Zechariah 1:20 — Word Study
WLCוַיַּרְאֵ֣נִי יְהוָ֔ה אַרְבָּעָ֖ה חָרָשִֽׁים׃
BSAand he showed mevai.yar.'E.ni▸ YahwehYah.weh four'ar.ba.'Ah craftsmencha.ra.Shim
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיַּרְאֵ֣נִי | and he showed me | Verb hiphil sequential imperfect third person masculine singular, suffix |
| יְהוָ֔ה | Yahweh | Noun proper |
| אַרְבָּעָ֖ה | four | Noun common, both singular absolute |
| חָרָשִֽׁים׃ | craftsmen | Noun common, masculine plural absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. |
| KJV | And the LORD shewed me four carpenters. |
| ASV | And Jehovah showed me four smiths. |
| YLT | And Jehovah doth shew me four artisans. |
| WEB | The LORD showed me four craftsmen. |
| BBE | And the Lord gave me a vision of four metal-workers. |
The translations agree on the term used for craftsmen, with slight variations in wording.
A simple structure with one main clause and a noun phrase, clearly presenting the action of revelation.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectH3068
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Zechariah 1:20
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Zechariah's Vision of the Craftsmengenerated
Zechariah 1:20 describes a vision where the LORD shows Zechariah four craftsmen. This vision follows the mention of four horns that scattered the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. The craftsmen are presented as instruments of divine action against those who oppose God's people, signifying hope and restoration.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zechariah 9:12–16 | Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; even today I declare that I will restore to you double. |
| 2 | Zechariah 10:3–5 | “My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders. For the LORD of Hosts attends to His flock, the house of Judah; He will make them like His royal steed in battle. |
| 3 | Zechariah 12:2–6 | “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples. Judah will be besieged, as well as Jerusalem. |
| 4 | Deuteronomy 33:25 | May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze, and may your strength match your days.” |
| 5 | Judges 11:16–18 | But when Israel came up out of Egypt, they traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — חָרָשִׁים, cha.ra.Shimgenerated
The word חָרָשׁ (cha.raSh) refers to a skilled craftsman or artisan. It captures a range of roles, including carpenters and metalworkers, emphasizing their expertise in fabricating and creating.
This term is associated with the root meaning to work skillfully. In this verse, the craftsmen symbolize God's provision of skilled workers to counteract the threats represented by the horns, illustrating God's active role in protecting and restoring His people.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the term craftsmen.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb is וַיַּרְאֵ֣נִי, and He showed me, which governs the entire sentence. The subject is the LORD, and the object is the four craftsmen.
The structure is straightforward, with the subject-verb-object order typical in Hebrew, emphasizing the action of showing as a direct revelation from God.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates חָרָשִׁים as τεχνίτας, meaning 'craftsmen' or 'artisans'. This choice aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning and emphasizes the skilled nature of these workers.
The use of τεχνίτας suggests a focus on the craftsmanship and skill involved in their work, reinforcing the idea of God providing capable individuals to address the challenges faced by His people.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Zechariah 1:20 tells us that the LORD showed Zechariah four craftsmen. This vision follows the mention of four horns that had scattered the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. The craftsmen represent God's means of restoring and protecting His people against their enemies.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The four craftsmen symbolize God's provision of skilled individuals who will counteract the threats posed by the horns, representing divine intervention and restoration.
The craftsmen are shown as instruments of God to bring about justice and restoration for the people of Judah, contrasting with the destructive force of the horns.
The term encompasses various skilled trades, including woodworking and metalworking, indicating their ability to create and repair.
This revelation serves to reassure Zechariah and the people that God is actively working to protect and restore them despite their current challenges.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways can I recognize God's provision in my life, similar to how He provided craftsmen for Zechariah?
- How can I use my skills to serve others and contribute to restoration in my community?
- What challenges in my life might God be addressing through the 'craftsmen' He sends my way?
- How can I remain open to God's guidance and intervention during difficult times?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The commentary from Richard Challoner interprets the craftsmen as instruments of God to nullify the power of oppressors.
Four smiths: The four smiths, or carpenters (for faber may signify either) represent those whom God makes his instruments in bringing to nothing the power of persecutors.Early Church Fathers on Zechariah 1 →
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Zechariah 1:20 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd the Lord showed me four carpenters. To saw and cut in pieces the four horns; or rather "four blacksmiths" (y); these horns were horns of iron; so the word is rendered a "smith" in 1 Samuel 13:19
Read John Gill on Zechariah 1 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThen lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. The power of the Jews' foes shall be dissipated. Verse 18. Behold, four horns.
Read Robert Jamieson on Zechariah 1 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThe Lord; Jehovah, who before is the Angel, i.e. Christ, he is the eternal One, the great God. Showed me; both proposed the thing to be seen, and gave eyes to see and discern it. Four carpenters; known by their garb and tools to be carpenters, or smiths, as the Hebrew bears it. The Lord; Jehovah, who before is the Angel, i.e. Christ, he is the eternal One, the great God. Four carpenters; known by their garb and tools to be carpenters, or smiths, as the Hebrew bears it.
Read Matthew Poole on Zechariah 1 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsZechariah 1:20 And the LORD shewed me four carpenters.Ver. 20. And the Lord showed me four carpenters] He that before was called an angel is here called Jehovah, this shows him to be Christ, who is God blessed for ever. In respect of his eternal essence he is called the Lord; in respect of his office or mediatorship, an angel. Four carpenters] Or smiths; so many horns, so many artificers to batter and break them. God wants not ways and means to help his own at a dead lift; he knows how to deliver, saith Peter, 2 Peter 2:9, and herein usually he goeth a way by himself. Many times he setteth the enemies together by the ears among themselves; while that I withal escape, saith David, Psalms…
Read John Trapp on Zechariah 1 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(20) Carpenters.—Better, workmen, for the Hebrew word does not mean “carpenters,” unless followed by the word meaning “wood.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Zechariah 1 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 20. Four carpenters.] Four other powers, who should defeat the powers intended by the horns. These are the same as the four chariots mentioned Zechariah 6:1-3; Zechariah 6:6-7. The first was NABOPOLASSAR, father of Nebuchadnezzar, who overturned the empire of the Assyrians. The second was CYRUS, who destroyed the empire of the Chaldeans. The third was ALEXANDER the Great, who destroyed the empire of the Persians. And the fourth was PTOLEMY, who rendered himself master of Egypt. Some of these had already been cast down; the rest were to follow. Calmet gives this interpretation, and vindicates it at length.
Read AdamClarke on Zechariah 1 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges20. the Lord] Jehovah, from whom the whole series of visions proceeded, Zechariah 1:7. four carpenters] Rather, artificers, or workmen; (smiths, R. V.). The word is used of working in wood, but also in metals and in stone. Isaiah 44:12-13; 2 Samuel 5:11. There is no ground for the idea that these artificers represent angelic ministries. They rather indicate generally the various human agencies, corresponding in number and variety to the enemies of Israel, by the instrumentality of which those enemies should be overthrown. “Comparat gentes, quæ infestæ fuerant Judæis, cornibus: postea comparet fabris alios hostes, quorum manu et opera utitur Deus ad frangendos conatus eorum omnium, qui…
Read Cambridge on Zechariah 1 →The verse in English, compared — 8 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen.
The LORD showed me four craftsmen.
Tyndale line
And the LORD shewed me four carpenters.
And Jehovah showed me four smiths.
And the Lord shewed me foure carpenters.
Simplified
And the Lord gave me a vision of four metal-workers.
Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen.
Strictly literal
And Jehovah doth shew me four artisans.
T4T (Translation for Translators) is not shown above. It restates the passage rather than the verse, so there is no line of English to set beside the others — which is a fact about that translation, not a fault in it.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads וַיַּרְאֵ֣נִי יְהוָ֔ה אַרְבָּעָ֖ה חָרָשִֽׁים׃, which is consistent across the witnesses, confirming the same vision without variations.
וַיַּרְאֵ֣נִי יְהוָ֔ה אַרְבָּעָ֖ה חָרָשִֽׁים׃
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Zechariah 1:20
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
רָאָה (ra'ah) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to see' and encompasses a wide range of visual and perceptual actions, including looking, observing, and causing others to see. It can refer to both literal sight and figurative understanding, with various grammatical forms indicating different nuances, such as appearing or being visible. The entries indicate a rich semantic field without significant disagreement among lexicographers.
רָאָה 1315 vb. see
Qal 1141
see, subj.
see, c. acc. rei
see, sq. acc. cl. or phr. of closer design
see, so as to learn to know
abs. see, have (power of) vision
see = perceive
look at, see, by direct volition
of mental observation
c. ב, lit., look into, hence look at with interest
see, c. acc. rei
Niph.
appear
be seen
be visible
Pu. appar. his bones are not detected
Hithp. recipr. look at each other
Hiph.
cause one to see something, shew
cause to experience something
cause to look intently at, to behold
Hoph.
be caused to see, be shewn
be exhibited to
base
H7200a רָאָה see .. . see, subj.
