The Branch of David

This reflection is part of the ongoing Forest Hills Haftorah Series. The rest of the content can be found here: https://www.sefaria.org/groups/FHJC-Haftorah-Series .

(above: Zecharia as portrayed by Michaelangelo in the Sistine Chapel)

The second half of the 6th century was a hopeful one; much more so than the first!
Recall that the Babylonian Empire's campaign against the Judean Kingdom reached its tragic climax in 586, with the sacking and destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of Solomon's glorious Temple. Fast forward a half-century, when in 538, Persia - the world power that supplanted Babylon - would give the Judeans permission to return home.

(Cyrus the great)

It is in this context that the prophet Zecharia enters the scene.
The proper names throughout the TaNaKh are oftentimes quite telling. In this case, Zechariah means YAH-remembered (זכר-יה). How fitting that Zechariah would be deeply engaged in the reading of the surviving texts of the scribes and prophets of the First Temple period, interpreting them for the Judeans returning from exile and demonstrating that God, in fact, remembers His people and His promises, and that brighter days are ahead.
Let's take a look at an example in this week's Haftorah.
Chapter three consists of a strange vision, in which Zechariah describes seeing the High Priest Joshua standing before a divine assembly. With Zechariah looking on, one of the angels charges Joshua with the following:

An offer you can't refuse

זכריה ג׳

(ו) וַיָּ֙עַד֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה בִּיהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ז) כֹּה־אָמַ֞ר יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֗וֹת אִם־בִּדְרָכַ֤י תֵּלֵךְ֙ וְאִ֣ם אֶת־מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֣י תִשְׁמֹ֔ר וְגַם־אַתָּה֙ תָּדִ֣ין אֶת־בֵּיתִ֔י וְגַ֖ם תִּשְׁמֹ֣ר אֶת־חֲצֵרָ֑י וְנָתַתִּ֤י לְךָ֙ מַהְלְכִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָעֹמְדִ֖ים הָאֵֽלֶּה׃ (ח) שְֽׁמַֽע־נָ֞א יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ ׀ הַכֹּהֵ֣ן הַגָּד֗וֹל אַתָּה֙ וְרֵעֶ֙יךָ֙ הַיֹּשְׁבִ֣ים לְפָנֶ֔יךָ כִּֽי־אַנְשֵׁ֥י מוֹפֵ֖ת הֵ֑מָּה כִּֽי־הִנְנִ֥י מֵבִ֛יא אֶת־עַבְדִּ֖י צֶֽמַח׃

Zechariah 3

(6) And the angel of YHWH charged Joshua as follows:

(7) “Thus said YHWH of Hosts!

If you walk in My paths and keep My charge, you in turn will rule My House and guard My courts, and I will permit you to move about among these attendants.

(8) Hearken well, O High Priest Joshua! You, and your fellow priests sitting before you!

For those men are a sign that, behold! I am bringing forth My servant, Tzemach!"

Note the promised servant's name at the end of the charge: Tzemah.
As for why, and to what end, and exactly who this servant Tzemah is is unstated.
If this name sounds familiar to you, there is good reason; For one of the prayers which makes up the thrice-daily Amidah prayer states the following (with the Artscroll translation):

Davidic Kingship

סידור אשכנז, ימי חול, תפילת שחרית, עמידה, מלכות בית דוד א׳

אֶת צֶמַח דָּוִד עַבְדְּךָ מְהֵרָה תַצְמִיחַ. וְקַרְנו תָּרוּם בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ. כִּי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּינוּ כָּל הַיּום. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', מַצְמִיחַ קֶרֶן יְשׁוּעָה:

Siddur Ashkenaz, Weekday, Shacharit, Amidah, Kingdom of David 1

The offspring of Your servant David may you speedily cause to flourish, and raise his glory through Your salvation, for we hope for Your salvation all day long. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who causes the glory of salvation to flourish.

So in our Amidah-prayer, our traditional liturgy asks for the tzemah, or the offspring of David to flourish.
And as it turns out, Artscroll's commentary to their Wasserman siddur says the following:

Zecharia (6:12) teaches that Messiah's name will be צמח, Tzemach, literally, the sprouting or flourishing of a plant. This indicates that the normal process of redemption is like the barely perceptible daily growth of a plant.
------Wassserman Edition Artscroll Siddur, page 108

However, recall that Zechariah is about recollection and interpretation. As far as the timeline of the prophets goes, he is at the very tail end.
Take a look at this helpful chart. You'll see Zecharia in a green box almost at the extreme right, towards the end of the 6th century.

