Zechariah 4:9–10

Context

This passage belongs to the vision of the golden lampstand and the two olive trees (chapter 4), one of the night visions in Zechariah 1–6. According to Zechariah 1:1 and 1:7, these prophecies were given in the second year of the Persian king Darius (c. 520–519 BC). After the decree of Cyrus, the Judean community that had returned from Babylon began rebuilding the temple. Opposition from surrounding peoples halted the work for a long time, but the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah spurred the people to resume it (Ezra 5:1–2).

The angel first delivers to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, the word "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit" (4:6). Then, in verse 9, he promises that Zerubbabel, who laid the foundation of "this house" (the temple), will also finish it. "The day of small things" in verse 10 is commonly interpreted as referring to the discouragement of those who saw the new temple as meager compared with the former one (Ezra 3:12; Haggai 2:3). The "plummet" is a weight used in construction to check vertical alignment, and it represents the work actually moving forward. "Those seven" refers to the seven lamps of 4:2 and is read as signifying that God watches over the whole earth. According to Ezra 6:15, the temple was completed in the sixth year of King Darius (c. 515 BC).

Interpretation

• Historical reading: The passage is understood as a promise to its original audience that the rebuilding of the temple would certainly be completed, with its fulfillment seen in the completion recorded in Ezra 6.
• Typological reading: Various Protestant commentary traditions read Zerubbabel's beginning and finishing of the work as a foreshadowing (type) of Jesus Christ, who builds and completes the church.
• Pastoral reading: Read together with 4:6, the passage is explained as an exhortation not to scorn small beginnings, since the success of the work depends not on human strength but on the Spirit of God.

Debates and Issues

The passage is not the subject of significant disagreement among denominations, though it does raise several interpretive questions.

• Sentence structure of verse 10: Because the Hebrew syntax is terse, translations differ on who rejoices at seeing the plummet. Some take it to be those who had despised the work; others take it to be the seven eyes (that is, God).
• The Hebrew behind "plummet": The original expression rendered "plummet" literally means something closer to "stone of tin" (a metal). Some scholars therefore regard it not as a plumb weight but as a special stone used in a building ceremony.
• When the foundation was laid: Ezra 3 reports that the foundation was laid soon after the return, while Haggai 2:18 mentions the day the foundation was laid in the second year of Darius. Scholars differ in how they explain the relationship between the two.
• Scope of application: Some point out that reading this passage as a promise guaranteeing the growth of an individual congregation goes beyond its original context of temple rebuilding.

In the Korean Church

The phrase "the day of small things" is reportedly often quoted as a word of encouragement on occasions such as the launch of a church plant, the groundbreaking for a church building, and a dedication service.

Related Passages

• Zechariah 4:6
• Haggai 2:4–5
• Ezra 6:14–15
• Philippians 1:6
• Revelation 11:4