Bible Strands
Zechariah 4:6
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The speaker delivers a direct declaration from the LORD to Zerubbabel during the vision sequence, following the angel’s question about the olive trees.
The words — The text highlights `דְּבַר־` (de.var-) as “the word of” and `יְהוָה` (Yah.weh) as “Yahweh,” anchoring the message in divine origin.
The thread — This declaration echoes in 2 Chronicles 32:7 as a call to courage against overwhelming forces, resurfaces in 1 Corinthians 2:4 and 2 Corinthians 10:4 to contrast human persuasion with divine power.
Why it lands — The text explicitly commands reliance on God’s Spirit rather than human strength or capability. It asks the reader to abandon self-reliant effort and submit to divine agency in accomplishing what appears impossible.
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
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 32:7 “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged before the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater One with us than with him.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4 The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
- 1 Corinthians 2:4 My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
- Psalms 33:16 No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength.
- Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.
- Psalms 20:6 Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand.
- Psalms 33:20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
- Hosea 1:7 Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.”
- Psalms 44:3 For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.
- Haggai 2:2 “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and also to the remnant of the people. Ask them,