While for us, anyone in the Bible, including Zechariah, is ancient; For him, there has already been hundreds of years worth of accumulated sacred texts and prophetic writings. Therefore, it is important to read his book with the following questions in mind:
What texts does Zechariah already have in his library? What ideas, or kernels of ideas, have already been expressed by other prophets previously, that he is now picking up on, developing, and re-applying to his own time and place?
(by the way, these are always worthwhile questions to ask, for all of the "older" prophets as well)

In this case, Zechariah is indeed playing with themes and images that the current returnees have inherited from the Judeans pre-exile.
The most explicit place where we see this idea occurring is Jeremiah, writing throughout the end of the 7th, and first half of the 6th century. (you can look back at the timeline above)

Prophetic Roots

ירמיהו כ״ג

(ה) הִנֵּ֨ה יָמִ֤ים בָּאִים֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וַהֲקִמֹתִ֥י לְדָוִ֖ד צֶ֣מַח צַדִּ֑יק וּמָ֤לַךְ מֶ֙לֶךְ֙ וְהִשְׂכִּ֔יל וְעָשָׂ֛ה מִשְׁפָּ֥ט וּצְדָקָ֖ה בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ (ו) בְּיָמָיו֙ תִּוָּשַׁ֣ע יְהוּדָ֔ה וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יִשְׁכֹּ֣ן לָבֶ֑טַח וְזֶה־שְּׁמ֥וֹ אֲ‍ֽשֶׁר־יִקְרְא֖וֹ יְהוָ֥ה ׀ צִדְקֵֽנוּ׃ (ס)

Jeremiah 23

(5) Behold! A time is coming—declares YHWH—when I will raise up a true tzemah (branh) of David’s line.

He shall reign as king and shall prosper, and he shall do what is just and right in the land.

(6) In his days Judah shall be delivered and Israel shall dwell secure.

And this is the name by which he shall be called: “YHWH-our-Vindicator!”

Then once again in chapter 33, Jeremiah starts off similarly, but then takes these prominses a step further:

An eternal promise

ירמיהו ל״ג

(יד) הִנֵּ֛ה יָמִ֥ים בָּאִ֖ים נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה וַהֲקִֽמֹתִי֙ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר הַטּ֔וֹב אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּ֛רְתִּי אֶל־בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְעַל־בֵּ֥ית יְהוּדָֽה׃ (טו) בַּיָּמִ֤ים הָהֵם֙ וּבָעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔יא אַצְמִ֥יחַ לְדָוִ֖ד צֶ֣מַח צְדָקָ֑ה וְעָשָׂ֛ה מִשְׁפָּ֥ט וּצְדָקָ֖ה בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ (טז) בַּיָּמִ֤ים הָהֵם֙ תִּוָּשַׁ֣ע יְהוּדָ֔ה וִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם תִּשְׁכּ֣וֹן לָבֶ֑טַח וְזֶ֥ה אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָא־לָ֖הּ יְהוָ֥ה ׀ צִדְקֵֽנוּ׃ (ס) (יז) כִּי־כֹ֖ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה לֹֽא־יִכָּרֵ֣ת לְדָוִ֔ד אִ֕ישׁ יֹשֵׁ֖ב עַל־כִּסֵּ֥א בֵֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Jeremiah 33

(14) See, days are coming—declares YHWH—when I will fulfill the promise that I made concerning the House of Israel and the House of Judah.

(15) In those days and at that time, I will raise up a true tzemah (branch) of David’s line, and he shall do what is just and right in the land.

(16) In those days Judah shall be delivered and Israel shall dwell secure.

And this is what she shall be called:

“YHWH-is-our-Vindicator!”

(17) For thus said YHWH:

There shall never be an end to men of David’s line who sit upon the throne of the House of Israel.

