Zechariah 1:19
New International Version
I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these?” He answered me, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.”

New Living Translation
“What are these?” I asked the angel who was talking with me. He replied, “These horns represent the nations that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

English Standard Version
And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

Berean Standard Bible
So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he told me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

King James Bible
And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

New King James Version
And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” So he answered me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

New American Standard Bible
So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

NASB 1995
So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he answered me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.”

NASB 1977
So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he answered me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

Legacy Standard Bible
So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

Amplified Bible
So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he answered me, “These are the horns [the powerful Gentile nations] that have scattered Judah (the Southern Kingdom), Israel (the Northern Kingdom), and Jerusalem (capital city of Judah).”

Christian Standard Bible
So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these? ” And he said to me, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

American Standard Version
And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

English Revised Version
And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, "What do these horns mean?" He said to me, "These are the horns [of the nations] that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

Good News Translation
I asked the angel that had been speaking to me, "What do these horns mean?" He answered, "They stand for the world powers that have scattered the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

International Standard Version
I asked the angel who was talking to me, "What are those?" So he answered me, "Those are the forces that have dispersed Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

Majority Standard Bible
So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he told me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

NET Bible
So I asked the angelic messenger who spoke with me, "What are these?" He replied, "These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

New Heart English Bible
I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these?" He answered me, "These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

Webster's Bible Translation
And I said to the angel that talked with me, What are these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

World English Bible
I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” He answered me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And I say to the messenger who is speaking with me, “What [are] these?” And he says to me, “These [are] the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

Young's Literal Translation
And I say unto the messenger who is speaking with me, 'What are these?' And he saith unto me, 'These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And saying to the messenger speaking with me, What these? And he will say to me, These the horns which scattered Judah, and Israel, and Jerusalem.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I said to the angel that spoke to me: What are these? And he said to me: These are the horns that have scattered Juda, and Israel, and Jerusalem.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And I said to the angel, who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have winnowed Judah and Israel and Jerusalem.”

New American Bible
Then I asked the angel who spoke with me, “What are those?” He answered, “Those are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”

New Revised Standard Version
I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” And he answered me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And I said to the angel who talked with me, My lord, what are these? And he said to me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I said to the Angel who spoke with me: ’what are these, my Lord?’ And he said to me, ’these are the horns that dispersed Yehuda and Israel and Jerusalem’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And I said unto the angel that spoke with me: 'What are these?' And he said unto me: 'These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I said to the angel that spoke with me, What are these things, my lord? And he said to me, These are the horns that have scattered Juda, and Israel, and Jerusalem.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Vision of the Horns
18Then I looked up and saw four horns. 19So I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he told me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen.…

Cross References
Daniel 7:3-7
Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others: / The first beast was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man and given the mind of a man. / Suddenly another beast appeared, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. So it was told, ‘Get up and gorge yourself on flesh!’ ...

Revelation 17:12
The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings along with the beast.

Revelation 13:1
Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.

Daniel 8:3-8
Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a ram with two horns standing beside the canal. The horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one grew up later. / I saw the ram charging toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and there was no deliverance from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. / As I was contemplating all this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came out of the west, crossing the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. ...

Revelation 12:3
Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.

Daniel 2:37-44
You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory. / Wherever the sons of men or beasts of the field or birds of the air dwell, He has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. / But after you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule the whole earth. ...

Revelation 17:9-10
This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. / There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. But when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.

Jeremiah 50:17
Israel is a scattered flock, chased away by lions. The first to devour him was the king of Assyria; the last to crush his bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”

Daniel 11:3-4
Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great authority and do as he pleases. / But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the authority with which he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and given to others.

Revelation 17:3
And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.

Jeremiah 51:20-23
“You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin. / With you I shatter the horse and rider; with you I shatter the chariot and driver. / With you I shatter man and woman; with you I shatter the old man and the youth; with you I shatter the young man and the maiden. ...

Ezekiel 34:21
Since you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak ones with your horns until you have scattered them abroad,

Revelation 5:6
Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Isaiah 10:13-14
For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers. / My hand reached as into a nest to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth. No wing fluttered, no beak opened or chirped.’”

Revelation 17:16-17
And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. / For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.


Treasury of Scripture

And I said to the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

What.

Zechariah 1:9,21
Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be

Zechariah 2:2
Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.

Zechariah 4:11-14
Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? …

scattered.

Zechariah 1:21
Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.

Zechariah 8:14
For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:

Ezra 4:1,4,7
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; …

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Zechariah 1
1. Zechariah exhorts to repentance.
7. The vision of the horses.
12. At the prayer of the angel comfortable promises are made to Jerusalem.
18. The vision of the four horns and the four carpenters.














