New King James Version
Zechariah 4:6
6So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
Zechariah 4:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
- New International Version (NIV)So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Context of Zechariah 4:6
4So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” 5Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. 7‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ” 8Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
Read all of Zechariah 4Zechariah 4:6 word by word
וַיַּ֜עַן וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלַי֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר זֶ֚ה דְּבַר־יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר לֹ֤א בְחַ֙יִל֙ וְלֹ֣א בְכֹ֔חַ כִּ֣י אִם־בְּרוּחִ֔י אָמַ֖ר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then he answeredעָנָה‛ânâh · to answerH6030
- and spakeאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- unto Zerubbabelזְרֻבָּבֶ֫לzerûbbâbel · ZerubbabelH2216
- Not by mightחַ֫יִלchayil · strengthH2428
- nor by powerכֹּחַkôach kôach · strengthH3581
- but by my spiritרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
- of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
Cross-references for Zechariah 4:6
- Zechariah 9:13For I have bent Judah, My bow, Fitted the bow with Ephraim, And raised up your sons, O Zion, Against your sons, O Greece, And made you like the sword of a mighty man.”
- Numbers 27:16“Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
- 2 Chronicles 14:11And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”
- Isaiah 11:2The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
- Isaiah 30:1“Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;
- Isaiah 32:15Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.
- Isaiah 63:10But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, And He fought against them.
- Ezekiel 37:11Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’
- Hosea 1:7Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, Will save them by the Lord their God, And will not save them by bow, Nor by sword or battle, By horses or horsemen.”
- Haggai 2:2“Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying:
- 1 Corinthians 2:4And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
- 2 Corinthians 10:4For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
- 1 Peter 1:12To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.
- 2 Chronicles 32:7“Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him.
- Psalms 20:6Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.
- Psalms 33:16No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
Commentaries on Zechariah 4:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel - This prince was in a trying situation, and he needed especial encouragement from God; and here it is: Not by might, (of thy own), nor by power, (authority from others), but by my Spirit - the providence, authority, power, and energy of the Most High. In this way shall my temple be built; in this way shall my Church be raised and preserved. No secular arm, no human prudence, no earthly policy, no suits at law…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel - Osorius: “As if he were to say, the meaning of the vision and scope of what has been exhibited is, God‘s doings have almost cried aloud to Zerubbabel that all these visions shall come to an end in their time, not effected by human might nor in fleshly strength, but in power of the Holy Spirit and through Divine Will.‘ For the Only Begotten became Man as we are, but He warred not after the flesh, to set up the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6Jeshua and Zerubbabel would succeed in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, not by their own power, but because of God's empowering Spirit (compare Haggai 2:4–5).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. Not by might ... but by my Spirit--As the lamps burned continually, supplied with oil from a source (the living olive trees) which man did not make, so Zerubbabel need not be disheartened because of his weakness; for as the work is one to be effected by the living Spirit (compare Hag 2:5) of God, man's weakness is no obstacle, for God's might will perfect strength out of weakness (Ho 1:7; 2Co 12:10; He 11:34). "Might and power" express human strength…Read the comment
Topics related to Zechariah 4:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Zechariah 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries