Bible Strands
Zechariah 1:10
Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the LORD has sent to patrol the earth.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The angel of the LORD, standing among the myrtle trees, speaks to Zechariah immediately after Zechariah requests clarification about the horsemen. The angel identifies the riders as the ones the LORD has dispatched to survey the earth.
The words — The demonstrative phrase אֵ֚לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֣ר ('E.leh 'a.Sher) translates literally to "these [are those] whom," directly pointing to the revealed riders. The verb וַ/יַּ֗עַן (va/i.Ya.'an) means "and he answered," marking the angel’s direct reply to Zechariah’s query in Zechariah 1:9.
The thread — The function of these sentinels parallels the four spirits of heaven in Zechariah 6:5 and the ministering angels described in Hebrews 1:14. Both passages extend the theme of heavenly beings dispatched to execute divine oversight.
Why it lands — The text states that God actively sends agents to patrol the earth and reports universal peace across the land. It requires the reader to acknowledge divine surveillance and assess whether reported tranquility aligns with God's purposes.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.
Cross-references
- Zechariah 1:11 And the riders answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is at rest and tranquil.”
- Zechariah 6:5 And the angel told me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth from their station before the Lord of all the earth.
- Hebrews 1:14 Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
- Job 1:7 “Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.”
- Job 2:1 On another day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before Him.
- Psalms 103:20 Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command.
- Zechariah 1:8 I looked out into the night and saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the hollow, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.
- Zechariah 4:10 For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven eyes of the LORD, which scan the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.”
- Genesis 32:24 So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
- Ezekiel 1:5 and within it was the form of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had a human form,