ABSTRACT
In this article,1 I shall propose a new interpretation of Zech 3. Inspired by the statement in Hag 2:14 where all the Judahites, including the priesthood and their sacrifices, are declared impure, I suggest that Zech 3 is an attempt to rectify that very situation. By describing the miraculous cleansing of the high priest (vv. 3-5), followed by the celebration of the Day of Atonement (v. 9), the author of Zech 3 depicts Joshua’s renewed ability to atone for the sins of the people. Prior to this, the people of Judah had lacked the possibility to become free of guilt due to the priests’ impurity and their subsequent inability to bring atonement. The cleansing of Joshua thus solves the impasse reached in Hag 2:10-14.