We therefore see Zechariah reading the words of one of his predecessors, Jeremiah, who spoke so eloquently about the end of the exile, witnessing the promises manifest themselves before his very eyes.
If so, who, specifically, was this branch?
Zachariah gives us two major clues in chapter 6:

Tzemach's duties

זכריה ו׳

(יב) וְאָמַרְתָּ֤ אֵלָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֛ר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֵּה־אִ֞ישׁ צֶ֤מַח שְׁמוֹ֙ וּמִתַּחְתָּ֣יו יִצְמָ֔ח וּבָנָ֖ה אֶת־הֵיכַ֥ל יְהוָֽהּ׃ (יג) וְ֠הוּא יִבְנֶ֞ה אֶת־הֵיכַ֤ל יְהוָה֙ וְהֽוּא־יִשָּׂ֣א ה֔וֹד וְיָשַׁ֥ב וּמָשַׁ֖ל עַל־כִּסְא֑וֹ וְהָיָ֤ה כֹהֵן֙ עַל־כִּסְא֔וֹ וַעֲצַ֣ת שָׁל֔וֹם תִּהְיֶ֖ה בֵּ֥ין שְׁנֵיהֶֽם׃

Zechariah 6

(12) Thus said YHWH of Hosts:

Behold, a man called Tzemach shall branch out from the place where he is, and he shall build the Temple of YHWH!

(13) He shall build the Temple of YHWH and shall assume majesty, and he shall sit on his throne and rule.

And there shall also be a priest seated on his throne, and harmonious understanding shall prevail between them.”

All we saw in Zechariah 3 is that God is bringing His servant Tzemach. Here we also learn the following:

Tzemach shall build the Temple
He will work together with a priest

When read in light of a few other texts, this new information actually gives us quite a bit; For we actually have someone in the TaNaKh who seems to exactly fit this description.
Here is an excerpt from the book of Ezra, which gives an account about this very time period:

עזרא ג׳

(ח) וּבַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשֵּׁנִ֗ית לְבוֹאָ֞ם אֶל־בֵּ֤ית הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ לִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם בַּחֹ֖דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֑י הֵחֵ֡לּוּ זְרֻבָּבֶ֣ל בֶּן־שְׁ֠אַלְתִּיאֵל וְיֵשׁ֨וּעַ בֶּן־יֽוֹצָדָ֜ק וּשְׁאָ֥ר אֲחֵיהֶ֣ם ׀ הַכֹּהֲנִ֣ים וְהַלְוִיִּ֗ם וְכָל־הַבָּאִים֙ מֵהַשְּׁבִ֣י יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֔ם וַיַּעֲמִ֣ידוּ אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֗ם מִבֶּ֨ן עֶשְׂרִ֤ים שָׁנָה֙ וָמַ֔עְלָה לְנַצֵּ֖חַ עַל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת בֵּית־יְהוָֽה׃ (פ) (ט) וַיַּעֲמֹ֣ד יֵשׁ֡וּעַ בָּנָ֣יו וְ֠אֶחָיו קַדְמִיאֵ֨ל וּבָנָ֤יו בְּנֵֽי־יְהוּדָה֙ כְּאֶחָ֔ד לְנַצֵּ֛חַ עַל־עֹשֵׂ֥ה הַמְּלָאכָ֖ה בְּבֵ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים (ס) בְּנֵי֙ חֵֽנָדָ֔ד בְּנֵיהֶ֥ם וַאֲחֵיהֶ֖ם הַלְוִיִּֽם׃ (י) וְיִסְּד֥וּ הַבֹּנִ֖ים אֶת־הֵיכַ֣ל יְהוָ֑ה וַיַּעֲמִידוּ֩ הַכֹּהֲנִ֨ים מְלֻבָּשִׁ֜ים בַּחֲצֹֽצְר֗וֹת וְהַלְוִיִּ֤ם בְּנֵֽי־אָסָף֙ בַּֽמְצִלְתַּ֔יִם לְהַלֵּל֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֔ה עַל־יְדֵ֖י דָּוִ֥יד מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Ezra 3

(8) In the second year after their arrival at the House of God, at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brother priests and Levites, and all who had come from the captivity to Jerusalem, as their first step appointed Levites from the age of twenty and upward to supervise the work of the House of HWH.

(9) Jeshua, his sons and brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together were appointed in charge of those who did the work in the House of God.

...

(10) When the builders had laid the foundation of the Temple of YHWH, priests in their vestments with trumpets, and Levites sons of Asaph with cymbals were stationed to give praise to YHWH, as King David of Israel had ordained.

