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the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Zechariah 4:5

The Messenger-Angel said, "Can't you tell?" "No, sir," I said. Then he said, "This is God 's Message to Zerubbabel: ‘You can't force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,' says God -of-the-Angel-Armies. ‘So, big mountain, who do you think you are? Next to Zerubbabel you're nothing but a molehill. He'll proceed to set the Cornerstone in place, accompanied by cheers: Yes! Yes! Do it!'"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Holy Spirit;   Olive;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Temple, the Second;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Candlestick;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Olive;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Messiah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Candlestick;   Prophet;   Zechariah, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Messiah;   Zechariah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Zerubbabel;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Old - golden;   Olive (tree);  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Hearth;   Zechariah, Book of;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for January 9;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Don’t you know what they are?” replied the angel who was speaking with me.
Hebrew Names Version
Then the angel who talked with me answered me, "Don't you know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
King James Version (1611)
Then the Angel that talked with me, answered and said vnto me; Knowest thou not what these be? and I said; No, my Lord.
King James Version
Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
English Standard Version
Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
New American Standard Bible
So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord."
New Century Version
The angel said, "Don't you know what they are?" "No, sir," I said.
Amplified Bible
Then the angel who was speaking with me answered me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the Angel that talked with mee, answered and said vnto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my Lord.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord."
Legacy Standard Bible
So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord."
Berean Standard Bible
"Do you not know what they are?" replied the angel. "No, my lord," I answered.
Contemporary English Version
Then he asked, "Don't you know?" "No sir," I replied.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Don't you know what these are?" I said, "No, my Lord."
Darby Translation
And the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
Easy-to-Read Version
The angel speaking with me said, "Don't you know what these things are?" "No sir," I said.
George Lamsa Translation
Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, Do you not know what these are? and I said, No, my lord, I do not know.
Good News Translation
"Don't you know?" he asked me. "No, I don't, sir," I replied. The angel said to me, "The seven lamps are the seven eyes of the Lord , which see all over the earth." Then I asked him, "What do the two olive trees on either side of the lampstand mean? And what is the meaning of the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes from which the olive oil pours?" He asked me, "Don't you know?" "No, I don't, sir," I answered. Then he said, "These are the two men whom God has chosen and anointed to serve him, the Lord of the whole earth."
Lexham English Bible
And the angel who was talking with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord."
Literal Translation
And the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, Do you not know what these are ? And I said, No, my lord.
American Standard Version
Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
Bible in Basic English
Then the angel who was talking to me, answering me, said, Have you no knowledge of what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then the angel that spoke with me answered and said unto me: 'Knowest thou not what these are?' And I said: 'No, my lord.'
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The angell that talked with me aunswered and saide vnto me: Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No my Lorde.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the angel that talked with me answered, and spoke to me, saying, Knowest thou not what these things are? And I said, No, my lord.
English Revised Version
Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
World English Bible
Then the angel who talked with me answered me, "Don't you know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the aungel that spak in me, answeride, and seide to me, Whether thou woist not what ben these thingis? And Y seide, No, my lord.
Update Bible Version
Then the angel that talked with me answered and said to me, Do you not know what these are? And I said, No, my lord.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then the angel that talked with me answered and said to me, Knowest thou not what these are? and I said, No, my lord.
New English Translation
He replied, "Don't you know what these are?" So I responded, "No, sir."
New King James Version
Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord."
New Living Translation
"Don't you know?" the angel asked. "No, my lord," I replied.
New Life Bible
So the angel who was speaking with me said, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord."
New Revised Standard
Then the angel who talked with me answered me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then answered the messenger who was speaking with me, and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these, are? And I said, No my lord.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the angel that spoke in me answered, and said to me: Knowest thou not what these things are? And I said: No, my lord.
Revised Standard Version
Then the angel who talked with me answered me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
Young's Literal Translation
And the messenger who is speaking with me answereth and saith unto me, `Hast thou not known what these [are]?' And I say, `No, my lord.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The angel that talked with me, answered & sayde vnto me: knowest thou not what these be? And I sayde: No, my lorde.

Contextual Overview

1 The Messenger-Angel again called me to attention. It was like being wakened out of deep sleep. 2He said, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top. Seven lamps, each with seven spouts, are set on the bowl. And there are two olive trees, one on either side of the bowl." 4 Then I asked the Messenger-Angel, "What does this mean, sir?" 5The Messenger-Angel said, "Can't you tell?" "No, sir," I said. Then he said, "This is God 's Message to Zerubbabel: ‘You can't force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,' says God -of-the-Angel-Armies. ‘So, big mountain, who do you think you are? Next to Zerubbabel you're nothing but a molehill. He'll proceed to set the Cornerstone in place, accompanied by cheers: Yes! Yes! Do it!'" 8After that, the Word of God came to me: "Zerubbabel started rebuilding this Temple and he will complete it. That will be your confirmation that God -of-the-Angel-Armies sent me to you. Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They'll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!" Going back to the vision, the Messenger-Angel said, "The seven lamps are the eyes of God probing the dark corners of the world like searchlights."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Knowest: Zechariah 4:13, Mark 4:13

No: Genesis 41:16, Psalms 139:6, Daniel 2:30, 1 Corinthians 2:12-15

Reciprocal: Zechariah 1:9 - the angel Zechariah 2:3 - the angel Zechariah 5:5 - the angel

Cross-References

Genesis 4:10
God said, "What have you done! The voice of your brother's blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you'll get nothing but curses from this ground; you'll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You'll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You'll be a homeless wanderer on Earth."
Numbers 16:15
Moses' temper blazed white-hot. He said to God , "Don't accept their Grain-Offering. I haven't taken so much as a single donkey from them; I haven't hurt a single hair of their heads."
Hebrews 11:4
By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That's what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me,.... Either to upbraid him with his ignorance and stupidity; or rather to quicken his attention, and that of others, to the interpretation of it he was about to give him:

Knowest thou not what these be? art thou ignorant of the design of them? or knowest thou not what is meant by them?

and I said, No, my lord; he made an ingenuous confession of his ignorance, joined with great respect unto, and veneration of, the angel that conversed with him.


 
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