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Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary

Zechariah 1:20

The Lord; Jehovah, who before is the Angel, i.e. Christ, he is the eternal One, the great God. Showed me; both proposed the thing to be seen, and gave eyes to see and discern it. Four carpenters; known by their garb and tools to be carpenters, or smiths, as the Hebrew bears it. The Lord; Jehovah, who before is the Angel, i.e. Christ, he is the eternal One, the great God. Showed me; both proposed the thing to be seen, and gave eyes to see and discern it. Four carpenters; known by their garb and tools to be carpenters, or smiths, as the Hebrew bears it.

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See also Zechariah 1:20 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Zechariah 1:20. _FOUR CARPENTERS._] Four other _powers_, who should defeat the powers intended by the _horns_. These are the same as the _four_ _chariots_ mentioned Zechariah 6:1; Zechariah 6:6...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS 1. THE NIGHT VISIONS CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The introduction (Zechariah 1:1) _ 2. The first night vision (Zechariah 1:7) 3. The second night vision (Zechariah 1:18)...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    The four horns which have scattered Judah and Jerusalem (Israel should probably be omitted) represent the whole world arrayed against Judah, and are perhaps iron horns like those made by Zedekiah (1 K...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    SHEWED ME. This is part of the second vision, CARPENTERS. (iron)smiths....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _the Lord_ Jehovah, from whom the whole series of visions proceeded, Zechariah 1:7. _four carpenters_ Rather, ARTIFICERS, or WORKMEN; (_smiths_, R. V.). The word is used of working in wood, but also i...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    FOUR CARPENTERS— Or as many subverters of the kingdoms as the kingdoms were which had oppressed the Jews. The word חרשׁ _choresh,_ signifies a mechanic, or artificer in brass, iron, wood, stone, &c. R...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    CHAPTER XXVIII A VISION OF FOUR HORNS AND SMITHS Zechariah 1:18-21 RV. And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, four horns. And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these? And...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. The power of the Jews' foes shall be dissipated. Verse 18. BEHOLD, FOUR HORNS. To a pastoral people like the Jews the horns of the stron...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    1:20 craftsmen. (e-6) Or 'smiths,' 'carpenters.'...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    LESSONS FROM THE PAST. THE FIRST AND SECOND VISIONS 1-6. The Prophet's message. He calls the people to repentance. 8-17. The First Vision: The Divine Messengers ever watching over the affairs of the...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    FOUR CARPENTERS (RV 'smiths')] lit. 'workers' (sc. in iron), as in Isaiah 44:12. Probably one to deal with each horn. The language is symbolic, and does not necessarily imply the sending of four deliv...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    GOD REMEMBERS HIS PROMISES ZECHARIAH _GORDON CHURCHYARD_ ‘The *prophet (Zechariah) said that these events would happen. And these events did happen.’ (Matthew 21:4) (A *prophet tells people what G...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    A SERIES OF SEVEN VISIONS. Zechariah 1:7 to Zechariah 6:15. Between the commencement of Zechariah’s prophetic labours and the incidents recorded in Zechariah 1:7 to...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    CARPENTERS. — Better, _workmen,_ for the Hebrew word does not mean “carpenters,” unless followed by the word meaning “wood....

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    _[Zechariah 2:3]_ וַ יַּרְאֵ֣נִי יְהוָ֔ה אַרְבָּעָ֖ה חָרָשִֽׁים׃