Anyone sound familiar? Take a look back up at our first passage from this week's Haftorah, and you will see that someone called "Joshua the High Priest" is being spoken to in Zechariah's vision!
Here too, in Ezra, we have a priest named Jeshua, who is in charge of the work of the House of God, working with someone named Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel. There are a couple of points of importance about Zerubbabel.
Firstly, Shealtiel was the son of Jehoiachin, one of the very last kings of Judea. Zerubbabel therefore, very significantly, comes from the line of David. (1 Chronicles 3).
Secondly, according to the prophet Haggai, a contemporary of Zechariah, Joshua's and Zerubbabel's taking charge of rebuilding the Temple is actually a mandate that came all the way from On High:

A Divine mandate

חגי א׳

(ז) כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֖ר יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת שִׂ֥ימוּ לְבַבְכֶ֖ם עַל־דַּרְכֵיכֶֽם׃ (ח) עֲל֥וּ הָהָ֛ר וַהֲבֵאתֶ֥ם עֵ֖ץ וּבְנ֣וּ הַבָּ֑יִת וְאֶרְצֶה־בּ֥וֹ ואכבד [וְאֶכָּבְדָ֖ה] אָמַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃

(יג) וַ֠יֹּאמֶר חַגַּ֞י מַלְאַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה בְּמַלְאֲכ֥וּת יְהוָ֖ה לָעָ֣ם לֵאמֹ֑ר אֲנִ֥י אִתְּכֶ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃ (יד) וַיָּ֣עַר יְהוָ֡ה אֶת־רוּחַ֩ זְרֻבָּבֶ֨ל בֶּן־שַׁלְתִּיאֵ֜ל פַּחַ֣ת יְהוּדָ֗ה וְאֶת־ר֙וּחַ֙ יְהוֹשֻׁ֤עַ בֶּן־יְהוֹצָדָק֙ הַכֹּהֵ֣ן הַגָּד֔וֹל וְֽאֶת־ר֔וּחַ כֹּ֖ל שְׁאֵרִ֣ית הָעָ֑ם וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ וַיַּעֲשׂ֣וּ מְלָאכָ֔ה בְּבֵית־יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃ (פ)

Haggai 1

(7) Thus said YHWH of Hosts:

Consider how you have fared! (8) Go up to the hills and get timber, and rebuild the House; then I will look on it with favor and I will be glorified—said YHWH.

(14) Then YHWH roused the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the rest of the people: They came and set to work on the House of YHWH of Hosts, their God.

In the ancient world, building a Temple to the gods was seen as the role of kings (hence, "Solomon's Temple") and kings oftentimes served in a High-Priestly role (though not in Israel).
These words of Haggai have the affect of bringing legitimacy to what appears to be an emerging, divinely-sanctioned diarchy, or ruling partnership between Zerubbabel, the descendant of David, and Joshua, the leader of the priests.

Here's a major (!!) question, however.
At some point, all mention of Zerubbabel in the TaNaKh is brought to a sudden, and unexplained halt!
In the beginning of Zechariah chapter 2, we see his visions being located in the second year of the Persian Emperor Darius, which would be the year 520. But that's the latest we can get. What did he accomplish after laying the foundation stone in Zecharia 4:9? What came of all of the hope and the hype?
This is shocking, but truth be told, no one knows the answer! And so unsurprisingly, there are some wild theories, one of which I'll share with you.
But before going into it, it is important to take a moment to explain some of the historical upheavals leading up to the year 520.

Cyrus will forever be remembered favorably as the Persian Emperor who issued the proclamation which would allow the Judeans to return to Zion and rebuild the Temple. (Just look at the stamp, issued in his honor 2,500 years after the fact!!! See 2 Chronicles 36 and Ezra 1 for its accounting in the TaNaKh).
More significantly for him, he was the founder of the first Persian empire (the "Achaemenid Empire), and bringing about the downfall of the Babylonians.

His son, Cambyses II, was the undisputed emperor after Cyrus's death. But when he died of gangrene in 522, the rule fell to his younger brother Bardiya. However, the Persian military commander Darius, with military backing, would very quickly seize power. There would then be civil war and attempted rebellions for two years throughout Persia, as Darius was seen by many (and correctly so) as an illegitimate usurper. In response, he claimed that Bardiya, whom he overthrew, was not actually the true brother of Cambyses, but was himself already another usurper, masquerading as part of the royal family, but whose real identity was a magician named Goumata.
Amazingly, to this very day, scholars are divided as to whether or not Darius's claims are true.

(above is the amazing Behistun inscription, which tells the story of the wars between Darius and Gaumata in three languages - Persian, Elamite, and Akkadian - all of them using cuneiform script. It is due to this that scholars have been able to decipher cuneiform, just as the Rosetta Stone enabled them to decipher Egyptian heiroglyphics. In the image, Darius is the tall one third from the left, and he has his foot on top of the defeated Gaumata.)

