IV. FOURTH VISION. — THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. (1) CAME AGAIN, AND WAKED. — Better, possibly, _again waked_ me, the construction being similar to that of Zechariah 5:1. But it is not impossible that the angel had gone forth, as before (Zechariah 2:3), to receive some fresh instruction from a higher a... [ Continue Reading ]
A SERIES OF SEVEN VISIONS. Zechariah 1:7 to Zechariah 6:15. Between the commencement of Zechariah’s prophetic labours and the incidents recorded in Zechariah 1:7 to Zechariah 6:15, the Prophet Haggai received the revelation contained in Haggai 2:10. On the four-and-twentieth day of the eleventh mont... [ Continue Reading ]
This visionary candlestick differed in four points from the original of the Tabernacle and Solomon’s Temple — viz., in having “a bowl,” “pipes,” and “olive trees” each side of it, and “two golden spouts.” WITH A BOWL UPON THE TOP OF IT. — This is better than the marg., _her bowl_ — _i.e.,_ its bowl... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE does not refer merely to the olive-trees, though in Zechariah 4:11 they are shown to be the salient point in the vision, but to everything described in Zechariah 4:2.... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS... WORD. — The vision is called “the word,” as being a symbolical prophecy. (Comp. Zechariah 1:7.) As the golden candlestick was placed in the holy place of the Tabernacle (and the Temple) “before the LORD, as an everlasting statute for their generations _on behalf_ of the children of Israel” ... [ Continue Reading ]
O GREAT MOUNTAIN? — This is figurative of the colossal difficulties put in the way of the completion of the building of the Temple by the neighbouring powers. (Comp. Matthew 21:21.) THOU SHALT BECOME A PLAIN. — This certainly gives the true meaning of the original, which, however, is singularly gra... [ Continue Reading ]
ME. — The word of the Lord now comes directly to the prophet, as, possibly, in Zechariah 2:6.... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU... UNTO YOU. — Such a change in number is common in Hebrew, especially when addressing a nation, which at one time is looked on as a corporate unity, at another as a collection of individuals. Or “thou” may have been addressed to Zerubbabel, and “you” to the people, when the prophet delivered h... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR WHO HATH... SMALL THINGS?_ — i.e., Surely no one,_ who intended to do great things, _ever despised the day of small things._ The interrogative sentence is practically a prohibition: “Let none despise the day of small things.” FOR THEY SHALL REJOICE... WHOLE EARTH. — Better, _Then these seven sha... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN ANSWERED I... — The prophet is not yet quite satisfied as to the meaning of the vision; he desires to know why there are two olive-trees. For as yet only Zerubbabel has been mentioned, and he could hardly be represented by _two_ olive-trees.... [ Continue Reading ]
OLIVE BRANCHES. — Better, _bunches of olives._ Two important points in the vision are here incidentally introduced for the first time: viz., the bunch of fruits on each olive-tree, and the “two golden pipes,” or rather, _spouts._ WHICH THROUGH... THEMSELVES. — Better, _Which are resting in the two g... [ Continue Reading ]
TWO ANOINTED ONES. — Literally, as margin, _two sons of oil_: viz., Joshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel, the Prince of Judah, “who stand by the Lord of the whole earth” as His appointed instruments, and through whom He causes His Spirit to flow to His congregation. Thus, as by the preceding visi... [ Continue Reading ]