Zechariah 3

Zechariah · Chapter 3

Zechariah 3:10

1And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.2And 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?3Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.4And 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.5And 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.6And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying,7Thus 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.8Hear 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.9For 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.10In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
10In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.On that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, you will each invite your neighbor to sit under your own vine and fig tree.’”In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, shall ye invite every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig-tree.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

This verse closes Zechariah's vision of Joshua the high priest, whose filthy garments are taken away and replaced with clean ones. God promises to bring forth his servant the BRANCH and to remove the land's iniquity in one day. In that day, people will invite their neighbours under the vine and under the fig tree. Zechariah 3:3Zechariah 3:4Zechariah 3:8Zechariah 3:9Zechariah 3:10Strong's H7121G

SpeakingThe LORD of hosts speaks, through the angel of the LORD, in a vision shown to Zechariah. Zechariah 3:1Zechariah 3:6Zechariah 3:7Zechariah 3:10

ToThe words are addressed to Joshua the high priest and his fellows who sit before him. Zechariah 3:8

Also involvedThe promise reaches the people of the land whose iniquity God will remove. These are the people of Judah who had come back from exile. Zechariah 3:9Zechariah overview

God promises a day when each person will invite his neighbour under his vine and fig tree, a picture Scripture uses for safety and peace. It follows directly from God's pledge to remove the land's iniquity in one day. Zechariah 3:9Zechariah 3:10Strong's H7121G1 Kings 4:25Micah 4:4

Zechariah received the message in Jerusalem among the returned exiles. The vision itself takes place before the angel of the LORD. Zechariah overviewZechariah 3:1

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThe vision belongs to the night visions given to Zechariah during the rebuilding of the temple. The promised 'day' is the day God removes the land's iniquity, which the text sets in the future. Zechariah overviewZechariah 3:9Zechariah 3:10

WrittenTraditional: written by Zechariah, whose dated messages run from about 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly: most scholars agree that chapters 1-8, which include this verse, come from Zechariah in 520-518 BC. Zechariah overview

HereThe verse shows what God's removal of sin leads to: neighbours living safely and welcoming one another. It encouraged a struggling people who were rebuilding the temple. Zechariah 3:9Zechariah 3:10Micah 4:4Zechariah overview

In the whole of Scripture'Every man under his vine and under his fig tree' recalls the safety of Solomon's reign. Micah uses the same picture for a future when 'none shall make them afraid.' Assyria once offered this picture falsely to lure Jerusalem to surrender, but here the LORD himself promises it. 1 Kings 4:25Micah 4:4Isaiah 36:16

For readersThe text roots true peace in God's removal of sin, not in human deals. Lasting rest with one's neighbours follows God's cleansing work. Zechariah 3:4Zechariah 3:9Zechariah 3:10Isaiah 36:16

  • callקָרָא
    Hebrew · qa.ra · H7121G

    The lexicon glosses the word here as 'you will invite', and its senses include to summon, invite or call for. So the verse pictures neighbours inviting one another. Strong's H7121G

  • neighbourרֵעַ
    Hebrew · re.a · H7453

    The lexicon gives the senses friend, companion, fellow, fellow-citizen or another person. Each man calls his neighbour to share the rest under his own vine and fig tree. Strong's H7453

  • vineגֶּ֫פֶן
    Hebrew · ge.phen · H1612

    Among its senses the lexicon lists the vine used figuratively of Israel and of prosperity. That fits this picture of settled, fruitful peace, as in 1 Kings 4:25 and Micah 4:4. Strong's H16121 Kings 4:25Micah 4:4

Takeaway

Zechariah 3:10 promises that when God removes his people's sin, they will live in safety and freely invite one another to share their rest. It is the same peace Scripture pictures in Solomon's day and in Micah's prophecy. Zechariah 3:9Zechariah 3:101 Kings 4:25Micah 4:4

Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.

The world around the text

Behind this verse

Joshua the high priest, high priest
Called Jeshua in Ezra. He stands in Zechariah's vision clothed in filthy garments, which are taken away, and later receives crowns as a sign. Zechariah 3:1-10Zechariah 6:11Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:2

About 520-518 BC. King of Persia: Darius I (522-486 BC). Where Zechariah prophesied. A small, poor community was rebuilding the temple among the ruins of the city Babylon had burned.

Who ruled
  • King of PersiaDarius I522-486 BC

    Zechariah dates his messages by the years of Darius. Darius confirmed Cyrus's decree and ordered the temple work to go on at royal expense. Zechariah 1:1Zechariah 7:1Ezra 6:1-12Haggai 1:1Behistun Inscription

  • Governor of JudahZerubbabelc. 520 BC

    A descendant of David who led the rebuilding. "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it." Zechariah 4:6-10Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:8

  • High priestJoshua the high priestc. 520 BC

    Called Jeshua in Ezra. He stands in Zechariah's vision clothed in filthy garments, which are taken away, and later receives crowns as a sign. Zechariah 3:1-10Zechariah 6:11Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:2

  • Persian governor "on this side the river"Tattenaic. 520 BC

    The governor of the province west of the Euphrates. He asked who had allowed the building, wrote to Darius, and was told to let the work go on. Ezra 5:3-6Ezra 6:6-13

What was happening, 539 BC to 332 BC
  1. 539 BC
    WarBabylon falls to Cyrus

    Cyrus king of Persia took Babylon, ending the empire that had destroyed Jerusalem. Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Cyrus Cylinder