So I asked the angel who was speaking with me
The phrase begins with Zechariah's direct engagement with the divine messenger. The Hebrew root for "angel" is "מַלְאָךְ" (mal'akh), meaning "messenger." This highlights the role of angels as intermediaries between God and humans, a common theme in biblical narratives. Zechariah's inquiry reflects a humble and teachable spirit, essential for receiving divine revelation. The presence of the angel signifies God's active communication and guidance, emphasizing His desire to reveal truth to His people.

What are these?
Zechariah's question demonstrates his curiosity and desire for understanding. The simplicity of the question underscores the prophet's role as a seeker of divine wisdom. It invites readers to approach God with their questions, trusting in His willingness to provide clarity. This phrase also sets the stage for the revelation of the vision's meaning, reminding believers that God is not a God of confusion but of peace and understanding.

And he told me
The angel's response signifies the readiness of God to answer those who seek Him. The Hebrew verb "אָמַר" (amar), meaning "to say" or "to tell," indicates a direct communication from the divine realm. This interaction assures believers that God is approachable and responsive, reinforcing the relational aspect of faith where God desires to converse with His people.

These are the horns
In biblical symbolism, "horns" often represent power and strength. The Hebrew word "קֶרֶן" (qeren) is used here, which can denote authority or dominion. Historically, horns were used as symbols of might, often seen in the context of animals like bulls. In the prophetic literature, horns can symbolize nations or leaders. This imagery suggests that the forces represented by the horns have significant power and influence, which they have used to scatter God's people.

that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem
The scattering of "Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem" refers to the historical events of exile and dispersion. The Hebrew verb "זָרָה" (zarah), meaning "to scatter" or "to disperse," conveys the idea of being spread out or driven away. This scattering was a consequence of the people's disobedience and the resulting judgment. However, it also sets the stage for God's redemptive plan to gather His people once more. The mention of "Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem" highlights the comprehensive impact of this scattering, affecting the entire covenant community. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God, yet also points to His faithfulness in restoring His people.

Verse 19. - Which have scattered, etc. Some see here an allusion to the prophecy of Daniel concerning the Babylonians, Medo-Persians, Macedonians, and Romans. Against this view it is urged that the prophet is speaking of past events, not of a far distant future. Others Lake the four horns to represent Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, and Medo-Persia, all of which had scattered Israel. But it is well to lay no special stress on such explanations of symbolical language, which are at best mere conjectures, liable to be overthrown by a new theory. The word "scattered," which Jerome renders ventilaverunt, means properly, as Wright observes, "to winnow," to separate and scatter by means of the wind. The perfect tense of this verb must not be pressed so as to exclude all notion of coming events. The prophets see at one glance past and future, and combine in one expression far distant occurrences. Doubtless Zechariah's vision has some relation to Daniel's, and his description of the powers hostile to the Church of God runs on parallel lines with that of his predecessor. Whether be refers to the same four empires must be left in uncertainty. Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. All the tribes and the capital. According to Ewald, Judah is named first as occupying the place of honour, even as Benjamin is named before Judah in Psalm 68:27, because the capital city lay in its territory. Jerusalem was the centre of worship and government for all the people, the northern tribes being represented by Israel. the southern by Judah. Some critics cancel the word "Israel" here, and there is no doubt that it is often written for "Jerusalem" by mistake (comp. Jeremiah 23:6 [where see Professor Cheyne's note]; 32:30, 32; 51:49; Zephaniah 3:14; Malachi 2:11). Gratz supposes that in the present passage the scribe discovered his mistake, and wrote the right word "Jerusalem" after the wrong one "Israel," but leaving the latter still in the manuscript. Of course, there is no proof of this supposition. Some manuscripts of the Septuagint omit "Jerusalem" here.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So I asked
וָאֹמַ֗ר (wā·’ō·mar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

the angel
הַמַּלְאָ֛ךְ (ham·mal·’āḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4397: A messenger, of God, an angel

who was speaking
הַדֹּבֵ֥ר (had·dō·ḇêr)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

with me,
בִּ֖י (bî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew

“What
מָה־ (māh-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

are these?”
אֵ֑לֶּה (’êl·leh)
Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

And he told
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

me,
אֵלַ֔י (’ê·lay)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

“These
אֵ֤לֶּה (’êl·leh)
Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

are the horns
הַקְּרָנוֹת֙ (haq·qə·rā·nō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 7161: A horn, a flask, cornet, an elephant's tooth, a corner, a peak, a ray, power

that
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

scattered
זֵר֣וּ (zê·rū)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2219: To toss about, to diffuse, winnow

Judah,
יְהוּדָ֔ה (yə·hū·ḏāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3063: Judah -- 'praised', a son of Jacob, also the southern kingdom, also four Israelites

Israel,
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

and Jerusalem.”
וִירוּשָׁלָֽם׃‪‬ (wî·rū·šā·lām)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel


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OT Prophets: Zechariah 1:19 I asked the angel who talked (Zech. Zec Zc)
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