Zechariah 4
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 519 BC · Return & rebuilding · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
14 verses · 308 words · ~2 min read · ~2 min listen
The Vision of the Lampstand and Olive Trees
1Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and woke me, as a man is awakened from his sleep.
2“What do you see?” he asked.
“I see a solid gold lampstand,” I replied, “with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven spouts to the lamps. 3There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left.”
4“What are these, my lord?” I asked the angel who was speaking with me.
5“Do you not know what they are?” replied the angel.
“No, my lord,” I answered.
6So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts. 7What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring forth the capstone accompanied by shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”
8Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. 10For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven eyes of the Lord, which scan the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.”
11Then I asked the angel, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?” 12And I questioned him further, “What are the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes from which the golden oil pours?”
13“Do you not know what these are?” he inquired.
“No, my lord,” I replied.
14So he said, “These are the two anointed ones who are standing beside the Lord of all the earth.”
Footnotes (5)
- a v10 Or facets
- b v10 Or the chosen capstone
- c v12 Hebrew from which the gold
- d v14 Hebrew the two sons of new oil
- e v14 See Revelation 11:4.
Study notes on this chapter · 2
Zerubbabel's hands will finish the temple
Zechariah tells the governor Zerubbabel that not by might, nor by power, but by God's Spirit, he will complete the temple, and that his hands that laid the foundation will also finish it. The temple was completed in 516/515 BC.
When: Zechariah, 520–518 BC; temple finished 516/515 BC.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
The two witnesses
Revelation 11 describes two witnesses who prophesy for 1,260 days, have power like Elijah and Moses, are killed by the beast, lie in the street of the great city, and are raised after three and a half days. The two olive trees and two lampstands recall Zechariah's vision. Their identity is disputed.
When: Revelation, c. AD 90s.
Ways people read this (4)
- Two future prophets in a coming tribulation, sometimes identified with Moses and Elijah or Enoch and Elijah.
- The church as a witnessing community, as in the lampstands of Revelation 1 (idealist and amillennial).
- The Old and New Testaments, or the Law and the Prophets.
- Two historical figures or groups in the first century (preterist), such as James and Peter or Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.