The Meaning of Zechariah 1:21 Explained

Zechariah 1:21

KJV: Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.

YLT: And I say, 'What are these coming in to do?' And He speaketh, saying: 'These are the horns that have scattered Judah, so that no one hath lifted up his head, and these come in to trouble them, to cast down the horns of the nations who are lifting up a horn against the land of Judah -- to scatter it.'

Darby: And I said, What come these to do? And he spoke, saying, Those are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up his head; but these are come to affright them, to cast out the horns of the nations, which lifted up the horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.

ASV: Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head; but these are come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then said  I, What come  these to do?  And he spake,  saying,  These [are] the horns  which have scattered  Judah,  so that  no man  did lift up  his head:  but these are come  to fray  them, to cast out  the horns  of the Gentiles,  which lifted up  [their] horn  over the land  of Judah  to scatter  it. 

What does Zechariah 1:21 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Again in answer to the prophet"s request for interpretation, the angel repeated that the horns represented the powers that had scattered the Israelites. Then he added that the four artisans had come to terrify these horns and to overthrow them for attacking Israel and scattering the Israelites. These smiths evidently carried hammers with which they threatened to smash the horns. Probably the kingdoms of Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Messiah are in view. Each of these kingdoms destroyed the preceding one, Medo-Persia having defeated Babylonia (cf. Daniel 2:34-35; Daniel 2:44-45).
The four smithsThe four hornsMedo-PersiadestroyedBabyloniaGreecedestroyedMedo-PersiaRomedestroyedGreeceGod"s kingdomwill destroyRome
Another less likely view is that they describe kingdoms that had already destroyed Israel"s enemies. A third possibility is that they will all appear in the future to take vengeance on Israel"s end-times enemies. A fourth less probable view, I think, is that the horns represent "the full extent of human cruelty, military might, political machinations, and lust for power ... which destroyed pre-exilic Judah." [1] A fifth view is that they represent the four judgments of Ezekiel 14:21 : sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague (cf. Revelation 6:1-8). [2] The Ezekiel prophecy describes the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in586 B.C, but similar judgments are predicted for the Tribulation in Revelation 6-19.
"Several features are noteworthy in this vision: (1) God takes account of every one that lifts his hand against Israel; (2) He has complete knowledge of the dejected condition of His people and the extent of their injury; and (3) He has already provided the punishment for every foe of His chosen ones." [3]
"As little as horns can hold their own before powerful smiths, so little can God"s enemies lastingly prevail over God"s people." [4]

Context Summary

Zechariah 1:18-21 - The Redemption Of Jerusalem
The work of Temple-building had ceased for fifteen years and the new resolve to arise and build might meet with a similar fate. But the four horns met with four carpenters. For Babylon the carpenter was Cyrus; for Persia, Alexander the Great; for Greece, the Roman; for Rome, the Gaul. No weapon that is formed to thwart God's purposes can prosper. The young man with the measuring line embodied the new spirit animating the returned exiles. But God was intending to give more prosperity and increase than could be contained in walls. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 1

1  Zechariah exhorts to repentance
7  The vision of the horses
12  At the prayer of the angel comfortable promises are made to Jerusalem
18  The vision of the four horns and the four carpenters

What do the individual words in Zechariah 1:21 mean?

And I said what [are] these coming to do so he said saying these [are] the horns that scattered - Judah so that one no could lift up his head but are coming these [craftsmen] to terrify them to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up [their] horn against the land of Judah to scatter it -
וָאֹמַ֕ר מָ֛ה אֵ֥לֶּה בָאִ֖ים ؟ לַֽעֲשׂ֑וֹת וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לֵאמֹ֗ר אֵ֣לֶּה הַקְּרָנ֞וֹת אֲשֶׁר־ זֵ֣רוּ אֶת־ יְהוּדָ֗ה כְּפִי־ אִישׁ֙ לֹא־ נָשָׂ֣א רֹאשׁ֔וֹ וַיָּבֹ֤אוּ אֵ֙לֶּה֙ לְהַחֲרִ֣יד אֹתָ֔ם לְיַדּ֞וֹת קַרְנ֣וֹת הַגּוֹיִ֗ם הַנֹּשְׂאִ֥ים קֶ֛רֶן אֶל־ אֶ֥רֶץ יְהוּדָ֖ה לְזָרוֹתָֽהּ ס

וָאֹמַ֕ר  And  I  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מָ֛ה  what  [are] 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
אֵ֥לֶּה  these 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
בָאִ֖ים  coming 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
؟ לַֽעֲשׂ֑וֹת  to  do 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  so  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לֵאמֹ֗ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵ֣לֶּה  these  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
הַקְּרָנ֞וֹת  the  horns 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: קֶרֶן 
Sense: horn.
אֲשֶׁר־  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
זֵ֣רוּ  scattered 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: זָרָה 
Sense: to scatter, fan, cast away, winnow, disperse, compass, spread, be scattered, be dispersed.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוּדָ֗ה  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
כְּפִי־  so  that 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
אִישׁ֙  one 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
לֹא־  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
נָשָׂ֣א  could  lift  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
רֹאשׁ֔וֹ  his  head 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
וַיָּבֹ֤אוּ  but  are  coming 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֵ֙לֶּה֙  these  [craftsmen] 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
לְהַחֲרִ֣יד  to  terrify 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: חָרַד  
Sense: to tremble, quake, move about, be afraid, be startled, be terrified.
לְיַדּ֞וֹת  to  cast  out 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: יָדָה 
Sense: to throw, shoot, cast.
קַרְנ֣וֹת  the  horns 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: קֶרֶן 
Sense: horn.
הַגּוֹיִ֗ם  of  the  nations 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
הַנֹּשְׂאִ֥ים  that  lifted  up 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
קֶ֛רֶן  [their]  horn 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: קֶרֶן 
Sense: horn.
אֶל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אֶ֥רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
יְהוּדָ֖ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
לְזָרוֹתָֽהּ  to  scatter  it 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct, third person feminine singular
Root: זָרָה 
Sense: to scatter, fan, cast away, winnow, disperse, compass, spread, be scattered, be dispersed.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation

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