verb form of his name) and accuse God's servant. He has real grounds, Joshua's "filthy garments" picture genuine sin and defilement. But God does not answer the accusation by defending Joshua's record; He silences the accuser with sheer grace: "The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan." Satan is called "the accuser of our brethren" who accuses them "before our God day and night" (Revelation 12:10), but every accusation is answered not by our merit but by God's grace and the blood of the Lamb. "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth" (Romans 8:33). When the accuser stands at your right hand, your defense is not your goodness but the LORD who rebukes him.
"I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." This is justification pictured. First the removal: "Take away the filthy garments," "I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee", the guilt is not excused or hidden but taken away. Then the provision: "I will clothe thee with change of raiment", new, clean garments given, not earned. This is the double grace of the gospel, our sin removed and Christ's righteousness given, "he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:10). Joshua did nothing but stand there defiled; grace did everything, stripping off the filth and clothing him in clean robes. So the sinner is justified, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy" (Titus 3:5).
Explanation
The scene is a courtroom of grace. "Joshua the high priest," representing the whole priesthood and people, stands "before the angel of the LORD," but he is "clothed with filthy garments," a picture of sin and defilement, and "Satan" stands "at his right hand to resist him," to accuse. The accusation is not baseless; Joshua really is defiled. But God does not argue the case on Joshua's merits. He rebukes the accuser: "The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan... is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" Joshua is a half-burnt stick snatched from the flames, an object of rescue, not judgment.
Then grace acts. "Take away the filthy garments from him," and to Joshua: "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." The defilement is removed, and clean robes are given. Zechariah himself, moved, asks for the crowning touch: "Let them set a fair mitre upon his head", the priestly turban, restoring Joshua to full priestly service. The accused, defiled priest stands cleansed, re-clothed, and restored, entirely by God's grace, while "the angel of the LORD stood by," presiding over the whole transaction.
Gospel Focus
This is the gospel in a picture, and every believer stands where Joshua stood. We come before God defiled, "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6), and the accuser has real charges to bring. But our justification does not depend on answering the charges with our own goodness; it depends on God's grace. God does not deny that we are defiled; He takes the defilement away, "I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee," and clothes us in righteousness we did not earn, "change of raiment." When Satan accuses you, and he will, day and night, do not try to out-argue him with your record. Point him to the LORD who rebukes him and to the blood of the Lamb. "It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth?" (Romans 8:33-34).
And notice: Joshua contributes nothing but his defilement. He does not clean himself up first, does not plead his merits, does not remove his own filthy garments. Grace does it all, strips the filth, provides the robes, sets the mitre. This is how sinners are saved, "by grace... through faith; and that not of yourselves" (Ephesians 2:8). If you are waiting to clean yourself up before coming to God, you have misunderstood the gospel. Come as Joshua came, defiled and accused, and let the God of grace take away your iniquity and clothe you in Christ. You are a brand plucked out of the fire, rescued, not by your worthiness, but by His mercy.
I Will Remove the Iniquity of That Land in One Day (Zechariah 3:6-10)
God charges the cleansed priest to walk faithfully, and then points beyond him to the coming Messiah, His servant the BRANCH, and the stone with seven eyes, promising to remove the land's iniquity in a single day and bring lasting peace.
Behold, I Will Bring Forth My Servant the BRANCH
"And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree."
Hebrew Study
"I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH," tsemach (צֶמַח), sprout, shoot, branch. "The BRANCH" is a title of the Messiah used by several prophets. He is "a Branch... out of his roots" from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), "a righteous Branch" raised to David (Jeremiah 23:5), and here "my servant the BRANCH." The image is of new life sprouting from what seemed a dead stump, the fallen house of David, the humble beginnings of the Messiah. Zechariah returns to it in chapter 6, joining the offices of king and priest in "the man whose name is The BRANCH" (6:12-13). The BRANCH is Jesus Christ, the Servant of the LORD who springs from David's line, and everything in this chapter, the cleansing of Joshua, the removal of iniquity, depends on Him. Grace flows to defiled sinners because of the coming BRANCH.
"I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day." The removal of Joshua's iniquity (verse 4) was a preview; here God promises to remove "the iniquity of that land in one day", a single, decisive day of atonement. This is the deepest note of the chapter's gospel. Under the law, sin was covered by endless daily and yearly sacrifices; but God promises a single day when iniquity is taken away for good. That day came at Calvary, when Christ "by one offering... hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14), and "once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Hebrews 9:26). The "stone" with "seven eyes" (perfect, all-seeing) that God engraves may picture the chosen, precious cornerstone, Christ, "a living stone... chosen of God, and precious" (1 Peter 2:4). In one day, at the cross, the iniquity of God's people was removed forever.
