Zechariah 6:5
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And the angel told me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth from their station before the Lord of all the earth.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
The four spirits of the heavens - Ministers of God's wrath against the sinful nations of the world.
Open source ↗four spirits of the heavens--heavenly spirits who "stand before Jehovah" to receive God's commands (Zac 4:14; Kg1 22:19; Job 2:1; Luk 1:19) in heaven (of which Zion is the counterpart on earth, see on Zac 6:1), and proceed with chariot speed (Kg2 6:17; Psa 68:17) to execute them on earth in its four various quarters (Psa 104:4; Heb 1:7, Heb 1:14) [PEMBELLUS]. Or, the secret impulses of God which emanate from His counsel and providence; the prophet implies that all the revolutions in the world are from the Spirit of God and are as it were, His messengers or spirits [CALVIN].
Open source ↗And the angel answered and said unto me,.... In order to grant him his request, and explain the vision of the chariots: these are the four spirits of the heavens; or, "the four winds of the heavens"; the apostles and ministers of the Gospel may be compared to "the winds", because their ministry is the ministration of the Spirit, which is like wind that blows invisibly, powerfully, and where it listeth; and because in and by it the Spirit breathes life and comfort into the souls of men; and because of the powerful efficacy and penetrating nature of the word preached by them, and their swiftness and readiness to do the will of God: angels are called "spirits" or "winds", Psa 104:3 they are created spirits, and so differ from God; are incorporeal ones, and so differ from men; and are immaterial and immortal, and so die not: they are spiritual subsistences, and spirits of the heavens, or heavenly spirits; heaven being the place of their abode and residence; and they may be compared to "winds", for their invisibility, wonderful penetration into places and things, their very great swiftness, and prodigious power and strength. The Targum paraphrases the words thus, "these are the four kingdoms, which are as the winds of heaven;'' and so the same are signified by the four winds in Dan 7:2 to which they may be compared for their swift and forcible carrying all before them, and for their fickleness and changeableness; and to which, the several parts of the world, into which they went, agree: which go forth, from standing before the Lord of all the earth: so the apostles of Christ, and ministers of the Gospel, stood before him in his eternal purposes and decrees from everlasting; and went forth, having their commission from him in time; and were sent by him into the several parts…
Open source ↗The two kingdoms of providence and grace are what we are all very nearly interested in, and therefore are concerned to acquaint ourselves with, all our temporal affairs being in a necessary subjection to divine Providence, and all our spiritual and eternal concerns in a necessary dependence upon divine grace; and these two are represented to us in this chapter - the former by a vision, the latter by a type. Here is, I. God, as King of nations, ruling the world by the ministry of angels, in the vision of the four chariots (Zac 6:1-8). II. God, as King of saints, ruling the church by the mediation of Christ, in the figure of Joshua the high priest crowned, the ceremony performed, and then explained concerning Christ (Zac 6:9-15).
Open source ↗6:5 The four spirits (or the four winds) of heaven are divine council members who report to God on their reconnaissance missions to the four compass points (see 2:6). The whole world is under God’s dominion. The teams of chariot horses are agents of God’s judgment.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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Now about the angels He says: “He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.”
Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!”
Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree.
Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.
Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea.
The chariots of God are tens of thousands— thousands of thousands are they; the Lord is in His sanctuary as He was at Sinai.
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
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.”