Zechariah 6

Zechariah · Chapter 6

Zechariah 6:3

1And 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.2In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;3And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.4Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?5And 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.6The 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.7And 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.8Then 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.9And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,10Take 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;11Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;12And 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:13Even 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.14And 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.15And 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.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
3And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.the third white horses, and the fourth dappled horses—all of them strong.and in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grizzled strong horses.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

This verse finishes Zechariah's description of four chariots coming out from between two mountains of brass, each pulled by horses of a different color. The angel explains that they are "the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the LORD of all the earth." The white horses go north after the black ones, and the grisled go south. Zechariah 6:1Zechariah 6:2Zechariah 6:3Zechariah 6:5Zechariah 6:6

SpeakingThe prophet Zechariah, son of Berechiah, tells what he saw in a vision. An angel who talked with him explains it. Zechariah overviewZechariah 6:1Zechariah 6:4Zechariah 6:5

ToThe people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon, with their leaders Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest. Zechariah overview

Also involvedThe north country, the south country, and the whole earth, where the horses are sent to walk to and fro. The north country is where the LORD says his spirit has been quieted. Zechariah 6:6Zechariah 6:7Zechariah 6:8

Zechariah names the horses of the third and fourth chariots: white, and grisled and bay. The angel does not explain each color on its own. He explains all four teams together as heavenly spirits sent out by the LORD. Zechariah 6:3Zechariah 6:5

In the vision the chariots come out from between two mountains of brass. Zechariah himself was among the returned people in Jerusalem. Zechariah 6:1Zechariah overview

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThis is the last of eight night visions in 1:7-6:8, like the earlier vision of colored horses "by night" in 1:8. Zechariah's dated messages fall between about 520 and 518 BC, while the temple was being rebuilt. Zechariah overviewZechariah 1:8

WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote it, with the dated messages running 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 vision shows that the LORD of all the earth sends out his agents in every direction. The report that his spirit is quieted in the north shows that he is in control of the nations. Zechariah 6:5Zechariah 6:6Zechariah 6:7Zechariah 6:8

In the whole of ScriptureThe visions end the way they began, with red, white and other colored horses (1:8), which 1:10 says the LORD sent to walk to and fro through the earth. They lead straight into the crowning of Joshua and the promise of the BRANCH who will build the temple. Zechariah 1:8Zechariah 6:11Zechariah 6:12Zechariah overviewZechariah 1:10

For readersThe work on the temple had been stopped by opposition before Haggai and Zechariah stirred the people to build again. This vision told the builders that the LORD over the whole earth was at work in the lands around them. Zechariah overviewZechariah 6:5Zechariah 6:7

Christians read this differently

The angel plainly says the chariots are the four spirits of the heavens, but he does not say what each color means. Some readers link the white horses with the white horses of Revelation 6:2 and 19:11. Others hold that the colors only tell the four teams apart, since the angel explains all four together, and some compare the four with the four kingdoms of Daniel 2. Zechariah 6:5Revelation 6:2Revelation 19:11Daniel 2:40

  • bayאָמֹץ
    Hebrew · a.mots · H0554

    The lexicon lists two meanings for this word: "strong," and "bay, dappled, piebald (of colour)." In this verse its word-by-word gloss is "strong." Strong's H0554

  • grisledבָּרֹד
    Hebrew · ba.rod · H1261

    The word means "spotted, marked." It describes horses with spotted or marked coats, much like the "speckled" horses of the first vision. Strong's H1261Zechariah 1:8

Takeaway

The four teams of horses are not left to guesswork. The angel calls them spirits sent out from standing before the LORD of all the earth. Their mission to north, south and throughout the earth shows that God rules every land, which encouraged his people as they rebuilt his temple. Zechariah 6:5Zechariah 6:6Zechariah 6:7Zechariah overview

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

Riders on patrol
The Persian kings kept mounted messengers stationed along their roads. Herodotus says nothing mortal travels faster. Zechariah sees horsemen sent "to walk to and fro through the earth." Zechariah 1:8-11Zechariah 6:7Herodotus, Histories 8.98

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
and [were] with the chariotוּבַמֶּרְכָּבָ֥הu-va-mer-ka-VAHH4818
chariot

מֶרְכָּבָה (mer.ka.vah) chariot

the thirdהַשְּׁלִשִׁ֖יתha-she-li-SHITH7992
third

שְׁלִישִׁי (she.li.shi) 1) third, one third, third part, third time 1a) ordinal number

horsesסוּסִ֣יםsu-SIMH5483M
horse

סוּס (sus) 1) horse 1a) chariot horses

whiteלְבָנִ֑יםle-va-NIMH3836
white

לָבָן (la.van) white

and [were] with the chariotוּבַמֶּרְכָּבָה֙u-va-mer-ka-VAHH4818
chariot

מֶרְכָּבָה (mer.ka.vah) chariot

the fourthהָרְבִעִ֔יתha-re-vi-'ITH7243
fourth

רְבִיעִי (re.vi.i) 1) fourth 1a) fourth 1b) four square 1c) fourth part Aramaic equivalent: re.vi.ay (רְבִיעִי "fourth" H7244)

horsesסוּסִ֥יםsu-SIMH5483M
horse

סוּס (sus) 1) horse 1a) chariot horses

dappledבְּרֻדִּ֖יםbe-ru-DIMH1261
spotted

בָּרֹד (ba.rod) spotted, marked

strongאֲמֻצִּֽים׃'a-mu-TZIMH0554
strong

אָמֹץ (a.mots) 1) strong 2) bay, dappled, piebald (of colour)

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