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And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.
Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?
And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.
And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.
Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;
Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;
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:
Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD.
And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.

New Defender's Study Bible Notes

6:1 two mountains. This eighth and last vision in the sequence of visions given to Zechariah, evidently all on the same night, climaxes the others by indicating that God is sending out His heavenly hosts to assure that the prophecies of the first seven will be fulfilled. Both the promised blessings on Israel and the judgments on the nations are sure to be accomplished. Although the promises came forth from God’s heavenly throne, they appear in the vision as emanating from His promised future earthly throne in Jerusalem, between two “mountains of brass”—that is, mountains of great value.


6:3 grisled. That is, “gray-colored.”


6:5 four spirits. These “spirits” are angels (Psalm 104:4), possibly the four angels mentioned in either Revelation 7:1 or 9:14. Like the “two anointed ones” that “stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:14), they await the exact time when God sends them forth. That they are angels of judgment is shown by the symbol of chariots and horses.


6:7 the bay. “Bay” should actually read “strong,” and may refer to the “red horses” which are mentioned in Zechariah 6:2, but not Zechariah 6:6-7. The color red may have been deleted to indicate that God will make all war and bloodshed to cease when He restores Israel (Micah 4:1-3).


6:7 walked to and fro. Three times it is stressed that the “strong” horses will “walk to and fro through the earth,” indicating that God will assuredly see that His will is accomplished everywhere, even in the areas still under Babylon’s influence.


6:11 the head of Joshua. This symbolic crowning of Joshua (same name as “Jesus”), appropriately follows the completion of the eight visions, since the kingdom age will follow the cleansing of the world and the restoration of Israel. It is significant that the crowning is applied to Joshua the high priest rather than to Zerubbabel, the governor and descendant of kings. There could be no other king of Judah until “the Branch” comes (Jeremiah 33:15-17, compared with Jeremiah 22:30). The kingly line of Judah and the priestly line of Levi had always been kept distinct, yet here Joshua the priest would symbolically become “a priest upon the throne” (Zechariah 6:13).


6:12 The BRANCH. Confirming the prophecy of Jeremiah (see note on Zechariah 6:11), “the man whose name is The Branch” will come to occupy David’s throne and to build the millennial temple. But He will also be “a priest for ever” (Psalm 110:4), our eternal Priest-King. Joshua would build the restoration temple, along with Zerubbabel, and this becomes a type of Christ as both priest and king. The crowns themselves were to be laid up in the temple as a memorial (Zechariah 6:14).


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