And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: See the comments on Hag 1.2.

Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: For Behold see the comments on 1.8. For the man whose name is the Branch, see the comments on 3.8. The Hebrew text here makes it clear that the mysterious figure called the Branch is a man. The task assigned to him, as stated at the end of verse 12 and the beginning of verse 13, is to be the rebuilding of the Temple. Since this is the task given to Zerubbabel in 4.9, it seems clear that Zechariah has Zerubbabel in mind when he speaks of the Branch. Nevertheless, as in 3.8, the Branch is not given any historical identity, and translators should not provide one. It is the lack of mention of Zerubbabel by name which leaves open the possibility that the passage also has reference to the coming of the Messiah and has a deeper fulfilment than any that took place in Zechariah’s own time.

For he shall grow up in his place: The word translated he shall grow up is a form of the same Hebrew root as in the word for Branch. Some English versions try to keep this play on words by saying “there will be a branching out” (Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible), “he will/shall branch out” (New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation), and “a man called the Branch … shall branch out” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). For the whole clause, Contemporary English Version says, “Someone will reach out from here like a branch.” However, these attempts all sound rather forced. It would be easier to retain the wordplay by translating Branch as “Shoot” (see the notes on 3.8) and saying, “he will shoot up” (as New English Bible). Strangely, the only major English version that does translate Branch as “Shoot” (New American Bible) fails to take advantage of the opportunity to keep the wordplay, though Meyers & Meyers do use “shoot” twice. There will not be many languages in which the play on words can easily be maintained, though Bible de Jérusalem, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Biblen: Det Gamle og Det Nye Testamente make valiant attempts in French, German, and Norwegian. Translators may prefer simply to state the meaning in the text, and add a footnote explaining the play on words (compare Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible). Another possibility would be to use the word “sprout” twice, first as a noun and then as a verb (“the Sprout will sprout”). In English the verb “to sprout” fits the context well, and is used by R. L. Smith and Merrill, but nobody uses the noun “sprout,” probably because it is also the name of a garden vegetable, and would sound absurd as a term for a Messianic figure! In other languages this is unlikely to be a problem, but translators constantly need to be alert to such unfortunate coincidences.

In his place means “where he is” (New American Bible, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible/ Revised English Bible, Good News Translation).

And he shall build the temple of the LORD: Compare 4.9. The Hebrew word for temple in verses 12-15 is the word for “a sacred place” (as in Hag 2.15, 18) rather than the general word for “house,” which is more common in the books of Haggai and Zechariah (Hag 1.2, 4, 8, 9, 14; Hag 2.3, 7, 9; Zech 1.16; Zech 3.7; Zech 4.9; Zech 8.9; Zech 9.8; Zech 14.20, 21). In many languages it is neither possible nor necessary to maintain a distinction between the two terms. See the notes on Hag 1.2. Since the LORD is speaking, it will be better in some languages to follow the example of Contemporary English Version and say “build a temple for me.”

An alternative translation model for the verse is:

• You shall say to him, “This is what the LORD of hosts says: Here is a man whose name is Shoot [or, Branch]. He will shoot up where he is, and will build the LORD’s Temple.”

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .