Notes on Zechariah 4

Zechariah 4 is a book which is treated by most interpreters like a Mad Magazine fold-up cover. It works really nicely if you extract 6b-10a, reading as a straight-forward (notwithstanding the contexts) conversation between Zechariah and his divine messenger-guide.

The conversation goes as follows:

4:1 Angel wakes up Zechariah
4:2a Angel asks what he sees
4:2b-3 Zechariah describes what he sees
4:4 Zechariah asks the angel what he just saw
4:5a Angel asks if he knows
4:5b Zechariah says no
4:6a,10b Angel explains what he saw
4:11 Zechariah asks more of what he saw with a description
4:12 Zechariah asks what he saw
4:13a Angel asks if he knows
4:13b Zechariah says no
4:14 Angel explains what he saw

Right in the middle are two words from Yhwh focussing on the significance of Zerubbabel, first to Zerubbabel himself (4:6b-7), and then to Zechariah (4:8-10a). Both of these are about Zerubbabel, but for the hearing of the people.

There are then three things to focus on:

1. The first item in the vision - the lamps
2. The second item(s) in the vision - the olive trees
3. The paired oracles about Zerubbabel

Briefly, before dealing with these three, is the question of why this construction. The short answer is it doesn't make a lot of sense. One could argue this embeds the oracle lest it become separated out. But in the centre of chapter 4 it has no place to go: it must be related to the vision which surrounds it. The dissonance of reading v6 and v10 as is means one is forced to reassemble the passage so the answer begun in v6 can be concluded in v10. The flow then continues to the end, but of course, having skipped the centre, one must return and grapple with the oracles but now in light of the understanding of the vision as a whole.

The Lamps
I'm not going to lie. It's very confusing. My best attempt at an explanation is as follows:

1. I don't think it's describing a menorah.
2. Rather, we have a stand, with a bowl on top of the stand, filled with oil, in order to feed the lamps.
3. The seven lamps are arranged around the bowl in the centre.
4. The type of lamp is what I could best describe as a pinch-lamp. It looks like an ashtray, pinched in the corner, but there are seven corners. And in each corner would be a wick.
5. This would then be literally quite brilliant, with seven seven-lipped lamps, containing a total of forty-nine burning wicks.
6. The bowl in the centre has grooves which feed the middle of each pinch-lamp.

It could be that I'm wrong, and that there are seven grooves for each lamp, but I think part of the point is that it's dazzling. 7x7 is much more impressive than 7 lamps each fed by seven grooves.

What's it all about? The lamps seem to stand for Yhwh's reinstated presence in centre of the community, enabling them to shine as lights in the darkness.

The Olive Trees
Either side of the lampstand are two olive trees, which are somehow feeding the bowl. One might ask how this is possible when there's no press; olives do not simply drip with oil. But this is a vision, in whichever level of Inception we might be in at the moment (remember 4:1, Zechariah is awakened into this vision from his dream).

Who are they, to restate Zechariah's question from 4:12? They are the "two sons of the oil", not "sanctified" (otherwise they could be messiahs), but with a similar idea. Perhaps "consecrated" comes closest. And they are standing by (על) the Lord of all the earth. So these two people (whom we know to be Zerubbabel and Joshua) also have a role in the heavenly assembly, which is an astonishing statement. That said, we did see Joshua there in the previous chapter, so the new thing is that the oft-mentioned Zerubbabel will join him.

Both men get a symbol - one olive tree each - but while the previous chapter was Joshua's, this is Zerubbabel's. Which brings us to the centre of the passage.

Oracles about Zerubbabel
Not to labour the point, but this is a weird spot for this oracle. It begins as oracles should ("this is the word of Yhwh to Z"), not as an answer to a question about lamps. And after the first oracle, the formula: "says Yhwh of Armies." So I'm quite certain we're in prophecy land, not angelic answer world.

The oracle breaks down into three parts.

1. To Zerubbabel, rebuking his means: Not by might nor by strength but by my spirit. (4:6b)
2. To the mountain, regarding Zerubbabel: You will be as flat as a footy field (4:7)
3. To the people, about the temple: Zerubbabel started it and Zerubbabel will finish it (4:9-10a)

To work through the points:
1/ Might/Strength vs Spirit
This is a rebuke. The theory George Athas suggests is that Zerubbabel got a whiff of independence. He tried taking it and got found out. The point then is to not. God rescued them by his spirit out of Babylon, not by political or any other agitation. So keep trusting in God do work for you.

2/ Flattened Mountain
The two main possibilities are the Zagros mountains in Persia, their powerbase standing for their power. They will be as if flattened when Yhwh raises up his kingly figure.
The second possibility is describing the rubble on Temple Mount. It's hard to know where to even begin. But never fear, work with Zerubbabel and it will flatten itself out as many enthusiastic hands make light work.

3/ Trust the Process
The fear is that when Zerubbabel was sanctioned, that was the end of the temple. But it won't be. It will indeed be built. And Zerubbabel will be there to do it.
The next bit talks about two things, a "day of small [things]", and the tin stone (v10). The small things here refers to the humble beginnings of the temple build. And the tin stone (not to be confused with the capstone/foundation stone mentioned in v9) is a humble image of Zerubbabel up on the wall making sure it's nice and vertical. This will cause everyone to rejoice! It's a "small thing", but an important thing, and a sign that trusting in Yhwh's means is the right way to achieve his ends.

Summary
Zechariah 4 is confusing because of the awful syntax in the EVV trying to make v10 one coherent sentence. It's not. And once you've separated out the filling from the sandwich bread either side, the way the passage works makes much more sense. The imagery is still weird, but it's all coalescing to one coherent theme, about how Yhwh will work with his chosen leaders through humble means to ensure his glory is known and beheld by all.