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE VISIONS OF ZECHARIAH Zechariah 1:7; Zechariah 2:1; Zechariah 3:1; Zechariah 4:1;...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE REDEMPTION OF JERUSALEM Zechariah 1:18-21; Zechariah 2:1-13 The work of Temple-building had ceased for fifteen years and the new resolve to arise and build might meet with a similar fate. But the...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    About a month after Haggai's second message, in which he had encouraged the people who were in danger of being disheartened by the memory of the past, Zechariah uttered his first prophetic word. He ga...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    And the LORD showed me four (s) craftsmen. (s) These craftsmen or smiths are God's instruments, who with their mallets and hammers break these hard and strong horns which would overthrow the Church,...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Four horns,...four smiths. The four horns represent the empires, or kingdoms, that persecute and oppress the people of God: the four smiths or carpenters (for faber may signify either) represent those...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    "And the LORD showed me four carpenters. (21) Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these a...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    Lectures on the Minor Prophets. W. Kelly. Zechariah was plainly a contemporary of Haggai. Like him he dates his prophecies from the second imperial power of the Gentiles; but he goes a great deal far...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    _SPIRITUAL STRENGTH_ ‘And the Lord shewed me four carpenters.’ Zechariah 1:20 Carpenters are very useful members of the community. Our text shows us that there is a place for him, and a very import...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    But we must join the latter part, — that God showed also to the Prophet _four smiths_, for these two visions are connected together. Whosoever then takes only the first part, acts very absurdly, for t...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    The Spirit of God begins with an exhortation, founded on the proofs that the history of the people supplied of the manner in which the word of the prophets had taken hold of them. Jehovah's displeasur...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND THE LORD SHOWED ME FOUR CARPENTERS. To saw and cut in pieces the four horns; or rather "four blacksmiths" y; these horns were horns of iron; so the word is rendered a "smith" in 1 Samuel 13:19 and...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And the LORD shewed me four carpenters. Ver. 20. _And the Lord showed me four carpenters_] He that before was called an angel is here called Jehovah, this shows him to be Christ, who is God blessed f...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Then, behold, four horns_ Horns often signify the power of princes or people, the metaphor being taken from those cattle whose strength lies in their horns. The horns here mentioned denote the powers...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE VISION OF THE FOUR HORNS AND THE FOUR SMITHS...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And the Lord showed me four carpenters, rather, four craftsmen in iron, four smiths....

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    GOD'S CALL TO RETURN TO HIM (vv. 1-6) Zechariah's name means "Jehovah remembers." He was the son of Berechiah ("Jehovah blesses") who was the son of Iddo ("the appointed time"). Israel had long been...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    18-21 The enemies of the church threaten to cut off the name of Israel. They are horns, emblems of power, strength, and violence. The prophet saw them so formidable that he began to despair of the sa...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Zechariah 1:20 LORD H3068 showed H7200 (H8686) four H702 craftsmen H2796 four - Zechariah 9:12-16,...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    THE SECOND VISION. THE VISION OF THE HORNS AND THE SMITHS (ZECHARIAH 1:18). God will now pare back the horns that have been directed at Jerusalem. The message is that although Israel and Judah have b...

  • Scofield's Bible Commentary

    AND THE LORD The word "charash", translated, "carpenter," is literally, carver, engraver. (Zechariah 1:21) makes it plain that, whatever the four carvers may be, they are used to "fray," or carve awa...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Zechariah 1:18 I. As physical emblems of force, horns are in the prophetic visions representative of earthly powers or kingdoms. The number four, in its prophetic acceptation, is the signature of the...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Zechariah's symbolic visions, warning of Jehovah's dispreasure with the nations. CHARACTERS: God, Darius, Zechariah. CONCLUSION: The judgments of God which those who went before us were un...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Zechariah 1:1. _Zechariah;_ that is, the memory of God; a name which might seem prophetic, for the Lord remembered his people while yet in Babylon. He was contemporary with Haggai, and acted in concer...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _And the Lord shewed me four carpenters _ THE COUNTERBALANCING OF AGENCIES Evil agencies are counterbalanced by good--for there is a Divine providence always at work in this world. The prophet saw...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Behold four horns _ THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH’S ENEMIES Three things there are which this age of ours hath brought forth: malignant enemies, special instruments of their ruin, and great endeavours...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON ZECHARIAH 1:1 Oracles and Visions. Zechariah’s sequence of visions in Zechariah 1:7 is interrupted by an oracle of restoration ...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON ZECHARIAH 1:18 The second vision describes FOUR HORNS. “Four” symbolizes all the world powers responsible for exiling JUDAH, ISRAEL, AND JERUSALEM. These nations had s

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.] ZECHARIAH 1:16. RETURNED] to Jerusalem, from whom God had withdrawn. LINE] All obstacles removed, the temple completed, and the whole city shall be regular in shape, and exact in its...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION VERSE 1-6:15 Part I. A SERIES OF EIGHT VISIONS, AND A SYMBOLICAL ACTION. ZECHARIAH 1:1 § 1. _Title of the book, and author. _THE EIGHTH MONTH. This was called Bul before the Captivit

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Shall we tonight now get into our study in the book of Zechariah beginning with chapter 1. Now if you remember when we studied the book of Haggai last week, Haggai was dating his prophesies in the sec...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Samuel 12:11; Deuteronomy 33:25; Isaiah 54:15; Judges 11:16;...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    THE MAN AMONG THE MYRTLE TREES Zechariah 1:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS The visions have to do primarily with God's dealings with His chosen people Israel. They will, however, be full of lessons for the sai...

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