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the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Contemporary English Version

Zechariah 1:9

An angel was there to explain things to me, and I asked, "Sir, who are these riders?" "I'll tell you," the angel answered.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Angel (a Spirit);   Prophets;   Vision;   Thompson Chain Reference - Angels;   Appearances;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Angels;   Apocalyptic literature;   Zechariah, book of;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Apocalyptic;   Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Angel;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Zechariah, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Flowers;   Zechariah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Angel;   Angel of the Lord (Jahweh);   Apocalyptic Literature;   Zechariah, Book of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Zechariah, Prophecy of;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Myrtle;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Zechariah, Book of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Angelology;   Myrtle;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I asked, “What are these, my lord?”
Hebrew Names Version
Then I asked, 'My lord, what are these?'" The angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what these are."
King James Version (1611)
Then said I, O my Lord, what are these? And the Angel that talked with me, said vnto me, I wil shew thee what these be.
King James Version
Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.
English Standard Version
Then I said, ‘What are these, my lord?' The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I will show you what they are.'
New American Standard Bible
Then I said, "What are these, my lord?" And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, "I will show you what these are."
New Century Version
I asked, "What are these, sir?" The angel who was talking with me answered, "I'll show you what they are."
Amplified Bible
Then I said, "O my lord, what are these?" And the angel who was speaking with me said, "I will show you what these are."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then sayd I, O my Lorde, what are these? And the Angel that talked with me, sayde vnto me, I wil shew thee what these be.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then I said, "My lord, what are these?" And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, "I will show you what these are."
Legacy Standard Bible
Then I said, "My lord, what are these?" And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, "I will show you what these are."
Berean Standard Bible
"What are these, my lord?" I asked. And the angel who was speaking with me replied, "I will show you what they are."
Complete Jewish Bible
I asked, "What are these, my Lord?" The angel speaking with me said to me, "I will show you what these are."
Darby Translation
And I said, My lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these are.
Easy-to-Read Version
I said, "Sir, what are these horses for?" Then the angel speaking to me said, "I will show you what these horses are for."
George Lamsa Translation
Then I said, O my LORD, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said to me, I will show you what they are.
Good News Translation
I asked him, "Sir, what do these horses mean?" He answered, "I will show you what they mean.
Lexham English Bible
And I asked, "What are these, my lord?" And the angel who was talking with me said, "I will show you what these are."
Literal Translation
Then I said, My lord, what are these? And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, I will show you what these are .
American Standard Version
Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these are.
Bible in Basic English
Then I said, O my lord, what are these? And the angel who was talking to me said to me, I will make clear to you what they are.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then said I: 'O my lord, what are these?' And the angel that spoke with me said unto me: 'I will show thee what these are.'
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayde I, O my Lorde, what are these? And the angel that talked with me, sayde vnto me: I will shewe thee what these be.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And I said, What are these, my lord? And the angel spoke with me said to me, I will shew thee what these things are.
English Revised Version
Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.
World English Bible
Then I asked, 'My lord, what are these?'" The angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what these are."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y seide, My lord, who ben these? And an aungel of the Lord seide to me, that spak in me, Y schal schewe to thee what these ben.
Update Bible Version
Then I said, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said to me, I will show you what these are.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then said I, O my lord, what [are these]? And the angel that talked with me said to me, I will show thee what these [are].
New English Translation
Then I asked one nearby, "What are these, sir?" The angelic messenger who replied to me said, "I will show you what these are."
New King James Version
Then I said, "My lord, what are these?" So the angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what they are."
New Living Translation
I asked the angel who was talking with me, "My lord, what do these horses mean?" "I will show you," the angel replied.
New Life Bible
I asked, "My lord, what are these?" And the angel who was speaking with me said, "I will show you what these are."
New Revised Standard
Then I said, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what they are."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said I, What are these, my lord? And the messenger who was speaking with me, said unto me, I, will shew thee what these, are.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I said: What are these, my lord? and the angel that spoke in me, said to me: I will shew thee what these are:
Revised Standard Version
Then I said, 'What are these, my lord?' The angel who talked with me said to me, 'I will show you what they are.'
Young's Literal Translation
And I say, `What [are] these, my lord?' And the messenger who is speaking with me saith unto me, `I -- I do shew thee what these [are].'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde I: O my LORDE, what are these? And the angel that talked with me, sayed vnto me: I will shewe the what these be.
THE MESSAGE
I said, "Sir, what are these horses doing here? What's the meaning of this?" The Angel-Messenger said, "Let me show you."