Explanation
God charges the newly cleansed Joshua with a call to faithfulness: "If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge," then he will have honored service and "places to walk" among the angels who stand by. Grace comes first, then the call to walk worthy of it. Then God turns from Joshua to something far greater. Joshua and his fellow priests are "men wondered at", living signs pointing forward, for "behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH," the Messiah.
God speaks of "the stone" with "seven eyes" that He will engrave, and makes the great promise: "I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day." The endless sacrifices of the priesthood will give way to a single decisive day when sin is taken away. And the result is peace and fellowship: "In that day... shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree", the picture of settled, restored, unafraid community life. When iniquity is removed by the BRANCH in one day, the fruit is peace among God's people.
Gospel Focus
Everything in this chapter flows from the BRANCH. Joshua's filthy garments could be taken away, and iniquity could be removed "in one day," only because God would "bring forth my servant the BRANCH", the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The cleansing of the sinner is never a bare act of divine leniency; it rests on the coming and the cross of the Servant of the LORD. When God takes away your iniquity and clothes you in righteousness, He does it justly, because the BRANCH bore your sin. Grace is free to us because it was infinitely costly to Him.
And treasure the promise, "I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day." Under the old covenant, sin was covered by sacrifice after sacrifice, "which can never take away sins" (Hebrews 10:11). But God promised a single day when iniquity would be removed for good, and that day dawned at Calvary, where Christ "once... appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Your sin was not merely covered but taken away, in one day, by one offering, forever. You need not live under the endless dread of unfinished atonement; the day has come, the iniquity is removed, and the fruit is peace, sitting secure "under the vine and under the fig tree" in fellowship with God and one another. Rest in the one day when the BRANCH took your iniquity away.
Chapter 3 in Review
Zechariah 3 is the gospel in a vision. Joshua the high priest stands defiled in "filthy garments," accused by Satan, but God silences the accuser, "The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan," calls Joshua "a brand plucked out of the fire," and acts in pure grace: "Take away the filthy garments... I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." The accused, defiled priest is cleansed, re-robed, and restored. Then God points to the source of it all, "my servant the BRANCH," the Messiah, and the stone with seven eyes, promising, "I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day," with peace as its fruit.
For the Apostolic reader this chapter is a treasury of the gospel. It shows justification by grace: the sinner contributes nothing but his defilement, while God removes the iniquity and gives clean robes, a picture of "the garments of salvation" and "the robe of righteousness." It answers the accuser not with our merit but with God's rebuke and the blood of the Lamb, "It is God that justifieth." And it grounds it all in the coming BRANCH, Jesus Christ, who removes iniquity "in one day", the day of the cross, where "by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." Come as Joshua came, defiled and accused, and let the God of grace, for the sake of His servant the BRANCH, take away your sin and clothe you in righteousness.
- The accuser is answered not by our merit but by God's rebuke and grace (3:2; Romans 8:33; Revelation 12:10).
- Justification pictured: iniquity removed and clean robes given, not earned (3:4; Isaiah 61:10; Titus 3:5).
- We contribute nothing but our defilement; grace does it all (3:4; Ephesians 2:8).
- "My servant the BRANCH" is the Messiah, Jesus Christ (3:8; Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5).
- Iniquity removed "in one day": the finished atonement of the cross (3:9; Hebrews 9:26; 10:14).
- The fruit of removed iniquity is peace and secure fellowship (3:10).
Questions for Reflection
- When the accuser brings charges, do you answer with your record or with God's grace?
- Are you trying to clean yourself up before coming to God, or coming defiled to receive grace?
- Do you rest in the truth that your iniquity was removed "in one day" at the cross?
- How does being "a brand plucked out of the fire" shape your gratitude?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Key terms: satan ("Satan," accuser, adversary, verses 1-2); tsemach ("BRANCH," a sprout or shoot, verse 8). Satan the accuser and God the justifier: Job 1:6-11; Revelation 12:10; Romans 8:31-34; 1 John 2:1-2. The filthy garments and the robe of righteousness: Isaiah 64:6; 61:10; Luke 15:22; Revelation 7:14; 19:8; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9. "A brand plucked out of the fire": Amos 4:11; Jude 23. The BRANCH as Messiah: Isaiah 4:2; 11:1-5; Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:15-16; Zechariah 6:12-13. The precious cornerstone with all-seeing eyes: Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:4-7; Revelation 5:6 (the Lamb with seven eyes). Iniquity removed in one day, the finished atonement: Hebrews 9:11-14, 24-28; 10:10-14; John 19:30; Daniel 9:24. Peace under the vine and fig tree: 1 Kings 4:25; Micah 4:4; Zechariah 3:10. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Joshua accused, cleansed, and re-robed by grace, the accuser rebuked: Zechariah 3:1-5; Romans 8:33; Isaiah 61:10.
- The servant the BRANCH and iniquity removed in one day: Zechariah 3:6-10; Isaiah 11:1; Hebrews 9:26.