Zechariah 4:12
in Zechariah 4And I questioned him further, “What are the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes from which the golden oil pours?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And I answered the second time, and said unto him, What are these two olive-branches, which are beside the two golden spouts, that empty the golden oil out of themselves?
KJV
And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
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This verse in Zechariah 4
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
What are the two spikes of the olive? - Comparing the extreme branches of the olive-tree, laden with their fruit, to the ears of corn, which “were by or in the hand of the golden pipes, which empty forth the golden oil from themselves.” Zechariah’s expression, in the hand of or, if so be, by the hand of the two pipes, shows that these two were symbols of living agents, for it is nowhere, used except of a living agent, or of that which it personified as such.
This site's exposition
What are these two olive trees upon the right side
on Zechariah 4:11-12
The prophet asks a second question the first exchange left open, pressing further into the two olive trees and then the two olive branches that empty golden oil out of themselves through golden pipes. Wesley notes the doubled question as the prophet's own persistence, unwilling to let the detail pass unexplained, since the trees supply the lamp without any human hand refilling it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 11 and following) And I answered and said to him, 'What are these two olive trees on the right and the left side of the lampstand?' And I answered the second time and said to him, 'What are these two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, from which the golden oil pours out?' And he said to me, 'Do you not know what these are?' And I said, 'No, my lord.' And he said, 'These are the two anointed ones who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.'
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Through the pipes - These were fastened to the bowl, on each side one, with a hole through the sides of the bowl, to let the oil that distilled from those olive-branches run into the bowl. Out of themselves - An emblem of supernatural grace; these branches filled from the true olive-tree, ever empty themselves, and are ever full; so are the gospel-ordinances.
When we enquire concerning the grace of God, it must be rather as it is communicated to us by the fruitful boughs of the word and ordinances (for that is one of the things revealed, which belong to us and to our children ) than as it is resident in the good olive where all our springs are, for that is one of the secret things, which belong not to us.
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the L ORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the L ORD of hosts. 7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:94%@v6-7
And I answered again, and said unto him,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
through--literally, "by the hand of," that is, by the agency of. branches--literally, "ears"; so the olive branches are called, because as ears are full of grain, so the olive branches are full of olives. golden oil--literally, "gold," that is, gold-like liquor. out of themselves--Ordinances and ministers are channels of grace, not the grace itself.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
What be these two olive branches - That is, two boughs laden with branches of olive berries.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
beside the two golden vats i.e., beside the two golden vats, as in (II Sam.:30): “See, Joab’s field is near mine.”
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
What are these two olive trees? What do they symbolize, and what do the two olive branches ( troches in Old French) symbolize? [They are] a cluster of olives on a branch, as if a type of ear of grain.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וָאַ֣עַן | vaaan | and I answered | H6030 → | 331 times |
| שֵׁנִ֔ית | shenit | a second [time] | H8145 → | 156 times |
| וָאֹמַ֖ר | vaomar | and I said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלָ֑יו | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מַה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| שְׁתֵּ֞י | shetei | [are] [the] two | H8147 → | 768 times |
| שִׁבֲּלֵ֣י | shibalei | [the] clusters of | H7641 → | |
| הַזֵּיתִ֗ים | hazeitim | the olive trees | H2132 → | 38 times |
| אֲשֶׁר֙ | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בְּיַ֗ד | beyad | [are] at [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| שְׁנֵי֙ | shenei | [the] two | H8147 → | 768 times |
| צַנְתְּר֣וֹת | tzanterot | [the] pipes of | H6804 → | |
| הַזָּהָ֔ב | hazahav | <the> gold | H2091 → | 389 times |
| הַֽמְרִיקִ֥ים | hamrikim | which are pouring out | H7324 → | |
| מֵעֲלֵיהֶ֖ם | mealeihem | from <the> on them | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַזָּהָֽב׃ | hazahav | the gold | H2091 → | 389 times |
וָאַ֣עַןand I answered
vaaanH6030 →331 times
שֵׁנִ֔יתa second [time]
shenitH8145 →156 times
וָאֹמַ֖רand I said
vaomarH559 →5305 times
אֵלָ֑יוto him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
מַה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
שְׁתֵּ֞י[are] [the] two
sheteiH8147 →768 times
שִׁבֲּלֵ֣י[the] clusters of
shibaleiH7641 →
הַזֵּיתִ֗יםthe olive trees
hazeitimH2132 →38 times
אֲשֶׁר֙which
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
בְּיַ֗ד[are] at [the] hand of
beyadH3027 →1618 times
שְׁנֵי֙[the] two
sheneiH8147 →768 times
צַנְתְּר֣וֹת[the] pipes of
tzanterotH6804 →
הַזָּהָ֔ב<the> gold
hazahavH2091 →389 times
הַֽמְרִיקִ֥יםwhich are pouring out
hamrikimH7324 →
מֵעֲלֵיהֶ֖םfrom <the> on them
mealeihemH5921 →5755 times
הַזָּהָֽב׃the gold
hazahavH2091 →389 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 11:4These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
it leads to
- Zechariah 4:11–14
Then I asked the angel, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?”
- Zechariah 4:2–3
“What do you see?” he asked. “I see a solid gold lampstand,” I replied, “with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven spouts to the lamps.
- Jeremiah 11:16
The LORD once called you a flourishing olive tree, beautiful with well-formed fruit. But with a mighty roar He will set it on fire, and its branches will be consumed.
- Zechariah 4:11–14
Through
Matthew 20:23“You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.”
it leads to
- Mark 10:40
But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
- Revelation 1:9
I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus.
- Matthew 25:34
Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
- Acts 12:2
He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
- 2 Timothy 2:11–12
This is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
- Mark 10:40
Where this verse is studied
About Zechariah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Zechariah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.