to accuse him To accuse him because his sons were married to gentile women, as it is written in the Book of Ezra (10:18): “And it was found of the sons of the priests who had taken foreign wives, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, etc.”

The Lord shall rebuke you, O Satan The Holy One, blessed be He, shall rebuke you, O you Satan (and then he repeated and said: The Lord shall rebuke you, He who chose Jerusalem Moharaz Margolioth); and He Who rebukes you is the One Who chose Jerusalem, that you shall not enter before Him to accuse this righteous man. Is he not fit, and has he not merited this? For he was saved from the consuming fire.

Is this one not a brand plucked from fire? It is related in the Aggadah of [chapter] Helek Helek (Sanh. 93a) that he [Joshua] was cast into the fire with Ahab son of Kolaiah and his colleague.

was wearing filthy garments This is to be explained according to the Targum: He had sons who had married women who were unfit [to marry into] the priesthood, and he was punished because he did not interfere with the [sons’ marriages].

“Take the filthy garments off him.” Let his sons separate from their wives, and he will be forgiven.

clean garments A change of beautiful garments; i.e., merits. Since he compared the iniquity to filthy garments, he compares the merit to clean garments; beautiful, white garments.

And I said I, Zechariah.

“Let them put a pure miter, etc.” I begged mercy for him.

warned an expression of warning, as in (Deut. 31:28): “And I will warn them before the heaven and the earth.”

If you walk in My ways, etc. Then I, too, will do this for you.

you, too, shall judge My house You shall judge and be the officer over My Temple.

and I will give you free access According to the Targum: and when the dead will be resurrected, I will resurrect you; and I will give you walkers who walk among these seraphim. According to its simple meaning, he brings him tidings that his sons will be meritorious in the future.

who stand by Seraphim and ministering angels, who never sit.

you and your companions They were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

for they are men worthy of a miracle [Jonathan renders:] Men worthy to have miracles performed for them, for a miracle was performed for them, too.

for, behold! I bring My servant, the Shoot For now Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, is insignificant in the king’s court, but I will make his greatness burgeon. I will also give him favor in the eyes of the king, so that he will grant [Zerubbabel’s] request for the building of the Temple and the city, as explained in Nehemiah (1:1): “The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah.” Nehemiah was identical with Zerubbabel, as we say in Sanhedrin (38a).

For, behold the stone The foundation of the house that you laid in the days of Cyrus - they stopped you, and that foundation and the thickness of the wall appeared little in your sight, as explained in Ezra (3:12f.) and in the prophecy of Haggai (2:2f.).

Seven eyes are directed to one stone It will eventually be widened seven times as much. And so did Jonathan render: On one stone, seven eyes see it. The expression of עֵינַיִם is an expression of appearances. It appears to me that the seven eyes are because of the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He in Whose eyes and heart it is [planned] to add seven times as much because of the prophecy similar to this one (4:10): “And they shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel these seven times; the eyes of the Lord they are roving to and fro throughout the land.” This is but to say that He directed His eyes to increase the glory of the Temple in its building.

Behold! I untie its knots I untie its knots I thwart the plot of the enemies who wrote an accusation to stop the work.

and I will remove Heb. ומשתי.

in one day I do not know what day.