Zechariah 1:20

1:20 Next the Lord showed me four blacksmiths. ¹ 

Zechariah 3:6

3:6 Then the angel of the Lord exhorted Joshua solemnly:

Zechariah 4:8

4:8 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me as follows:

Zechariah 7:4

7:4 The word of the Lord who rules over all then came to me,

Zechariah 8:1

The Blessing of True Fasting

8:1 Then the word of the Lord who rules over all ²  came to me as follows:

Zechariah 8:18

8:18 The word of the Lord who rules over all came to me as follows:

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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 sn Lord who rules over all. There is a remarkable concentration of this name of God in this section of Zechariah. Of 53 occurrences of יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת (yÿhvah tsÿva’ot) in the Hebrew text in the book, 18 are in this chapter. The reason is the sheer human impossibility of accomplishing what lies ahead – it must be done by the Lord who rules over all.