The Prophets · Old Testament
Zechariah 4
Zechariah 4: the golden candlestick, the word to Zerubbabel, and two olive trees
General context
The angel that talked with Zechariah comes again and wakes him as a man is wakened out of sleep. Asked what he sees, Zechariah describes a candlestick all of gold with a bowl on top, seven lamps, and seven pipes to the lamps, with two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl and one on the left. He asks what these are, and the angel asks in return whether he knows; Zechariah answers, No, my lord. The angel's reply is a word for Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. A great mountain is addressed and told it will become a plain before Zerubbabel, who will bring forth the headstone with shoutings of Grace, grace unto it. A further word comes to Zechariah: the hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house and will also finish it, and by this the hearers will know the Lord of hosts has sent the speaker. The chapter asks who has despised the day of small things, and says they will rejoice and see the plummet in Zerubbabel's hand with those seven, which are the eyes of the Lord running to and fro through the whole earth. Zechariah then asks again about the two olive trees and about the two olive branches that empty golden oil through two golden pipes. The angel again asks whether he knows, Zechariah again answers No, my lord, and the answer is given: These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
Cited passages: Zechariah 4:1, Zechariah 4:2, Zechariah 4:3, Zechariah 4:4, Zechariah 4:5, Zechariah 4:6, Zechariah 4:7, Zechariah 4:8, Zechariah 4:9, Zechariah 4:10, Zechariah 4:11, Zechariah 4:12, Zechariah 4:13, Zechariah 4:14
Zechariah 4 (KJV)
1And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
2And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
3And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
4So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
5Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
6Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
7Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
8Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
9The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.
10For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
11Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
12And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
13And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
14Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
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Historical context
Zerubbabel is named four times here with no father, office or title; Haggai 1:1 gives the fuller form, "Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah," and Ezra 5:2 records him building the house of God with Jeshua the son of Jozadak. "This house" in verse 9 is not otherwise described, and the chapter says only that its foundation has been laid and its finish is promised. The chapter never explains the candlestick itself. The only explanation given of the two olive trees is, "These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth," and neither is named. The seven in verse 10 are called "the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth"; the chapter does not tie them to the seven lamps or to the stone with seven eyes in 3:9. The first person speaker of verse 9, "the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you," is unidentified, as in 2:9 and 2:11. No date appears in the chapter, and no opponent to the building is named; verse 7 addresses the opponent only as a great mountain.
Cited passages: Zechariah 4:6, Zechariah 4:7, Zechariah 4:9, Zechariah 4:10, Zechariah 4:14, Haggai 1:1, Ezra 5:2, Zechariah 3:9, Zechariah 2:9, Zechariah 2:11, Zechariah 4:2
Literary context
The chapter opens by waking the prophet, which marks a break from the visions before it, and then withholds the answer he asks for. Zechariah asks what the candlestick and trees are in verse 4, and the reply is not about lamps at all: it is a word for Zerubbabel about might, power and spirit. Only after four verses on the building does the question return, repeated in almost the same words, with the angel's Knowest thou not and Zechariah's No, my lord repeated with it. That delay puts the oracle inside the vision as its centre. The building language is deliberately small and physical: a foundation already laid, a headstone brought out with shouting, a plummet in one hand, a day of small things. The mountain becoming a plain and the seven eyes running to and fro set that small work in a wide field, and the running eyes repeat the walking riders of 1:10. The answer finally given is as short as the question was long, and it names two figures without naming either.
Cited passages: Zechariah 4:1, Zechariah 4:4, Zechariah 4:5, Zechariah 4:6, Zechariah 4:7, Zechariah 4:9, Zechariah 4:10, Zechariah 4:11, Zechariah 4:12, Zechariah 4:13, Zechariah 4:14, Zechariah 1:10
Key moments
- Wakened for a vision (Zechariah 4:1). The interpreting angel wakes Zechariah as a man wakened out of sleep.
- A candlestick and two olive trees (Zechariah 4:2). Zechariah describes a golden candlestick with seven lamps and two olive trees beside it.
- Not by might, nor by power (Zechariah 4:6). The angel delivers the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel about spirit rather than might.
- The mountain made a plain (Zechariah 4:7). A great mountain is told it will become a plain and the headstone brought out with shouting.
- Hands that finish the house (Zechariah 4:9). The hands that laid the foundation are promised the finishing of the house.
- The day of small things (Zechariah 4:10). The chapter asks who has despised the day of small things and names the eyes of the Lord.
- The two anointed ones (Zechariah 4:14). The angel identifies the olive trees as two anointed ones standing by the Lord of the whole earth.
For reflection
The word to Zerubbabel answers a question about lamps and trees with a statement about spirit rather than might. What is gained, and what is left unresolved, when an explanation arrives in a different register than the question?
