Zechariah 4:4

Contemporary English Version

But, sir, what do these mean?"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”

Hebrew Names Version
I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?"

King James Version (1611)
So I answered and spake to the Angell that talked with mee, saying: What are these, my Lord?

King James Version
So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

English Standard Version
And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"

New American Standard Bible
Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?"

New Century Version
I asked the angel who talked with me, "Sir, what are these?"

Amplified Bible
So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, "What are these, my lord?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
So I answered, and spake to the Angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my Lord?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, "What are these, my lord?"

Legacy Standard Bible
Then I answered and said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, "What are these, my lord?"

Berean Standard Bible
"What are these, my lord?" I asked the angel who was speaking with me.

Complete Jewish Bible
I then asked the angel speaking with me, "What are these, my Lord?" The angel speaking with me said,

Darby Translation
And I answered and spoke to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

Easy-to-Read Version
Then I asked the angel who was speaking with me, "Sir, what do these things mean?"

George Lamsa Translation
So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

Good News Translation
Then I asked the angel, "What do these things stand for, sir?"

Lexham English Bible
And I answered and said to the angel who was talking to me, "What are these, my lord?"

Literal Translation
And I answered and spoke to the angel who was talking with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

American Standard Version
And I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

Bible in Basic English
And I made answer and said to the angel who was talking to me, What are these, my lord?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And I answered and spoke to the angel that spoke with me, saying: 'What are these, my lord?'

Bishop's Bible (1568)
So I aunswered, and spake to the angell that talked with me, saying, O my Lorde, what are these?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And I inquired, and spoke to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these things, my lord?

English Revised Version
And I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

World English Bible
I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y answeride, and seide to the aungel that spak in me, and Y seide, What ben these thingis, my lord?

Update Bible Version
And I answered and spoke to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?

Webster's Bible Translation
So I answered and spoke to the angel that talked with me, saying, What [are] these, my lord?

New English Translation
Then I asked the messenger who spoke with me, "What are these, sir?"

New King James Version
So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?"

New Living Translation
Then I asked the angel, "What are these, my lord? What do they mean?"

New Life Bible
Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, "What are these, my lord?"

New Revised Standard
I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then responded I, and said unto the messenger who was speaking with me, saying, - What are these, my lord?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And I answered, and said to the angel that spoke in me, saying: What are these things, my lord?

Revised Standard Version
And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"

Young's Literal Translation
And I answer and speak unto the messenger who is speaking with me, saying, `What [are] these, my lord?'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So I answered, & spake to the angel yt talked with me, sayenge: O my lorde what are these?

THE MESSAGE
Then I asked the Messenger-Angel, "What does this mean, sir?"

Contextual Overview

¹ The angel who explained the visions woke me from what seemed like sleep. ² Then he asked, "What do you see?" "A solid gold lampstand with an oil container above it," I answered. "On the stand are seven lamps, each with seven flames. ³ One olive tree is on the right side and another on the left of the oil container. ⁴ But, sir, what do these mean?" ⁵ Then he asked, "Don't you know?" "No sir," I replied. ⁶ So the angel explained that it was the following message of the Lord to Zerubbabel: I am the Lord All-Powerful. So don't depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit. ⁷ Zerubbabel, that mountain in front of you will be leveled to the ground. Then you will bring out the temple's most important stone and shout, "God has been very kind." ⁸ The Lord spoke to me again and said: ⁹ Zerubbabel laid the foundation for the temple, and he will complete it. Then everyone will know that you were sent by me, the Lord All-Powerful. ¹⁰ Those who have made fun of this day of small beginnings will celebrate when they see Zerubbabel holding this important stone. Those seven lamps represent my eyes—the eyes of the Lord —and they see everything on this earth.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What: Zechariah 4:12-14, Zechariah 1:9, Zechariah 1:19, Zechariah 5:6, Zechariah 6:4, Daniel 7:16-19, Daniel 12:8, Matthew 13:36, Revelation 7:13, Revelation 7:14

Cross-References

Genesis 4:16
But Cain had to go far from the Lord and live in the Land of Wandering, which is east of Eden.

Genesis 4:17
Later, Cain and his wife had a son named Enoch. At the time Cain was building a town, and so he named it Enoch after his son.

Genesis 4:19
Lamech married Adah, then Zillah.

Genesis 4:20
Lamech and Adah had two sons, Jabal and Jubal. Their son Jabal was the first to live in tents and raise sheep and goats. Jubal was the first to play harps and flutes.

Genesis 15:17
Sometime after sunset, when it was very dark, a smoking cooking pot and a flaming fire went between the two halves of each animal.

Exodus 13:12
From then on, you must give him every first-born son from your families and every first-born male from your animals, because these belong to him.

Leviticus 9:24
The Lord sent fiery flames that burned up everything on the altar, and when everyone saw this, they shouted and fell to their knees to worship the Lord .

Numbers 16:35
Suddenly the Lord sent a fire that burned up the two hundred fifty men who had offered incense to him.

Numbers 18:12
For example, when the Israelites bring me the first batches of oil, wine, and grain, you can have the best parts of those gifts.

Numbers 18:17
However, all first-born cattle, sheep, and goats belong to me and cannot be bought back. Splatter their blood on the altar and send their fat up in smoke, so I can smell it and be pleased.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 knowing what the meaning of them were.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Osorius: “Awakened from his state of sleep, even thus the prophet seemed slowly to understand what was shown him. He asks then of the instructing angel. The angel, almost amazed, asks if he knowns it not, and when he plainly declares his ignorance, makes clear the enigma of the vision.”