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 1:21

1:21 I asked, “What are these going to do?” He answered, “These horns are the ones that have scattered Judah so that there is no one to be seen. ²  But the blacksmiths have come to terrify Judah’s enemies ³  and cut off the horns of the nations that have thrust themselves against the land of Judah in order to scatter its people.” ⁴ 

Zechariah 2:2

2:2 I asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “To measure Jerusalem ⁵  in order to determine its width and its length.”

Zechariah 4:11-14

4:11 Next I asked the messenger, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the menorah?” 4:12 Before he could reply I asked again, “What are these two extensions ⁶  of the olive trees, which are emptying out the golden oil through the two golden pipes?” 4:13 He replied, “Don’t you know what these are?” And I said, “No, sir.” 4:14 So he said, “These are the two anointed ones ⁷  who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Revelation 7:13-14

7:13 Then ⁸  one of the elders asked ⁹  me, “These dressed in long white robes – who are they and where have they come from?” 7:14 So ¹⁰  I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.” ¹¹  Then ¹²  he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They ¹³  have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb!

[1:9]  ¹ tn Heb “messenger” or “angel” (מַלְאָךְ, mal’akh). This being appears to serve as an interpreter to the prophet (cf. vv. 13, 14).

[1:21]  ² tn Heb “so that no man lifts up his head.”

[1:21]  ³ tn Heb “terrify them”; the referent (Judah’s enemies) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “to scatter it.” The word “people” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:2]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:12]  ⁶ 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.”

[4:14]  ⁷ tn The usual word for “anointed (one),” מָשִׁיַח (mashiakh), is not used here but rather בְנֵי־הַיִּצְהָר (vÿne-hayyitshar), literally, “sons of fresh oil.” This is to maintain consistency with the imagery of olive trees. In the immediate context these two olive trees should be identified with Joshua and Zerubbabel, the priest and the governor. Only the high priest and king were anointed for office in the OT and these two were respectively the descendants of Aaron and David.

[7:13]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[7:13]  ⁹ tn Grk “spoke” or “declared to,” but in the context “asked” reads more naturally in English.

[7:14]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the previous question.

[7:14]  ¹¹ tn Though the expression “the answer” is not in the Greek text, it is clearly implied. Direct objects in Greek were frequently omitted when clear from the context.

[7:14]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[7:14]  ¹³ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.