A Prophetic Sign-Act: A Crown for Joshua: The sequence of vision reports and oracles ends with the report of a symbolic action, the crowning of the Branch. Zechariah’s instructions from the Lord are somewhat like the commands to Samuel and to Elisha’s unnamed colleague to anoint kings. There were long waiting periods after the anointing of David and Jehu (1 Sam. 16:1–13; 2 Kgs. 9:1–13) before these chosen men were able to take their thrones (2 Sam. 5:1–5; 2 Kgs. 10:18–36). The delay in Zechariah’s case will be much longer. He crowns a proxy rather than the new king himself. The priests who worked with Joshua have been called “men symbolic of things to come,” of the coming of the Branch (3:8). In Zechariah’s sign-act the high priest himself is the sign of the Branch and of the priest who wi…