23:5 Branch. On “the Branch” as a special title of the promised Messiah, see also Isaiah 4:2; 11:1; 53:2; Jeremiah 33:15; Zechariah 3:8; 6:12.

23:5 King. There is a remarkable connection between the respective emphases on the nature of Christ as presented in the four gospels and four of the prophetic applications of His title as the Branch. In this verse, for example, the Branch is “a King,” which is the theme of the gospel of Matthew. Mark emphasizes Christ as the Lord’s Servant, and Zechariah 3:8 speaks of “my servant the BRANCH.” Zechariah 6:12 refers to “the man whose name is The BRANCH,” and the gospel of Luke presents Him especially as the perfect Man. Finally, Isaiah sees Him as “the branch of the LORD” (Isaiah 4:2), while John’s gospel has as its glorious theme the deity of Christ.