SUMMARY
The vision of the high priest, Joshua (3:1-7), is followed by an oracle of “my servant the Branch,” which the Lord is bringing forth (3:8-10).
ANALYSIS
The term “branch,” also “shoot” or “sprout,” is reminiscent of the branch of David in Jeremiah 23:5-6 and 33:14-16, and the “branch of the LORD” and the “shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse” in Isaiah 4:2 and 11:1. The branch as servant connects this passage with the servant songs in IsaiahIsaiah, son of Amoz, who prophesied in Jerusalem, is included among the prophets of the eighth century BCE (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. More. The priesthood of JoshuaThe successor of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan. More is a symbol of the branch, and the inscribed stone that will be set before Joshua declares that the Lord will remove the iniquity of the land. With all these references in this one paragraph, the passage has traditionally been regarded as messianic by Christians pointing to Jesus as one who combines kingship with priesthood.
