“What are these, my lord?” I asked. And the angel who was speaking with me replied, “I will show you what they are.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Then I asked, ‘My lord, what are these?’” The angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.”
- KJV Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.
- NKJV Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.”
- NASB Then I said, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.”
- NLT I asked the angel who was talking with me, “My lord, what do these horses mean?” “I will show you,” the angel replied.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Zechariah asks the meaning of the vision, and an interpreting angel offers to explain. The prophet models humble dependence on God's revelation.
Overview
Throughout these visions an angel guides Zechariah, showing that spiritual realities must be interpreted by God, not guessed at by human insight. Zechariah's question, 'My lord, what are these?', expresses teachable humility. This pattern reminds believers that understanding God's purposes comes through His gracious self-disclosure, fully given in the revelation of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Zech 4:4–5“What are these, my lord?” I asked the angel who was speaking with me.
- Rev 7:13–14Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?”
- Zech 2:3Then the angel who was speaking with me went out, and another angel came out to meet him
- Zech 5:5Then the angel who was speaking with me came forward and told me, “Now lift up your eyes and see what is approaching.”
- Dan 9:22–23He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding.
- Zech 1:19So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he told me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
- Gen 31:11In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’
- Dan 10:11–14He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man who is highly precious. Consider carefully the words that I am about to say to you. Stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had said this to me, I stood up trembling.
- Dan 8:15–16While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.
- Rev 19:9–10Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
- Zech 6:4–5So I inquired of the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”
- Dan 7:16I approached one of those who were standing there, and I asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me the interpretation of these things:
- Zech 4:11Then I asked the angel, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?”
- Rev 17:1–7Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.
- Rev 22:8–16And I am John, who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Branch who is both priest and king, the shepherd struck and the flock scattered, the king coming humble on a donkey, the one they pierced, the fountain opened for sin — Zechariah is dense with Christ.
How Zechariah 1:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.