Zechariah uses this rhetorical question to speak specifically about those who have "despised the day of small things." It can be translated as a statement. Alternate translation: "Those who have despised the day of small things will rejoice" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
"the time of small things." This phrase refers to the time when the people were building the temple and appeared to be making little progress. Alternate translation: "the time when progress was slow" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
This refers to an instrument made with a heavy object attached to the end of a string that builders used to ensure that the walls of buildings were straight.
# These seven lamps ... these two olive trees
These phrases refer to the lamps and olive trees that Zechariah saw in [Zechariah 4:2-3](./01.md).
# These seven lamps are the eyes of Yahweh that roam over the whole earth
The seven lamps symbolize the eyes of Yahweh, but they are not literally the eyes of Yahweh. The angel speaks of Yahweh seeing everything that happens on the earth as if his eyes roamed over the whole earth. Alternate translation: "These seven lamps represent the eyes of Yahweh, who sees everything that happens on the earth" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-symlanguage]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
See in Reader
