Israel · By my Spirit; the day of small things
Zechariah 4:6-10
Zechariah · ~519 BC · Status: Fulfilled · Confidence: 65%
“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.”
King James Version · the opening — all 5 verses are below
The word to Zerubbabel — the temple will be finished 'not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit' — and the call not to despise the day of small things.
Read the whole passage — all 5 verses (KJV)
4:6Then 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.
4:7Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
4:8Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
4:9The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.
4:10For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
Fulfillment References
Ezra 6:14-15 Haggai 2:1-9 Zechariah 4:14 Revelation 11:4
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalGod's house is built 'by my Spirit' — the same Spirit poured out at Acts 2:38 — building the people of the one God not by human power but by His own.
JewishEncouragement that the Second Temple would be completed by God's Spirit, not human strength; the two olive trees as the anointed leaders (priest and governor).
CatholicGod's work accomplished by the Spirit, not human power — a principle fulfilled supremely in the Church's life.
ProtestantA beloved text: God's purposes advance 'by my Spirit'; applied to ministry and the building of God's house.
OrthodoxThe Spirit's empowering of God's work, not human might.
DispensationalHistorically fulfilled in the Second Temple's completion; the two olive trees often linked to Revelation 11's witnesses.
AcademicScholars read the vision in its 520-516 BC restoration setting, the 'two anointed ones' (v.14) as Joshua and Zerubbabel, the priestly and royal leaders.
Open the full interactive entry →
Audio narration (listen to this prophecy read aloud), cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, a prophetic timeline, network maps, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.