Zechariah 4 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 4:7
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Chapter 4
The lampstand and the two olive trees
Verse 4:1 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:1 The angel speaking with me returned and roused me like someone awakened from sleep.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:1 The angel speaking within me returned and roused me as when someone is awakened from sleep,
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The returning angel and comparison to awakening agree.
Verse 4:2 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:2 He said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see a lampstand entirely of gold, with its bowl on top, its seven lamps upon it, and seven and seven channels for the lamps on its top.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:2 and said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see a lampstand entirely of gold, with its lamp-bowl above it, seven lamps upon it, and seven pouring channels for the lamps above it.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew repeats seven and seven for the channels; Greek has seven once. The Hebrew distribution, seven each or another arrangement, remains open rather than being silently reduced. The lamp-bowl and channels are provisional functional renderings of the vision's apparatus. Reading decision: the first-person I said follows the Qere explicitly displayed in the checked bilingual Rashi source; the written form is he said. Rashi understands seven channels for each of seven lamps, forty-nine in all. The Greek’s seven is retained independently [RASHI-ZEC4].
Verse 4:3 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:3 Two olive trees stand beside it, one on the right of the bowl and one on its left.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:3 Two olive trees stand over it, one to the right of the lamp-bowl and one to the left.”
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both position two olive trees on opposite sides of the central vessel; the prepositions permit slightly different spatial descriptions.
Verse 4:4 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:4 I answered and said to the angel speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:4 I asked the angel speaking within me, “What are these, lord?”
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The request for explanation agrees.
Verse 4:5 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:5 The angel speaking with me answered me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:5 The angel speaking within me answered me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, lord.”
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The angel's question and the prophet's negative answer correspond.
Verse 4:6 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:6 He answered me, “This is YHWH's word to Zerubbabel: Not by force and not by strength, but by My Spirit, says YHWH of hosts.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:6 He answered me, “This is the Lord's word to Zerubbabel: Not by great power or by strength, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both contrast human force and strength with God's Spirit. Greek explicitly qualifies power as great. Rabbinic: Rashi relates My Spirit to God’s influencing Darius to authorize and fund the rebuilding [RASHI-ZEC4].
Verse 4:7 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:7 Who are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, become a plain! He will bring out the top stone amid shouts, ‘Grace, grace to it!’”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:7 Who are you, great mountain, before Zerubbabel, to set things straight? I will bring out the stone of inheritance—an equality of grace, its grace.”
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew flattens the mountain and has Zerubbabel bring the top stone amid acclamation. Greek has a difficult setting-straight question, first-person bringing, a stone of inheritance and an opaque grace phrase. This rendering preserves the displayed syntax provisionally; no Hebrew plain or shouts are imported.
Verse 4:8 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:8 The word of YHWH came to me, saying:
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:8 The word of the Lord came to me, saying:
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The prophetic word introduction agrees.
Verse 4:9 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:9 “Zerubbabel's hands laid this house's foundation, and his hands will complete it. You will know that YHWH of hosts sent me to you all.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:9 “Zerubbabel's hands laid this house's foundation, and his hands will complete it. You will recognize that the Lord Almighty sent me to you.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The same hands begin and finish the house. Hebrew shifts from singular you-will-know to plural to-you, made visible with all; Greek keeps the addressee singular.
Verse 4:10 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:10 For who has despised the day of small things? These seven will rejoice and see the tin stone in Zerubbabel's hand. They are YHWH's eyes, ranging through all the earth.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:10 For who treated the small days with contempt? They will rejoice and see the tin stone in Zerubbabel's hand. These seven are the Lord's eyes, looking over all the earth.”
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew day of small things becomes Greek small days. Hebrew's seven is read as the postponed subject of rejoicing; Greek explicitly introduces the seven afterward as the eyes. Both retain tin stone, often understood functionally as a plummet, without replacing the material term.
Verse 4:11 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:11 I answered him, “What are these two olive trees on the lampstand's right and left?”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:11 I answered him, “What are these two olive trees to the lampstand's right and left?”
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The two trees and their relation to the lampstand agree.
Verse 4:12 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:12 I answered a second time, “What are the two olive clusters beside the two golden spouts that empty the gold from themselves?”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:12 I asked a second time, “What are the two olive branches in the hands of the two golden nozzles that pour upon and draw up the golden pouring channels?”
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew olive clusters and emptying gold become Greek branches and a more elaborate pouring-and-drawing mechanism. The unusual gold-as-flowing-substance wording in Hebrew is kept instead of silently supplied oil. Both technical descriptions require specialist lexical review. Rabbinic: Rashi explains the gold as clear, good oil giving golden light; the translation retains the source’s gold image [RASHI-ZEC4].
Verse 4:13 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:13 He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:13 He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, lord.”
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The repeated question and denial correspond.
Verse 4:14 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
4:14 He said, “These are the two sons of fresh oil who stand beside the Lord of all the earth.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
4:14 He said, “These two sons of richness stand beside the Lord of all the earth.”
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Hebrew fresh oil and Greek richness or fatness retain the related oil idiom. Neither column silently replaces the sons with named historical figures or later witnesses; Lord here corresponds to Hebrew adon, not YHWH. Rabbinic: Rashi identifies the two oil-associated offices as priesthood and kingship [RASHI-ZEC4]. New Testament reception: Revelation 11:3–4 identifies its two witnesses with two olive trees and two lampstands before the Lord of the earth. This reuses the imagery with two lampstands, whereas Zechariah’s vision has one; the witnesses’ identities are not inserted here [NT-REV11].