Zechariah 4:4 (GNV)

Passage

So I answered, and spake to the Angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my Lord?

Nearby Context

Zechariah 4:2 And saide vnto me, What seest thou? And I said, I haue looked, and beholde, a candlesticke all of gold with a bowle vpon the toppe of it, and his seuen lampes therein, and seuen pipes to the lampes, which were vpon the toppe thereof.

Zechariah 4:3 And two oliue trees ouer it, one vpon the right side of the bowle, and the other vpon the left side thereof.

Zechariah 4:4 So 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 mee, answered and said vnto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my Lord.

Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake vnto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord vnto Zerubbabel, saying, Neither by an armie nor strength, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hostes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "answered", "spake", "angel", "talked", "saying", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "answered" and "spake", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And two oliue trees ouer it one..." into verse 5's "Then the Angel that talked with mee...", so "answered" and "spake" 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 "spake" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.