Zechariah 4:5

Zec 4:5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

Ver. 5. Knowest thou not what these be?] Thus preparation is made to the ensuing interpretation of the vision by this dialogue; that we might give better heed to that manifold wisdom of God made known to and by the Church; wherein the very angels themselves are great students and daily proficients, Eph 3:10. Docent proficiendo, et docendo proficiunt. The best of men know not so much as they might have known. "Are ye also ignorant of these things" (saith our Saviour to the twelve)? "are ye also without understanding?" Mat 15:16 : what? know you not, six different times in one chapter, 1Co 6:2-3; 1Co 6:9; 1Co 6:15-16; 1Co 6:19 And how doth the apostle disgrace and shame his Hebrews for their dulness and doltishness, Heb 5:12. It was expected, it seems, by the angel here, that Zechariah, a master in Israel, should have known more than he did of the meaning of this candlestick, by Moses’s ancient candlestick. For the godly of those times did not believe those rites and ceremonies of the law did of themselves please God, or that they were dumb shows and insignificant, Heb 9:1-13, but they acknowledged them to be figures; the truth and signification whereof was to be sought in Christ. The ceremonial law was indeed their gospel.

And I said, No, my lord] An ingenuous confession of his ignorance; and this was far better than to plead for it (as many today), or to pretend more skill than he had; that he at least might seem to be somebody. Ignorantiam meam non ignoro, saith Origen. Though I know little else, yet this I know, that it is but little that I know. And not only in innumerable other things am I ignorant, saith Austin; but even in the very Scriptures also, my chief study, multo plura nescio quam scio, I am to seek many more things than I understand. Surely, saith Agur, I am more brutish than any man, and yet he had commerce with Ithiel and Ucal; Pro 30:1, and have not the understanding of a man, sc. of a man in Christ. I neither learned wisdom (though taught it) nor have the knowledge of the holy, that is, of the angels, as Dan 4:13; Dan 4:17; Dan 8:13. Zechariah here saw himself far short of the holy angel that talked with him; and therefore desireth to be taught by him.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Knowest thou not, &c.--Not a reproof of his ignorance, but a stimulus to reflection on the mystery.

No, my lord--ingenious confession of ignorance; as a little child he casts himself for instruction at the feet of the Lord.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

He calls the angel his Lord, according to the custom of the Jews; for they were wont thus to address those who were eminent in power, or in anything superior. He did not call him Lord with the intention of transferring to him the glory of God; but he thus addressed him only for the sake of honor. And here again we are reminded, that if we desire to become proficient in the mysteries of God, we must not arrogate any thing to ourselves; for here the Prophet honestly confesses his own want of knowledge. And let us not at this day be ashamed to lie down at God’s feet, that he may teach us as little children; for whosoever desires to be God’s disciple must necessarily be conscious of his own folly, that is, he must come free from a conceit of his own acumen and wisdom, and be willing to be taught by God.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me,.... Either to upbraid him with his ignorance and stupidity; or rather to quicken his attention, and that of others, to the interpretation of it he was about to give him:

Knowest thou not what these be? art thou ignorant of the design of them? or knowest thou not what is meant by them?

and I said, No, my lord; he made an ingenuous confession of his ignorance, joined with great respect unto, and veneration of, the angel that conversed with him.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Are? Thou art a prophet, and art thou ignorant? (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Then; when the prophet had inquired into the meaning of these emblems.

The angel that talked with me: see Zec 1:19.

Knowest thou not? it is not a question either to upbraid the prophet as an ignoramus, Christ doth not reproach his for not knowing deep and dark mysteries at first sight of them; nor is it the question of one that was uncertain about the thing inquired into, Christ knew the prophet’s ignorance though he ask the question; but it is to excite him to attend and learn.

And I said, No; Zechariah freely confesseth he knew not, he pretends not to know what indeed he did not know.

My lord: he owns the greatness and sovereignty of Christ.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Knowest thou not? The angel speaks not so much in surprise at the prophet"s slowness of comprehension (comp. Joh_3:10) as desirous of calling his most serious attention to the coming explanation.

The learner and the learned.

I THE SPIRIT OF THE LEARNER. Humility. The first thing to know, as the ancient sage said, is that we know nothing. Love of truth. For its own sake. To be sought for as hidden treasure with ardour and delight. Obedience. Not merely readiness to receive, but courage to act. Faithful carrying out of principles. Progress. Step by step, in the spirit of self-sacrifice "When first thine eyes unveil, give thy soul leave to do the like" (Vaughan). Study is like the heaven"s glorious sun, That will not be deep search"d with saucy looks; Small have continuous plodders ever won, Save base authority from others" books. (Shakespeare)

II THE SPIRIT OF THE LEARNED.

1. Wisdom. Not mere knowledge, but insight into character, and capacity to turn knowledge to the best account.

2. Kindness. Hence patience with ignorance and prejudice. Loving endeavour to give to others what has been good and a joy to themselves.

3. Faithfulness. Not hiding what should be told; not making compromises of principle; not striving for the mastery, but for the victory of truth.

4. Humility is as much the character of the learned as of the learner (cf. Newton likening himself to a child gathering shells). "Were man to live coeval with the sun, The patriarch-pupil would be learning still, And dying leave his lesson half unlearnt. F.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.