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124 Structure and the Book ofZechariah
coherence about it. The general principle, 'Not by might.. .but by my
Spirit' sets the context in which the rest is read, and is reflected in the
cries of 'Grace, grace, to it', and in the rather low-key evidence of
Yahweh's presence, the foundation and completion of the Temple. 1
Zechariah 4 as a whole
We may now put forward a possible explanation of the text of
Zechariah 4 as we now have it. We shall need also to refer to ch. 3.
Certain facts may be stated with confidence.
Zechariah 3 is different from the other visions. It is thought by
most commentators to be later than the basic material of Zechariah 1-
8. It introduces a historical individual, Joshua the high priest.
The outer sections of Zechariah 4 present two individuals. These
can naturally be understood to be Joshua and Zerubbabel, who are
mentioned in the book of Zechariah only rarely:
Joshua 3.1-10; 6.9-15
nnx (3.8) (6.12)
Zerubbabel 4.6ap-10acc.
Without these passages the identification would be obscure. This raises
the question when the oracle about Zerubbabel was inserted into the
narrative. Most commentators have assumed it to be one of the latest
additions to the text, and we have found some evidence to support this,
in that it does not seem to be constructed or inserted with quite so
much care as the sections previously examined. This is, however, little
more than an impression. Beuken is unique in regarding the original
oracle as 4.1, 2a, 2b-3, 4, 5, 6a + lOb, 6a-7 2 From our point of view
this is not of primary importance.
These two chapters of Zechariah contain the two central visions of
the series. The position seems to be significant, as does the mention of
Joshua and nn^ in 6.9-15, at the very end of the series of visions.
1. It is interesting that the word for 'finish' is from the root SX3 which means to
'cut, break off, gain by violence'; the meaning 'finish' occurs otherwise only in
Isa. 10.12; Lam. 2.17. This may or may not be significant: the violence that
Zerubbabel will commit will be to finish the Temple. I should not put any weight on
this conjecture.
2. Beuken, Haggai-Sacharja, pp. 258-70, esp. 263-64. This is largely based on
a form-critical comparison of ch. 4 and 5.1-4.