4:1 The angelic messenger 1 who had been speaking with me then returned and woke me, as a person is wakened from sleep. 4:2 He asked me, “What do you see?” I replied, 2 “I see a menorah of pure gold with a receptacle at the top and seven lamps, with fourteen pipes going to the lamps. 4:3 There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the receptacle and the other on the left.” 3 4:4 Then I asked the messenger who spoke with me, “What are these, 4 sir?” 4:5 He replied, “Don’t you know what these are?” So I responded, “No, sir.”
1 tn See the note on the expression “angelic messenger” in 1:9.
2 tc The present translation (along with most other English versions) follows the reading of the Qere and many ancient versions, “I said,” as opposed to the MT Kethib “he said.”
3 sn The vision apparently describes two olive trees providing olive oil by pipes to a large basin atop the menorah. From this basin two pipes extend to each of the seven lamps of the menorah, for a total of fourteen pipes in all. See vv. 11-12.
4 sn Here these must refer to the lamps, since the identification of the olive trees is left to vv. 11-14.