Zechariah 1:9

The Interpretation of the First Vision

1:9 Then I asked one nearby, “What are these, sir?” The angelic messenger ¹  who replied to me said, “I will show you what these are.”

Zechariah 1:14

1:14 Turning to me, the messenger then said, “Cry out that the Lord who rules over all says, ‘I am very much moved ²  for Jerusalem and for Zion.

Zechariah 1:19

1:19 So I asked the angelic messenger ³  who spoke with me, “What are these?” He replied, “These are the horns ⁴  that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” ⁵ 

Zechariah 2:3

2:3 At this point the angelic messenger ⁶  who spoke to me went out, and another messenger came to meet him

Zechariah 4:5

4:5 He replied, “Don’t you know what these are?” So I responded, “No, sir.”

¹ tn Heb “messenger” or “angel” (מַלְאָךְ, mal’akh). This being appears to serve as an interpreter to the prophet (cf. vv. 13, 14).

² tn Heb “jealous for” (so KJV, ASV); NIV, NRSV “very jealous for”; CEV “very protective of.” The meaning is that Jerusalem/Zion is the special object of God’s grace and purposes. This results in his unusual protection of his people, a protection not accorded others with whom he does not have such a close relationship.

³ tn See the note on the expression “angelic messenger” in v. 9.

⁴ sn An animal’s horn is a common OT metaphor for military power (Pss 18:2; 75:10; Jer 48:25; Mic 4:13). The fact that there are four horns here (as well as four blacksmiths, v. 20) shows a correspondence to the four horses of v. 8 which go to four parts of the world, i.e., the whole world.

⁵ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁶ tn See the note on the expression “angelic messenger” in 1:9.