Original Word: צוֹא
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: tsow'
Pronunciation: tso (tso-ee)
Phonetic Spelling: (tso)
KJV: filthy
NASB: filthy
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to issue]

1. soiled (as if excrementitious)

filthy

Or tsov {tso}; from an unused root meaning to issue; soiled (as if excrementitious) -- filthy.

Word Origin
from the same as tseah
Definition
filthy
NASB Translation
filthy (2).

[צֹאִי] adjective filthy; — plural צוֺאִים Zechariah 3:3, צֹאִים Zechariah 3:4 (both of garments).

צַוָּאר see I. צור.

Imagery of Offensive Defilement

The word צוֹא evokes the vilest form of uncleanness—human excrement. Ancient Israelites instinctively associated such waste with ritual impurity (Deuteronomy 23:12-14). By borrowing this concrete image, the prophets conveyed the moral and spiritual pollution of sin more graphically than any abstract term could do.

Occurrences in Scripture

The noun appears only twice, both in Zechariah 3. There it is rendered “filthy”, underscoring the extremity of defilement that clings to the high priest Joshua’s garments.

Narrative Context: Zechariah Chapter 3

Zechariah is granted a courtroom vision:

“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the Angel” (Zechariah 3:3).

In response, the Angel of the LORD commands, “Remove the filthy garments from him” and declares, “See, I have taken away your iniquity, and will clothe you with splendid robes” (Zechariah 3:4).

The scene unfolds during the early Second Temple period when the returned exiles faced discouragement and moral compromise. Joshua, as the nation’s representative intercessor, stands polluted in the presence of the divine Judge. The filth is not ceremonial oversight but emblematic of Judah’s collective iniquity.

Theological Significance

1. Depth of Sin. By likening guilt to excrement-soiled clothing, Scripture portrays sin as repugnant, incurable by human effort, and disqualifying for priestly service (compare Isaiah 64:6).
2. Divine Initiative in Cleansing. Joshua contributes nothing to his own purification; it is entirely the Angel’s act. The verb “I have taken away your iniquity” anticipates the substitutionary work of the promised “Branch” (Zechariah 3:8-9).
3. Restoration of Priesthood. Only after removal of the filth can Joshua don “festal garments” and resume mediatorial duties. Thus, cleansing is prerequisite for acceptable worship (Psalm 24:3-4).

Filthy Garments and the Priesthood

Priests were commanded to keep their vestments pure (Leviticus 6:10-11). Any contamination barred them from sanctuary service (Leviticus 22:4-9). Joshua’s plight demonstrates that even the highest human mediator needs cleansing—a truth ultimately satisfied in the sinless High Priest, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:26-28).

Cleansing and Imputed Righteousness

The removal of צוֹא is coupled with bestowal of “splendid robes,” foreshadowing the doctrine of imputed righteousness. The filthy garment is exchanged for attire supplied by God, paralleling passages such as Isaiah 61:10 and Revelation 19:8. It prefigures the believer’s justification, where sin is transferred to Christ and His righteousness is credited to us (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Intertextual Connections

• Deuteronomy 23:12-14 – Uncleanness outside the camp prepares readers for the disgrace implied by צוֹא.
• Isaiah 4:4; Ezekiel 36:25 – Promises of washing from impurity parallel Zechariah’s vision.
• Revelation 3:4-5 – Those who keep their garments undefiled walk in white.
• James 1:21 – Believers are exhorted to “lay aside all filthiness” in response to the implanted word.

Historical Background

Post-exilic Israel wrestled with compromised worship, foreign marriages (Ezra 9-10), and half-hearted observance of the Law (Malachi 1). The prophetic portrayal of filthy garments confronted this lethargy, while simultaneously assuring the community of divine grace and future messianic cleansing.

Practical and Ministry Implications

1. Preaching. The vivid image of צוֹא invites uncompromising proclamation of sin’s offensiveness and the sufficiency of God’s remedy.
2. Pastoral Care. Believers weighed down by guilt can be directed to Zechariah 3 as a portrait of divine pardon independent of personal merit.
3. Worship. Just as Joshua’s renewed garments enabled service, so confession and faith prepare Christians for effective ministry (1 John 1:9).
4. Holiness. The contrast between filthy and festal garments motivates ongoing sanctification (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Conclusion

Though rare in occurrence, the term צוֹא provides one of Scripture’s most startling depictions of human depravity and God’s cleansing grace. Zechariah’s vision portrays the removal of excrement-stained garments and the bestowal of glorious robes, sealing the promise that a holy God can—and will—transform defiled sinners into fit servants for His presence and purposes.

הַצֹּאִ֖ים הצאים צוֹאִ֑ים צואים haṣ·ṣō·’îm haṣṣō’îm hatztzoIm ṣō·w·’îm ṣōw’îm tzoImInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts