Bible Strands
Zechariah 4:1
Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and woke me, as a man is awakened from his sleep.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The angel who had been speaking with Zechariah returns and rouses him from sleep. This occurs immediately before the angel asks Zechariah to describe his vision of a solid gold lampstand.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יְעִירֵ֕/נִי (va/y.'i.Re./ni) literally means "and he roused me," describing the physical act of waking. It pairs with כְּ/אִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁר יֵעוֹר מִ/שּׁנָתֽ/וֹ (ke./'Ish 'a.Sher ye.'or mi./she.na.T/o), which translates "like a person who is roused from his sleep."
The thread — Similar divine awakenings appear in Jeremiah 31:26 and Daniel 8:18, where prophets are roused from sleep during prophetic encounters. The pattern of an angel speaking and then waking the prophet also echoes Zechariah 1:9.
Why it lands — The text demands attention to the physical reality of prophetic communication rather than treating visions as purely internal experiences. It requires the reader to recognize divine initiative in breaking human passivity to deliver a specific message.
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 angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 31:26 At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been most pleasant to me.
- Daniel 8:18 While he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, helped me to my feet,
- Zechariah 1:9 “What are these, my lord?” I asked. And the angel who was speaking with me replied, “I will show you what they are.”
- Zechariah 1:19 So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he told me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
- 1 Kings 19:5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”
- Zechariah 2:3 Then the angel who was speaking with me went forth, and another angel came forward to meet him
- Luke 9:32 Meanwhile Peter and his companions were overcome by sleep, but when they awoke, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with Him.
- Luke 22:45 When Jesus rose from prayer and returned to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.
- Daniel 10:8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision. No strength remained in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless.
- Zechariah 1:13 So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who was speaking with me.