Zechariah 4:6 (YLT)

Passage

And he answereth and speaketh unto me, saying: `This <FI>is<Fi> a word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying: Not by a force, nor by power, But--by My Spirit, said Jehovah of Hosts.

Nearby Context

Zechariah 4:4 And I answer and speak unto the messenger who is speaking with me, saying, `What <FI>are<Fi> these, my lord?'

Zechariah 4:5 And the messenger who is speaking with me answereth and saith unto me, `Hast thou not known what these <FI>are<Fi> ?' And I say, `No, my lord.'

Zechariah 4:6 And he answereth and speaketh unto me, saying: `This <FI>is<Fi> a word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying: Not by a force, nor by power, But--by My Spirit, said Jehovah of Hosts.

Zechariah 4:7 Who <FI>art<Fi> thou, O great mountain Before Zerubbabel--for a plain! And he hath brought forth the top-stone, Cries of Grace, grace--<FI> are<Fi> to it.'

Zechariah 4:8 And there is a word of Jehovah to me, saying,

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "And the messenger who is speaking with..." into verse 7's "Who FI art Fi thou O great...", so "Spirit" and "answereth" 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 "answereth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.