Zechariah 4:6 (DRB)

Passage

And he answered, and spoke to me, saying: This is the word of the Lord to Zorobabel, saying: Not with an army, nor by might, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

Nearby Context

Zechariah 4:4 And I answered, and said to the angel that spoke in me, saying: What are these things, my lord?

Zechariah 4:5 And the angel that spoke in me answered, and said to me: Knowest thou not what these things are? And I said: No, my lord.

Zechariah 4:6 And he answered, and spoke to me, saying: This is the word of the Lord to Zorobabel, saying: Not with an army, nor by might, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

Zechariah 4:7 Who art thou, O great mountain, before Zorobabel? thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring out the chief stone, and shall give equal grace to the grace thereof.

Zechariah 4:8 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "answered", "spoke", "saying", "word", "lord", "zorobabel", and "army". 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 "And the angel that spoke in 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.