What are the two bronze mountains in Zechariah 6?

Question

I've already asked a broad question about the number two in the book of Zechariah. I've received some helpful input on that and made progress in my own thinking regarding it. However, some of the remaining specific occurrences of the number two are puzzling me.

In addition, mountains are a theme in Zechariah (1:8; 1:10-11; 4:7; 6:1; 8:3; 14:4-5). These two (!) themes come together in 6:1:

I looked up again—and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze! (NIV)

Would these mountains perhaps reference or allude to any physical mountains familiar to Ezekiel's audience? Why were they made of bronze? What is their symbolic meaning? Why would the chariots come out from them?

Answer 1

This portion of Zechariah seems to bring varied views from the commentators, some think the four winds represents angels directing the four monarchies that overturned the known world starting with the Babylonian, Persian, Greek and then Roman empire (I lean to this) Some just take a higher abstraction as representing figurative counsels and decrees of God. In either case the Mountains tend to be regarded as those unmovable wisdom and counsels that order these affairs. I personally follow that line of thought, but when considering that there are clearly two of them and that they are absolutely unmovable, I have a strong feeling that these are the two covenants by which all the affairs of the world are administered.

All the blood (red), war (black), peace (white) and complex overturning of governments (patchy mixtures) under the angelic providence of God, are all done by ‘curses under the Law’ or by ‘grace under the Gospel’. This view is further connected to the same four monarchies in Daniel, represented as beasts. In Daniel 2:34 a rock was cut out from ‘a mountain’ with small beginnings, but yet spread out to be a ‘second mountain’ to destroy all the nations of the earth. This second mountains might be the same, representing the kingdom of God under the providence of the gospel, or the New Covenant.

Conclusion: The two brass mountains are the absolute unmovable controlling administrations of God under the Old and New Covenants, whereby God administers all His providence in the earth, whether death by Law or life by Grace. These are ‘immovable and indestructible’ oaths of God's dealings with man. They are built upon separate principles but single aims.