Zechariah 6:5

Young's Literal Translation

And the messenger answereth and saith unto me, `These [are] four spirits of the heavens coming forth from presenting themselves before the Lord of the whole earth.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The angel told me, “These are the four spirits of heaven going out after presenting themselves to the Lord of the whole earth.

Hebrew Names Version
The angel answered me, "These are the four winds of the sky, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the eretz.

King James Version (1611)
And the Angel answered and said vnto me, These are the foure spirits of the heauens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

King James Version
And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

English Standard Version
And the angel answered and said to me, "These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.

New American Standard Bible
The angel replied to me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going out after taking their stand before the Lord of all the earth,

New Century Version
He said, "These are the four spirits of heaven. They have just come from the presence of the Lord of the whole world.

Amplified Bible
The angel answered me, "These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go out after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Angell answered, and sayde vnto mee, These are the foure spirites of the heauen, which goe foorth from standing with the Lorde of all the earth.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The angel replied to me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord of all the earth,

Legacy Standard Bible
And the angel answered and said to me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord of all the earth,

Berean Standard Bible
And the angel told me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from their station before the Lord of all the earth.

Contemporary English Version
Then he explained, "These are the four winds of heaven, and now they are going out, after presenting themselves to the Lord of all the earth.

Complete Jewish Bible
The angel answered me, "These are the four winds of the sky that go out, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the land.

Darby Translation
And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

Easy-to-Read Version
The angel said, "These are the four winds. They have just come from the Lord of the whole world.

George Lamsa Translation
And the angel answered and said to me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, who stand in the presence of the LORD of all the earth.

Good News Translation
He answered, "These are the four winds; they have just come from the presence of the Lord of all the earth."

Lexham English Bible
And the angel answered and said to me, "These are the four winds of the heavens going out after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.

Literal Translation
And the angel answered and said to me, These are the four spirits of Heaven who go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

American Standard Version
And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

Bible in Basic English
And the angel, answering, said to me, These go out to the four winds of heaven from their place before the Lord of all the earth.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the angel answered and said unto me: 'These chariots go forth to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The angel aunswerd & saide vnto me: These are the foure spirites of the heauen, which be come foorth to stand before the ruler of all the earth.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the angel that talked with me answered and said, These are the four winds of heaven, and they are going forth to stand before the Lord of all the earth.

English Revised Version
And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

World English Bible
The angel answered me, "These are the four winds of the sky, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the aungel aunsweride, and seide to me, These ben foure wyndis of heuene, whiche goen out, that thei stonde bifor the lordschipere of al erthe.

Update Bible Version
And the angel answered and said to me, These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the angel answered and said to me, These [are] the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

New English Translation
The messenger replied, "These are the four spirits of heaven that have been presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.

New King James Version
And the angel answered and said to me, "These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth.

New Living Translation
The angel replied, "These are the four spirits of heaven who stand before the Lord of all the earth. They are going out to do his work.

New Life Bible
The angel said to me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going away from standing before the Lord of All the earth.

New Revised Standard
The angel answered me, "These are the four winds of heaven going out, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the messenger answered, and said unto me, - These, are the four winds of the heavens, coming forward after each hath presented itself near the Lord of all the earth.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the angel answered, and said to me: These are the four winds of the heaven, which go forth to stand before the Lord of all the earth.

Revised Standard Version
And the angel answered me, "These are going forth to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the LORD of all the earth.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The angel answered, & sayde vnto me: These are the iiij. wyndes of the heauen, which be come forth to stode before the ruler of all ye earth.

THE MESSAGE
The angel answered, "These are the four winds of heaven, which originate with the Master of the whole earth. The black horses are headed north with the white ones right after them. The dappled horses are headed south." The powerful horses galloped out, bursting with energy, eager to patrol through the earth. The Messenger-Angel commanded: "On your way! Survey the earth!" and they were off in every direction.

Contextual Overview

¹ And I turn back, and lift up mine eyes, and look, and lo, four chariots are coming forth from between two of the mountains, and the mountains [are] mountains of brass. ² In the first chariot [are] red horses, and in the second chariot brown horses, ³ and in the third chariot white horses, and in the fourth chariot strong grisled horses. ⁴ And I answer and say unto the messenger who is speaking with me, `What [are] these, my lord?' <sup>5</sup> And the messenger answereth and saith unto me, `These [are] four spirits of the heavens coming forth from presenting themselves before the Lord of the whole earth. ⁶ The brown horses that [are] therein, are coming forth unto the land of the north; and the white have come forth unto their hinder part; and the grisled have come forth unto the land of the south; ⁷ and the strong ones have come forth, and they seek to go to walk up and down in the earth;' and he saith, `Go, walk up and down in the earth;' and they walk up and down in the earth. <sup>8</sup> And he calleth me, and speaketh unto me, saying, `See, those coming forth unto the land of the north have caused My Spirit to rest in the land of the north.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

These: Zechariah 1:10, Zechariah 1:11, Psalms 68:17, Psalms 104:3, Psalms 104:4, Ezekiel 1:5-28, Ezekiel 10:9-19, Ezekiel 11:22, Hebrews 1:7, Hebrews 1:14, Revelation 14:6-13

spirits: or, winds, 1 Kings 19:11, Psalms 148:8, Daniel 7:2

go: Zechariah 4:10, 1 Kings 22:19, 2 Chronicles 18:18, 2 Chronicles 18:19, Job 1:6, Job 2:1, Job 2:2, Daniel 7:10, Matthew 18:10, Luke 1:19

the Lord: Zechariah 4:14, Isaiah 54:5

Reciprocal: Joshua 3:11 - the Lord Daniel 9:22 - he informed Micah 4:13 - the Lord of Zechariah 1:9 - the angel Zechariah 3:7 - I will Revelation 1:4 - from the

Cross-References

Genesis 6:1
And it cometh to pass that mankind have begun to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters have been born to them,

Genesis 6:3
And Jehovah saith, `My Spirit doth not strive in man -- to the age; in their erring they [are] flesh:' and his days have been an hundred and twenty years.