It was against this backdrop that Zerubbabel and Joshua would lead the way back from exile to Jerusalem. The empire was fraught with internal fighting. Rebellions were commonplace. No one emperor had unanimous support.
And in this context we get the following words from Haggai:

Messianic Hopes

חגי ב׳

(כ) וַיְהִ֨י דְבַר־יְהוָ֤ה ׀ שֵׁנִית֙ אֶל־חַגַּ֔י בְּעֶשְׂרִ֧ים וְאַרְבָּעָ֛ה לַחֹ֖דֶשׁ לֵאמֹֽר׃ (כא) אֱמֹ֕ר אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶ֥ל פַּֽחַת־יְהוּדָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר אֲנִ֣י מַרְעִ֔ישׁ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (כב) וְהָֽפַכְתִּי֙ כִּסֵּ֣א מַמְלָכ֔וֹת וְהִ֨שְׁמַדְתִּ֔י חֹ֖זֶק מַמְלְכ֣וֹת הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וְהָפַכְתִּ֤י מֶרְכָּבָה֙ וְרֹ֣כְבֶ֔יהָ וְיָרְד֤וּ סוּסִים֙ וְרֹ֣כְבֵיהֶ֔ם אִ֖ישׁ בְּחֶ֥רֶב אָחִֽיו׃ (כג) בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֣וּא נְאֻם־יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֡וֹת אֶ֠קָּחֲךָ זְרֻבָּבֶ֨ל בֶּן־שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵ֤ל עַבְדִּי֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וְשַׂמְתִּ֖יךָ כַּֽחוֹתָ֑ם כִּֽי־בְךָ֣ בָחַ֔רְתִּי נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃

Haggai 2

(20) And the word of YHWH came to Haggai a second time, on the twenty-fourth day of the month:

(21) Speak to Zerubbabel the governor of Judah!

For I am going to shake the heavens and the earth! (22) And I will overturn the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the might of the kingdoms of the nations!

I will overturn chariots and their drivers! Horses and their riders shall fall, each by the sword of his fellow!

(23) On that day—declares YHWH of Hosts—I will take you, O My servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel—declares YHWH—and make you as a signet.

For I have chosen you—declares YHWH of Hosts.

So with this historical background, combined with Haggai's and Zechariah's (and Jeremiah's) words above, consider what all of the following might add up to:

The branch of David;
Zerubbabel's bloodline;

Zerubbabel as God's chosen and signet (signet's being associated with royalty);
The building of the Temple;
Oracles of empires being overthrown;
An extended period of rebellion and instability throughout Persia, with Darius and his forces occupied elsewhere

With this, some scholars have posited that all of this points to what appears to have been a budding (pun very much intended) messianic fervor amongst the returning Judeans, with Zerubbabel being increasingly seen as a kingly successor of David.
In being influenced by words of previous prophets like Jeremiah, the Judeans would not be content with Zerubbabel as a mere Persian-appointed governor, and were impatiently waiting for him to declare Judea's complete independence as a restored monarchy (rather than a vassal-province) with a restored royal line.
(source: Daniel F O'Kennedy, Haggai 2:20-23: Call to rebellion or eschatological expectation?, 2014. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1010-99192014000200012#top62 )

Note that when Zechariah spoke of the branch of David, he never mentioned Zerubbabel explicitly.
Robert Alter's comments that, "Political considerations may have led Zechariah to suppress his name," (page 2599 in his Hebrew Bible Commentary).
In other words, perhaps this was due to an attempt to be subtle, so as to protect Zerubbabel from Persian suspicion. While it is true that explicit evidence for this is lacking in the TaNaKh, it is not absurd to conclude that there was such fervor, that it boiled over after all, and that the Persians felt a need to take action.
Of course this is in large part conjecture; But an interesting one with support amongst some of the "experts" at that. (As well as rejection from others, "experts" no less!)

I'll leave you with a question for thought:
If you buy this theory, Do you continue to pray for the tzemach of David, the branch of David, as it has been formulated in traditional Jewish liturgy? For perhaps we have been praying for something that has already come and gone!
And if you do continue to pray the same words, what do you think is the appropriate kavannah (intent)?
Of course, there is no reason that we can't draw on Zechariah's poetic and inspiring words, but use them differently from how he originally did. That is, perhaps he was referring to Zerubbabel, but we can still use them to express hope for someone yet to come.
Or, do you pray for something else altogether?