Zechariah 4:12 (DRB)

Passage

And I answered again, and said to him: What are the two olive branches, that are by the two golden beaks, in which are the funnels of gold?

Nearby Context

Zechariah 4:10 For who hath despised little days? and they shall rejoice, and shall see the tin plummet in the hand of Zorobabel. These are the seven eyes of the Lord, that run to and fro through the whole earth.

Zechariah 4:11 And I answered, and said to 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 again, and said to him: What are the two olive branches, that are by the two golden beaks, in which are the funnels of gold?

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

Zechariah 4:14 And he said: These are two sons of oil who stand before the Lord of the whole earth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "answered", "again", "said", "olive", "branches", "golden", "beaks", and "funnels". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "answered" and "again", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And I answered and said to him..." into verse 13's "And he spoke to me saying Knowest...", so "answered" and "again" 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 "again" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.