Zechariah 4:6 (ASV)

Passage

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts.

Nearby Context

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.

Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts.

Zechariah 4:7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel [thou shalt become] a plain; and he shall bring forth the top stone with shoutings of Grace, grace, unto it.

Zechariah 4:8 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "answered", "spake", "saying", "word", "jehovah", "zerubbabel", and "might". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "answered", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Then the angel that talked with me..." into verse 7's "Who art thou O great mountain before...", so "Spirit" and "answered" 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 "Spirit" and "answered" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.