Zechariah 4 Commentary

The book of Zechariah begins with a title verse providing information concerning the date, authorship, and source of the revelation. It states that the prophecy occurred in the eighth month of the second year of Darius (vs 1). The biblical material likely dates the prophetic message according to the regnal year of the Persian king because there was no king in Judah during that time. Judah had been conquered by Babylon, which in turn had been taken over by Persia (Daniel 5:30-31).

The term prophet [“nābî” in Hebrew] means “proclaimer” or “forth-teller.” It describes someone who received a call from God to be God’s spokesman. A prophet was God’s emissary. He had a particular calling to see or hear what God was saying, live it out in his life, and proclaim it to the people roundabout. That means the prophet could not speak from his authority and was not free to say what he pleased. Rather, he was to discern what God thought about a given situation, what His attitude was toward the people’s behavior in the past, what He required of them in the present, and how He would act in their favor in the future.

This chapter records Zechariah’s fifth vision. The prophet sees a golden lampstand with a bowl and seven lamps. He also sees an olive tree on each side of the lampstand supplying the bowl with oil. The prophet asks the interpreting angel for an explanation but does not receive an answer right away.

Instead, he learns that the Spirit of the LORD will enable Judah’s leader Zerubbabel to overcome all obstacles and complete the temple project. Zechariah then asks the angel about the olive trees on each side of the lampstand and the two olive branches beside the golden pipes. The angel informs him they are the two anointed ones standing by the Lord who rules over the whole creation. The outline is as follows:

1. Zechariah sees a golden lampstand with two olive trees on each side. He learns from the angel that the LORD’s Spirit will remove all obstacles to the reconstruction of the temple. Zerubbabel will complete the temple restoration (vv. 1–7).

2. Zechariah learns that Zerubbabel, who laid the temple foundation, will complete it because the LORD will watch over all the events of the world (vv. 8–10).

3. Zechariah again asks the angel about the meaning of the two olive trees standing by the lampstand and the two olive branches beside the golden pipes. The angel reveals to him that they are the two men God appoints to serve Him (vv. 11–14).

The Bible Project - Zechariah Summary