Zechariah 4:11 (ASV)

Passage

Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive-trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

Nearby Context

Zechariah 4:9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto you.

Zechariah 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for these seven shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel; [these are] the eyes of Jehovah, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

Zechariah 4:11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive-trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

Zechariah 4:12 And I answered the second time, and said unto him, What are these two olive-branches, which are beside the two golden spouts, that empty the golden [oil] out of themselves?

Zechariah 4:13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "answered", "said", "olive-trees", "upon", "right", "side", and "candlestick". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "answered" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "For who hath despised the day of..." into verse 12's "And I answered the second time and...", so "answered" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Zechariah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "answered" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.