Zechariah 4:4

4:4 Then I asked the messenger who spoke with me, “What are these, ¹  sir?”

Zechariah 4:11

4:11 Next I asked the messenger, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the menorah?”

Zechariah 6:4

6:4 Then I asked the angelic messenger ²  who was speaking with me, “What are these, sir?”

Zechariah 4:12

4:12 Before he could reply I asked again, “What are these two extensions ³  of the olive trees, which are emptying out the golden oil through the two golden pipes?”

¹ sn Here these must refer to the lamps, since the identification of the olive trees is left to vv. 11-14.

² tn See the note on the expression “angelic messenger” in 1:9.

³ tn The usual meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁבֹּלֶת (shÿbolet) is “ears” (as in ears of grain). Here it probably refers to the produce of the olive trees, i.e., olives. Many English versions render the term as “branches,” but cf. NAB “tufts.”