  2. 538 BC
    God's peopleThe first return

    Cyrus let the exiles go home to build the LORD's house. About fifty thousand returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Ezra 1:1-4Ezra 2:1-2Ezra 2:64-65

  3. c. 536 BC
    God's peopleThe foundation is laid, then the work stops

    The returned exiles laid the temple's foundation with shouting and weeping. Opposition from their neighbors stopped the work until the second year of Darius. Ezra 3:10-13Ezra 4:4-5Ezra 4:24

  4. 525 BC
    WarPersia conquers Egypt

    Cyrus's son Cambyses invaded and took Egypt, bringing the whole region from the Nile to the Indus under one king. Herodotus, Histories 3.1-16

  5. 522-521 BC
    WarDarius crushes the revolts

    When Darius took the throne, provinces across the empire rebelled, Babylon twice. By 520 he had put them all down. Compare the riders' report in Zechariah's first vision: "all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest." Behistun InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 3.150-159Zechariah 1:11

  6. 520 BC
    God's peopleHaggai and Zechariah stir the people to build

    In Darius's second year the two prophets urged the people to take up the temple work again, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua began to build. Ezra 5:1-2Haggai 1:1-15Zechariah 1:1

  7. c. 520-519 BC
    RulersDarius confirms Cyrus's decree

    Tattenai questioned the building. A search found Cyrus's decree at Achmetha, and Darius ordered the work to continue and be paid for from royal taxes. Ezra 5:3-6:12

  8. 515 BC
    BuildingThe second temple is finished

    The temple was finished on the third day of Adar in Darius's sixth year and dedicated with joy. Ezra 6:14-18Zechariah 4:9

  9. 490-479 BC
    WarPersia's wars with Greece

    Persia invaded Greece twice and was turned back at Marathon (490), Salamis (480) and Plataea (479). Greece, which Zechariah names in 9:13, was becoming Persia's great rival. Herodotus, Histories 6.102-117Herodotus, Histories 8.40-96Herodotus, Histories 9.1-89Zechariah 9:13

  10. 445 BC
    BuildingNehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem's walls

    Under the Persian king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah came from Shushan and rebuilt the walls in fifty-two days. Nehemiah 2:1-8Nehemiah 6:15

  11. 332 BC
    WarAlexander takes Tyre and Gaza

    Alexander the Great besieged island Tyre for seven months and then Gaza for two, on his way to Egypt. Zechariah 9 speaks of Tyre's "strong hold" and of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron and Ashdod. Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 2.15-27Zechariah 9:3-7

The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records (the Behistun Inscription, the Cyrus Cylinder, the Babylonian Chronicles) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
in the dayבַּיּ֣וֹםbai-YOMH3117G
day

יוֹם (yom) : day/when/time/period 1) day, time, year 1a) day (as opposed to night) 1b) day (24 hour period) 1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1 1b2) as a division of time 1b2a) a working day, a day's journey 1c) days, lifetime (pl.) 1d) time, period (general) 1e) year 1f) temporal references 1f1) today 1f2) yesterday 1f3) tomorrow

the thatהַה֗וּאha-HU'H1931
he/she/it

הוּא (hu) pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article)

[the] utterance ofנְאֻם֙ne-'UMH5002
utterance

נְאֻם (ne.um) 1) (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet) 1a) utterance, declaration, revelation (of prophet in ecstatic state) 1b) utterance, declaration (elsewhere always preceding divine name)

Yahwehיְהוָ֣הYAH-wehH3068G
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

of hostsצְבָא֔וֹתtze-va-'otH6635B
Hosts

צָבָא (tsa.va) The Hosts (of the Lord) Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

you will inviteתִּקְרְא֖וּtik-re-'UH7121G
to call: call to

קָרָא (qa.ra) : call_to/invite/entreat 1) to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to call, cry, utter a loud sound 1a2) to call unto, cry (for help), call (with name of God) 1a3) to proclaim 1a4) to read aloud, read (to oneself), read 1a5) to summon, invite, call for, call and commission, appoint, call and endow 1a6) to call, name, give name to, call by 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to call oneself 1b2) to be called, be proclaimed, be read aloud, be summoned, be named 1c) (Pual) to be called, be named, be called out, be chosen

eachאִ֣ישׁ'ishH0376I
man

אִישׁ (ish) : man 1) man 1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female) 1b) husband 1c) human being, person (in contrast to God) 1d) servant 1e) mankind 1f) champion 1g) great man 2) whosoever 3) each (adjective)

to neighbor hisלְרֵעֵ֑הוּle-re-'E-huH7453
neighbor

רֵעַ (re.a) 1) friend, companion, fellow, another person 1a) friend, intimate 1b) fellow, fellow-citizen, another person (weaker sense) 1c) other, another (reciprocal phrase)

toאֶל־'el-H0413
to(wards)

אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

underתַּ֥חַתTA-chatH8478G
under

תְּחוֹת (te.chot) under Aramaic of ta.chat (תַּחַת ": under" H8478)

a vineגֶּ֖פֶןGE-fenH1612
vine

גֶּ֫פֶן (ge.phen) 1) vine, vine tree 1a) of Israel (fig.) 1b) of stars fading at Jehovah's judgment (metaph.) 1c) of prosperity

and toוְאֶל־ve-'el-H0413
to(wards)

אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

underתַּ֥חַתTA-chatH8478G
under

תְּחוֹת (te.chot) under Aramaic of ta.chat (תַּחַת ": under" H8478)

a fig treeתְּאֵנָֽה׃te-'e-NAHH8384
fig

תְּאֵנָה (te.e.nah) fig, fig tree

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.