And as in the first vision with its myrtle trees, so here it is a tree, the menorah-tree into which the divine oil flows, that represents the covenant people. The presence of the divine Glory among the covenant people was portrayed in Zechariah's opening vision (1:7-17) by the figure of the Lord of Glory with angelic retinue stationed in the midst of the myrtles.5 As seen in the fifth vision under the symbolism of the golden oil of the olive trees flowing into the menorah, the Glory-Spirit is again a divine presence in the midst of, indeed within, God's people. The duality of the cherubim and of the olive trees corresponds to the two-pillar formation of the Glory-cloud, itself a representation of the two legs of God as he would take his stand, particularly in judicial actions.4 The way the olive trees overarch the lampstand from both sides reflects the scene in the holy of holies where the two cherubim of the Glory-Presence spread their wings over the ark of the covenant. Specifically, the trees are a symbolic depiction of the theophanic Glory, associated with the menorah in the tabernacle. Arboreal Theophany and Menorah-Church: In Zechariah 4 it is not the lamps aflame but the two olive trees that represent the divine Presence. But the most remarkable new feature in Zechariah 4 is the two flanking olive trees and the connecting apparatus by which a continuous supply of oil flows from these trees to the menorah lamps, fueling their perpetual flames.Ģ. Each of the seven lamps is itself of the seven-wick design mentioned above, giving a total of forty-nine lamp-lights. However, nothing is said of side branches.3 If this menorah consisted of only a single pedestal, the seven lamps would be arranged around the bowl on top of it. Like the tabernacle menorah, the one in Zechariah's fifth vision has seven lamps (Zech. The people brought the oil for the lamps, which were trimmed each morning and lit each evening by the priests. The menorah held seven lamps, either one on each of the seven arms or all seven made from the receptacle atop the central shaft by pinching its rim into wick-holders at seven places (a well attested ancient lamp design). Apparently it was constructed by molding a sheet of gold foil over a wooden form (which was necessarily retained and provided stability). Mosaic and Zecharian Menorahs: Menorah is the Hebrew word for the lampstand in the tabernacle.1 The menorah was a stylized tree with central trunk and three branches on either side, all with floral detailing.2 Its material was gold, described as pure, whether in the sense of technical quality or cultic cleanness. Our comments will diverge somewhat from the verse sequence as we develop the themes: I. Zechariah 4 presents the symbolism of the lampstand and the two olive trees in verses 1-3, with their interpretation in verses 4-10, and then the symbolism of the two olive-branches in verses 11 and 12, with their interpretation in verse 13. The fifth vision also sustains a close relationship to vision three, its counterpart in the chiastic structure of the seven visions, and to vision one, with which it is paired when the opening and closing triads of visions are construed as in linear parallelism. We behold him, typified by the royal figure of Zerubbabel, building the house of God in the power of the Spirit, here symbolized by the golden oil flowing into the golden lampstand.Ĭhrist and the Spirit is the theme of both these visions, with Christ the focus in Zechariah 3 and the Spirit central in Zechariah 4. Vision five reveals the sequel to Christ's victory over the dragon. Christ was typified there by the priestly figure of Joshua, invested with his holy robes, crowned with the golden diadem-seal of the Spirit, granted access among the angels in heaven, and entrusted with the rule over God's courts. Vision four took us into the holy of holies to witness the critical encounter between the messianic Servant and Satan at the throne of God.
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