225 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he answered, and spake,.... That is, the Angel of the Lord, before whom Joshua stood, answered to the accusations of Satan, and the entreaties of Joshua: and spake unto those that stood before him; not the fellows that sat before Joshua, Zechariah 3:8 for the priests, who were Joshua's fellows, could not take away sin; nor indeed can ministers...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head,.... These are either the words of Jehovah the Father, who has all the angels at his command, and can order them to do what he pleases; always regards the intercession of Christ; is ever well pleased with his righteousness, and with his people, as clothed with it; and, where he gives grace, he...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying. He not only gave his word, but annexed his oath; he called as it were heaven and earth to witness; and this he did to confirm the faith of Joshua in the promises he was about to make, as well as in the blessings of grace bestowed upon him; as the pardon of his sins, the justification of his...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Thus saith the Lord of hosts,.... For this Angel was no other than the Lord of armies in heaven and in earth: If thou wilt walk in my ways; prescribed in the word of God, moral, ceremonial, and evangelical; in Christ the grand way, and indeed the only way of salvation; and in the paths of faith, truth, righteousness, and holiness; in the ways of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest,.... What he was about to say further concerning the bringing forth of the Messiah, the antitype of him, and of all the priests: thou and thy fellows, that sit before thee; the Jews interpret (w) these of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, for whom wonders were wrought in delivering them from the fiery furnace; but...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For, behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua,.... Not the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel; nor the first and foundation stone of the temple laid by him in the presence of Joshua; but Christ the Stone of Israel, whom the builders refused, the foundation and corner stone of the spiritual building the church: and this was laid before...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
In that day, saith the Lord of hosts,.... The Gospel dispensation, which began with the incarnation, sufferings, death, and resurrection of Christ, and still continues; called sometimes the day of salvation, the acceptable time, and year of the redeemed: shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine, and under the fig tree; which may be...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Zechariah 4 In this chapter are contained the vision of a golden candlestick, and of two olive trees by it, and the explanation thereof. The preparation to this vision, which is the awaking of the prophet, as of a man out of sleep, is in Zechariah 4:1. The vision of the candlestick, and olive trees, is in Zechariah 4:2. The...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the angel that talked with me,.... See Zechariah 1:9: came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep; into which he fell, after he had had the former vision; see Daniel 8:18.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And said unto me, What seest thou?.... That is, after he was awake, and had looked about him: And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all [of] gold; such an one as was in the tabernacle of Moses, only with this difference; that had no bowl on the top, nor seven pipes to it, nor two olive trees on each side of it, with two pipes to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the two olive trees by it,.... Which are explained in, [See comments on Zechariah 4:14]: one upon the right [side] of the bowl, and the other upon the left [side] thereof; in Zechariah 4:11 they are said to be on the right and left sides of the bowl or candlestick, which is the same; for the situation of them was alike, with respect to the one...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So I answered, and spake to the angel that talked with me,.... The same that awoke him out of sleep, and asked him what he saw: saying, What [are] these, my lord? that is, what do they signify? what do they represent? or what are they emblems of? for he knew what they were; that they were a candlestick, and two olive trees; but he was desirous of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me,.... Either to upbraid him with his ignorance and stupidity; or rather to quicken his attention, and that of others, to the interpretation of it he was about to give him: Knowest thou not what these be? art thou ignorant of the design of them? or knowest thou not what is meant by them?...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then he answered, and spake unto me, saying,.... In great condescension, in order to instruct him into the true meaning of the vision: This [is] the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel; this signifies what was said by the Lord to Zerubbabel, by some one of the prophets sent unto him: saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Who art thou, O great mountain?.... This is said in reference to those who opposed the building of the temple, as Sanballat, and others; or the Persian monarchy, and Babylon the capital of it; a mountain being a symbol of a kingdom, or capital city; so Babylon is called, Jeremiah 51:25 hence the Targum paraphrases the words thus, "how art thou...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. As follows; which is a confirmation of the angel's interpretation of the vision.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house,.... The temple at Jerusalem, which was laid, or however renewed, after it had been long neglected, even the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, two months before this vision and prophecy, Haggai 2:18 compared with Zechariah 1:7: his hands shall also finish it: signified by...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For who hath despised the day of small things?.... This literally refers to the building of the second temple, which was contemptible to the enemies of Judah, Sanballat, and others; and little in the eyes of many of the Jews themselves, who had seen the former temple; yet not in the eyes of the Lord of hosts, Ezra 3:12 and so the Targum...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then answered I, and said unto him,.... To the angel that talked with him, Zechariah 4:1: What [are] these two olive trees upon the right [side] of the candlestick, and upon the [left] side thereof? in Zechariah 4:2 they are said to be on each side of the bowl. The mystery of the candlestick being explained to Zechariah by the angel, the prophet...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And I answered again, and said unto him,.... Before he could have an answer to the former question, he puts the following, as being of the same import: What [be these] two olive branches; which grew upon the olive trees, and were nearest to the candlestick, and the pipes that were to the lamps: these, in Zechariah 4:14, are interpreted of the two...