Contextual Overview

7On the twenty-fourth day of Shebat, which was the eleventh month of that same year, the Lord spoke to me in a vision during the night: In a valley among myrtle trees, I saw someone on a red horse, with riders on red, brown, and white horses behind him. 9 An angel was there to explain things to me, and I asked, "Sir, who are these riders?" "I'll tell you," the angel answered. 10 Right away, the man standing among the myrtle trees said, "These are the ones the Lord has sent to find out what's happening on earth." 11 Then the riders spoke to the Lord 's angel, who was standing among the myrtle trees, and they said, "We have gone everywhere and have discovered that the whole world is at peace." 12 At this, the angel said, " Lord All-Powerful, for seventy years you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. When are you ever going to have mercy on them?" 13 The Lord 's answer was kind and comforting. 14 So the angel told me to announce: I, the Lord All-Powerful, am very protective of Jerusalem. 15 For a while I was angry at the nations, but now I am furious, because they have made things worse for Jerusalem and are not the least bit concerned. 16 And so, I will have pity on Jerusalem. The city will be completely rebuilt, and my temple will stand again. 17 I also promise that my towns will prosper—Jerusalem will once again be my chosen city, and I will comfort the people of Zion.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

what: Zechariah 1:19, Zechariah 4:4, Zechariah 4:11, Zechariah 6:4, Daniel 7:16, Daniel 8:15, Revelation 7:13, Revelation 7:14

the angel: Zechariah 2:3, Zechariah 4:5, Zechariah 5:5, Zechariah 6:4, Zechariah 6:5, Genesis 31:11, Daniel 8:16, Daniel 9:22, Daniel 9:23, Daniel 10:11-14, Revelation 17:1-7, Revelation 19:9, Revelation 19:10, Revelation 22:8-16

Reciprocal: Daniel 8:13 - one saint Zechariah 1:14 - the angel Zechariah 3:1 - he

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:2
The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water.
Genesis 1:5
and named the light "Day" and the darkness "Night." Evening came and then morning—that was the first day.
Genesis 1:6

The Second Day

God said, "I command a dome to separate the water above it from the water below it."
Genesis 1:8
and named it "Sky." Evening came and then morning—that was the second day.
Genesis 1:9

The Third Day

God said, "I command the water under the sky to come together in one place, so there will be dry ground." And that's what happened.
Genesis 1:11
God said, "I command the earth to produce all kinds of plants, including fruit trees and grain." And that's what happened.
Genesis 1:28
God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth.
Genesis 1:29
I have provided all kinds of fruit and grain for you to eat.
Job 26:7
who hung the northern sky and suspended the earth on empty space.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said I, O my Lord,.... These are the words of the Prophet Zechariah to the angel that showed him this vision:

what are these? what is the meaning of this vision? particularly who are meant by the horses, red, speckled, and white, and those upon them?

And the angel that talked with me; who seems to be different from the Angel of the Lord, the man among the myrtle trees, Zechariah 1:8 he was one of the ministering spirits; see

Revelation 17:1:

said unto me, I will show thee what these [be]; that is, give an interpretation of the vision, and point out the persons intended by the horses.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

What are these? - He asks, not who, but what they import.

The angel that talked with me - Literally, “spake in me.” The very rare expression seems meant to convey the thought of an inward speaking, whereby the words should be borne directly into the soul, without the intervention of the ordinary outward organs. God says to Moses, “If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make Myself known unto him in a vision, I will speak (literally) in him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so - In him will I speak mouth to mouth Numbers 12:6-9;” and Habakkuk says of the like inward teaching, “I will watch to see, what He will speak in me” . It is the characteristic title of one attendant-angel, who was God’s expositor of the visions to Zechariah (Zechariah 1:13-14, Zechariah 1:19, (Zechariah 2:2 Hebrew) Zechariah 2:3; (7) Zechariah 4:1, Zechariah 4:4-5; Zechariah 5:5, Zechariah 5:10; Zechariah 6:4). Dionysius: “By his ministry God showed me things to come, in that that angel formed in the spirit and imaginative power of Zechariah phantasms or images of things which were foreshown him, and gave him to understand what those images signified.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zechariah 1:9. O my lord, what are these — The angel here mentioned was distinct from those mentioned in the eighth verse; he who talked with the prophet, Zechariah 1:13.


 
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