Zechariah 1:20-21

1:20 Next the Lord showed me four blacksmiths. 1  1:21 I asked, “What are these going to do?” He answered, “These horns are the ones that have scattered Judah so that there is no one to be seen. 2  But the blacksmiths have come to terrify Judah’s enemies 3  and cut off the horns of the nations that have thrust themselves against the land of Judah in order to scatter its people.” 4 

1 tn Heb “craftsmen” (so NASB, NIV; KJV “carpenters”), a generic term which can mean “metalworker, smith, armorer” (HALOT 358 s.v. חָרָשׁ). “Blacksmiths” was chosen for the present translation because of its relative familiarity among contemporary English readers.

sn The horns are perhaps made of iron, the strongest of all metals known to the ancient Near Eastern world, since military activity is implied in the context. Only blacksmiths can cut the horns off. If the horns represent oppressive nations, the blacksmiths must represent deliverers whom the Lord raises up, kings like Cyrus of Persia (cf. Isa 54:16).

2 tn Heb “so that no man lifts up his head.”

3 tn Heb “terrify them”; the referent (Judah’s enemies) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

4 tn Heb “to scatter it.” The word “people” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.