And the LORD said to Satan: The context here seems to require the speaker to be the angel of the LORD (compare verses 1 and 3) rather than the LORD himself. The ancient Syriac translation actually has “the angel of the LORD” here, and is followed by many modern versions such as New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible. The fact that the direct speech which follows refers to the LORD in the third person gives some support to this possibility and translators may well choose to accept it. In terms of the context, Satan and Joshua were standing directly in front of the angel, so it seems more likely that the angel was the speaker. However, Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommend following the Hebrew text (as Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, New Living Translation, Contemporary English Version, and Biblen: Det Gamle og Det Nye Testamente have done).
The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!: In some languages the vocative (address form) O Satan may have to come at the beginning of the quotation; for example, “O Satan, may the LORD rebuke you…” or “Satan, I ask the LORD to….” It will also be possible to bring out the element of censure by translating “The angel of the LORD reprimanded [or, censured] Satan, saying, ‘O Satan….’ ” In giving the rebuke, the angel of the LORD is acting as a counsel for the defense. The repetition shows the force of the rebuke. The second utterance is reinforced by the description of the LORD as the one who has chosen Jerusalem (compare 1.17; 2.12). As in 2.12, Good News Translation here expands this by saying, “the LORD, who loves Jerusalem” (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Bible en français courant and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente keep the verb “choose,” as does Contemporary English Version, and this is to be preferred. The effect of this rebuke is to silence Satan, the accuser, before he has a chance to say anything. In some languages it may be helpful to make this clear by saying something like “Silence, Satan!” or “Satan, keep quiet!” at the beginning (as in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Another possibility is found in Bible en français courant and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, which say, “May the LORD reduce you to silence!”
Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?: This is a rhetorical question, whose purpose is to make an emphatic statement. Many translators will find it helpful to express this in statement form, for example, “The LORD rescued this man as someone snatches a stick from the fire” (similarly Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Contemporary English Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). The demonstrative this is slightly ambiguous. It may possibly refer to Jerusalem, but most commentaries and translations understand it to refer to Joshua. Several versions make this interpretation clear by saying “this man” (Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New English Bible/ Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, Biblen: Det Gamle og Det Nye Testamente), and translators are recommended to do the same. It is also possible to mention Joshua by name, as do Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente.
The phrase a brand plucked from the fire is similar to that in Amos 4.11. Here it refers to Joshua as a representative of the remnant who had returned to Jerusalem from exile (Ezra 2.1-2). The exile is likened to a fire from which the remnant has been rescued, as a half-burnt log may be snatched from a blaze. The description is aptly applied to Joshua, for his grandfather Seraiah had been executed by the Babylonians (2 Kgs 25.18-21), and his father Jehozadak had been carried into exile (1 Chr 6.14-15). It was against all natural expectations that Joshua had been able to return to Jerusalem and resume his priestly duties. In dealing with this metaphor, the translator may need to make the basis of the comparison clearer and say, “The LORD rescued this man as someone snatches a stick from a fire.”
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• The angel of the LORD [or, The LORD] reprimanded Satan, saying, “Satan, I ask the LORD to rebuke [or, silence] you! May the LORD who has chosen [or, loves] Jerusalem condemn you. The LORD rescued this man as someone snatches a stick from the fire.”
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 .