Zechariah 4:3 (ASV)

Passage

and two olive-trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

Nearby Context

Zechariah 4:1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.

Zechariah 4:2 And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have seen, and, behold, a candlestick all of gold, with its bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; there are seven pipes to each of the lamps, which are upon the top thereof;

Zechariah 4:3 and two olive-trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

Zechariah 4:4 And I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

Zechariah 4:5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And he said unto me What seest..." into verse 4's "And I answered and spake to the...", so "olive-trees" and "upon" 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 "olive-trees" and "upon" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.