Genesis 6:4
The fallen ones were in the earth in those days, and even afterwards when sons of God come in unto daughters of men, and they have borne to them -- they [are] the heroes, who, from of old, [are] the men of name.

Genesis 6:9
These [are] births of Noah: Noah [is] a righteous man; perfect he hath been among his generations; with God hath Noah walked habitually.

Genesis 6:19
and of all that liveth, of all flesh, two of every [sort] thou dost bring in unto the ark, to keep alive with thee; male and female are they.

Genesis 6:20
Of the fowl after its kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every [sort] they come in unto thee, to keep alive.

Genesis 6:21
`And thou, take to thyself of all food that is eaten; and thou hast gathered unto thyself, and it hath been to thee and to them for food.'

Genesis 8:21
and Jehovah smelleth the sweet fragrance, and Jehovah saith unto His heart, `I continue not to disesteem any more the ground because of man, though the imagination of the heart of man [is] evil from his youth; and I continue not to smite any more all living, as I have done;

Genesis 13:13
and the men of Sodom [are] evil, and sinners before Jehovah exceedingly.

Deuteronomy 29:19
`And it hath been, in his hearing the words of this oath, and he hath blessed himself in his heart, saying, I have peace, though in the stubbornness of my heart I go on, in order to end the fulness with the thirst.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the angel answered and said unto me,.... In order to grant him his request, and explain the vision of the chariots:

these [are] the four spirits of the heavens; or, "the four winds of the heavens"; the apostles and ministers of the Gospel may be compared to "the winds", because their ministry is the ministration of the Spirit, which is like wind that blows invisibly, powerfully, and where it listeth; and because in and by it the Spirit breathes life and comfort into the souls of men; and because of the powerful efficacy and penetrating nature of the word preached by them, and their swiftness and readiness to do the will of God: angels are called "spirits" or "winds", Psalms 104:3 they are created spirits, and so differ from God; are incorporeal ones, and so differ from men; and are immaterial and immortal, and so die not: they are spiritual subsistences, and spirits of the heavens, or heavenly spirits; heaven being the place of their abode and residence; and they may be compared to "winds", for their invisibility, wonderful penetration into places and things, their very great swiftness, and prodigious power and strength. The Targum paraphrases the words thus,

"these are the four kingdoms, which are as the winds of heaven;''

and so the same are signified by the four winds in Daniel 7:2 to which they may be compared for their swift and forcible carrying all before them, and for their fickleness and changeableness; and to which, the several parts of the world, into which they went, agree:

which go forth, from standing before the Lord of all the earth: so the apostles of Christ, and ministers of the Gospel, stood before him in his eternal purposes and decrees from everlasting; and went forth, having their commission from him in time; and were sent by him into the several parts of the world he is the Lord of; and by whom they were filled with gifts, grace, and courage, fitting them for their work. Angels also stand before him, ministering unto him; always behold him; are in his presence, and enjoy his favour; and go forth from him, being sent forth by him on various accounts into all the parts of the world; which Jehovah is the Creator, Upholder, and Governor of: moreover, this is applicable to the four monarchies; these stood before the Lord in his vast and infinite mind; in the secret decrees of it, before the world was; and the sending and going forth of them from him show that they were powers ordained of God, who has the government of the whole world in his hands.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

These are the four spirits of the heavens - They cannot be literal winds: for spirits, not winds, stand before God, as His servants, as in Job, “the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord” (Job 1:6; Job 2:1. This they did, (Jerome), “for these four kingdoms did nothing without the will of God.” Zechariah sums up in one, what former prophets had said separately of the Assyrian, the Babylonian, Egyptian, Persian. “O Assyria, the rod of Mine anger - I will send him against an ungodly nation, and against the people of My wrath I will give him a charge” Isaiah 10:5. “I will send and take all the families of the north, and Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land” Jeremiah 25:9. “The Lord shall hiss for the fly, that is in the uttermost part of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria, and they shall come, and shall rest, all of them, in the desolate valleys” Isaiah 7:18-19. “I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem” Jeremiah 1:15. Whatever the human impulse or the human means, all stand before the Lord of the whole earth, ministering to His will whose are all things, the Judge of all, who withholdeth the chastisement till the iniquity is full, and then, through man’s injustice, executes His own just judgment. Osorius: “He says that they went forth from where they had stood before the Lord of the whole earth, to show that their power had been obtained by the counsel of God, that they might serve His will. For no empire was ever set up on earth without the mind, counsel and power of God. He exalts the humble and obscure, He prostrates the lofty, who trust overmuch in themselves, arms one against the other, so that no fraud or pride shall be without punishment.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zechariah 6:5. The four spirits of the heavens — Ministers of God's wrath against the sinful nations of the world.