“Do you not know what these are?” he inquired. “No, my lord,” I replied.
Parallel translations
- WEB He answered me, “Don’t you know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.”
- KJV And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
- NKJV Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”
- NASB So he answered me, saying, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”
- NLT “Don’t you know?” he asked. “No, my lord,” I 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
The angel again asks if Zechariah knows, and he again confesses he does not. Renewed humility precedes the vision's key answer.
Overview
For the second time Zechariah honestly admits his lack of understanding, mirroring earlier in the chapter. This repeated humility underscores that the meaning must be revealed, not deduced. God honors such dependence by giving the long-awaited explanation in the next verse.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Zech 4:5“Do you not know what they are?” replied the angel. “No, my lord,” I answered.
- Heb 5:11–12We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing.
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 4:13 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.