. see, c. acc. rei
. see, sq. acc. + cl. or phr. of closer design
. see, so as to learn to know
. abs. see, have (power of) vision
. see = perceive
. look at, see, by direct volition
. of mental observation
. . c. ב, lit., look into, hence look at with interest
. see, c. acc. rei
. . appear
. be seen
. be visible
. appar. his bones are not detected
. recipr. look at each other
. . . cause one to see something, shew
. cause to experience something
. cause to look intently at, to behold
. . be caused to see, be shewn
. be exhibited to
H7200b רְאוּת look
7200 ra'ah raw-aw'
a primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively (in
numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive,
intransitive and causative):--advise self, appear, approve,
behold, X certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have
experience, gaze, take heed, X indeed, X joyfully, lo, look
(on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up,
upon), mark, meet, X be near, perceive, present, provide,
regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one
another), shew (self), X sight of others, (e-)spy, stare, X
surely, X think, view, visions.
רָאָה (ra.ah) — to see: see.
: see/show
1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to see
1a2) to see, perceive
1a3) to see, have vision
1a4) to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out
1a5) to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish
1a6) to look at, gaze at
1a7) to provide, choose
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to appear, present oneself
1b2) to be seen
1b3) to be visible
1c) (Pual) to be seen
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to cause to see, show
1d2) to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at
1e) (Hophal)
1e1) to be caused to see, be shown
1e2) to be exhibited to
1f) (Hithpael) to look at each other, face
רָאָה (ra.ah) — to see: examine.
: examine/consider
1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to see
1a2) to see, perceive
1a3) to see, have vision
Hc/Vhw3ms/Sp1bs — Verb hiphil sequential imperfect third person masculine singular · suffixHc/Vhw3ms/Sp1bs
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) is the proper name of the God of Israel, often rendered as Jehovah or the Lord. It signifies the self-existent or eternal nature of God. The name is closely associated with the revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:12-15 and is used in conjunction with other terms to denote sacred places. Some scholars suggest it derives from a root meaning 'to bring into being.'
יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)
יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb
יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D
the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy
יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh
base
H3068 יהוה i.e. יַהְוֶה n. pr. dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel
3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw'
from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish
national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.
see HEBREW for 01961
see HEBREW for 03050
see HEBREW for 03069
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — LORD.
Jehovah = "the existing One"
1) the proper name of the one true God
1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of a.do.na (אֲדֹנָי "Lord" H0136)
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — The Lord.
Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — (Jerusalem of) the Lord.
Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
HNpt — Noun properHNpt
אַרְבַּע (arba) means 'four' in Hebrew. It is a masculine noun derived from the root associated with the number four. The entries consistently affirm this meaning without any significant disagreement among lexicons.
אַרְבַּע, אַרְבָּעָה four
base
H702 אַרְבַּע, אַרְבָּעָה four
702 'arba` ar-bah'
masculine oarbaah {ar-baw-aw'}; from 7251; four:--four.
see HEBREW for 07251
אַרְבַּע (ar.ba) — four.
four
HNcbsa — Noun common · both singular absoluteHNcbsa
for ('arba`; tessares): "Four" (cardinal number) was a sacred and complete number with the Hebrews, as well as with several other peoples. It occurs very frequently in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
(1) It indicates completeness. We have the four rivers of Paradise (Ge 2:10); the four winds of heaven (Eze 37:9; Da 7:2; 8:8; 11:4; Zec 6:5, the Revised Version, margin "spirits"; /APC 2Esdras 13:5); "the four winds" (Mt 24:31; Mr 13:27); "the four corners of the earth" (Isa 11:12;
חָרָשׁ (charash) refers to a craftsman or artificer, encompassing roles such as engraver, carpenter, and worker in various materials. The word is derived from a root meaning to fabricate or work skillfully. It can also figuratively describe someone skilled in destruction, like warriors. The entries consistently highlight its connection to craftsmanship without notable disagreement.
חָרָשׁ n.m. graver, artificer
base
H2796 חָרָשׁ graver, artificer
2796 charash khaw-rawsh'
from 2790; a fabricator or any material:--artificer, (+)
carpenter, craftsman, engraver, maker, + mason, skilful, (+)
smith, worker, workman, such as wrought.
see HEBREW for 02790
חָרָשׁ, חֲרָשִׁים (cha.rash) — artificer.
1) craftsman, artisan, engraver, graver, artificer
1a) graver, artificer
1b) skilful to destroy (warriors) (fig.)
HNcmpa — Noun common · masculine plural absoluteHNcmpa