TEXT [Commentary]

  F.   A Lampstand and Two Olive Trees (4:1-14)

1 Then the angel who had been talking with me returned and woke me, as though I had been asleep. 2 “What do you see now?” he asked.

I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps, each having seven spouts with wicks. 3 And I see two olive trees, one on each side of the bowl.” 4 Then I asked the angel, “What are these, my lord? What do they mean?”

5 “Don’t you know?” the angel asked.

“No, my lord,” I replied.

6 Then he said to me, “This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. 7 Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’[*]”

8 Then another message came to me from the LORD: 9 “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has sent me. 10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”

(The seven lamps[*] represent the eyes of the LORD that search all around the world.)

11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on each side of the lampstand, 12 and what are the two olive branches that pour out golden oil through two gold tubes?”

13 “Don’t you know?” he asked.

“No, my lord,” I replied.

14 Then he said to me, “They represent the two anointed ones[*] who stand in the court of the Lord of all the earth.”

NOTES

4:1 woke me. The series of visions came to Zechariah in a single night. The return (4:1) of the interpreting angel to awaken him suggests that the prophet had slept briefly before the fifth vision appeared to him.

4:2 gold lampstand. This is a reference to the golden menorah of the Mosaic Tabernacle replicated as the lamp for the second Temple in contrast to the ten lampstands of Solomon’s Temple (Exod 25:31; 1 Kgs 7:49; cf. 1 Macc 1:21-23). (See the images of lamps and lampstands in Meyers and Meyers 1987: Illustrations 12, 13, 14.)

4:6-10a Many biblical commentators understand 4:6-10a as an intrusive oracle interrupting the explanation of the vision (which resumes in 4:10b). Yet, according to Ryken (1984:170), visionary literature reverses ordinary reality and instead of expecting a smooth flow of narrative, the reader should “be prepared for a disjointed series of diverse, self-contained units.” The insertion of the oracle promising success to Zerubbabel in the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple is an emphatic device intended to place the focus of attention where it belongs—not on Zerubbabel as God’s agent but on the God who empowers Zerubbabel.

4:7 mighty mountain . . . will become a level plain. This is a figure of speech in both the OT (cf. Isa 40:4; 49:11) and NT (cf. Matt 17:20; 1 Cor 13:2), signifying that faith in God enables his servants to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles.

final stone. This is the capstone or “headstone” (ha’eben haro’shah [TH68/7222, ZH74/8036]) that completes a stone wall or building once it is set in place (cf. Ps 118:22).

May God bless it! Lit., “Grace, grace to it!” Here the statement should be understood as a prayer seeking God’s favor and blessing for the new Temple.

4:10 plumb line. A plumb line is a cord with a tin or lead weight attached to one end that is used to determine verticality in construction. The exact meaning of the Hebrew expression ha’eben habbedil [TH68/913, ZH74/974] is uncertain . The idea of a tin plumb on a line reflects the influence of the LXX (ton lithon ton kassiterinon, “stone of tin,” hence, “plummet of tin”). Meyers and Meyers (1987:253) translate it “tin-stone,” perhaps a ceremonial stone used to commemorate the completion of a building project similar to the “final stone” mentioned above (4:7; cf. NJB, “chosen stone”). Petersen (1984:243) suggests “tin-tablet,” a building deposit of some sort acknowledging the completion of the Temple (perhaps including a ceremony in which a stone from the ruins of the old Temple was transferred to the new Temple; cf. Redditt 1995:69).

seven lamps. The seven lamps are equated with the eyes of the Lord that scan the earth. The number seven signifies completeness or perfection. God sees all that takes place on the earth, implying that he both knows and controls the peoples and nations as the “Lord of all the earth” (4:14; see also the note on 3:9 concerning the “seven facets” of the stone set before Jeshua).

4:14 two anointed ones. Lit., “the two sons of (olive) oil” (bene-hayyitsehar [TH1121/3323, ZH1201/3658]), referring to “the two branches of the olive tree” (cf. 4:12). Both Haggai and Zechariah singled out Jeshua and Zerubbabel, the religious and civic leaders of postexilic Jerusalem, for special messages from the Lord (3:1; 4:6; Hag 1:14; 2:2). The context of the sequence of night visions suggests the two beings in view here are the high priest Jeshua and the governor Zerubbabel (especially chs 3 and 4). It was under their leadership that the Temple of the Lord would be rebuilt and worship restored in Jerusalem. Jeshua was given a place standing in the presence of God with the rest of the divine council contingent upon his obedience to the Lord’s requirements (3:7). Presumably this was the situation for Zerubbabel, as well. Some have identified the two as “heavenly” beings on the basis of Rev 11:4 (although the adjective “heavenly” is not found in the MT). It should also be noted that in the vision of Rev 11:4, there are two lampstands and two olive trees standing before the Lord, whereas Zechariah’s vision reports a single lampstand (4:2).

COMMENTARY [Text]

The images in Zechariah’s vision represent both unseen spiritual realities and tangible earthly offices and persons. The solid gold lampstand probably functions as a symbol for God, expressing his purity, holiness, and revelatory light (4:2). The two olive trees may represent the offices of priest and king in Israel, and the two branches of the olive trees are emblems for Jeshua and Zerubbabel (4:3, 12). The golden oil may be a symbol of God’s Holy Spirit (4:12).

The gist of the vision of the lampstand and the two olive trees is that God would enable Zerubbabel (and Jeshua) to rebuild his holy Temple, an important message of encouragement to postexilic Judah. The fifth vision reinforces three basic spiritual truths: First, with God everything is possible (cf. Matt 19:26); second, God accomplishes his purposes in the world through human servants empowered by the Holy Spirit (4:6; cf. 7:12; Hag 2:5; John 16:5-15); and third, God delights in “small beginnings” (4:10; cf. Hag 2:3). Such small beginnings are exemplified in the “small” lunch multiplied by Jesus to feed thousands (Matt 15:34), the “small” mustard seed that becomes a great tree (Matt 17:20), and the faithful management of “small” things yielding great reward (Matt 25:21-23).

The preterist view of the fifth vision equates the two olive trees flanking the lampstand with Jeshua and Zerubbabel of postexilic Judah, and it considers the vision fulfilled in the completion of the second Temple. The futurist understanding of the fifth vision regards the two olive trees as symbols of the two offices of Messiah (priest and king) fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Most futurists would grant that the historical figures of Jeshua and Zerubbabel represent these two functions of Messiah in some sort of type/antitype relationship. On the basis of Revelation 11:4 (equating the two witnesses of the “tribulation” period with the two olive trees of 4:2-3), another futurist approach to the vision understands Israel as the light of the millennial earth under the Messiah as the priest-king (cf. Unger 1963:104-105). The reference to the completion of the Temple is variously interpreted as the millennial Temple (cf. 14:20-21) or as a metaphor for the Kingdom of God (Rev 11:15).