Zechariah 4:5

5 "Don't you know?" he asked me. "No, I don't, sir," I replied.

Zechariah 4:5 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 4:5

Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto
me
Either to upbraid him with his ignorance and stupidity; or rather to quicken his attention, and that of others, to the interpretation of it he was about to give him: Knowest thou not what these be?
art thou ignorant of the design of them? or knowest thou not what is meant by them? and I said, No, my lord;
he made an ingenuous confession of his ignorance, joined with great respect unto, and veneration of, the angel that conversed with him.

Zechariah 4:5 In-Context

3 There are two olive trees beside the lampstand, one on each side of it."
4 Then I asked the angel, "What do these things stand for, sir?"
5 "Don't you know?" he asked me. "No, I don't, sir," I replied.
6 The angel told me to give Zerubbabel this message from the Lord: "You will succeed, not by military might or by your own strength, but by my spirit.
7 Obstacles as great as mountains will disappear before you. You will rebuild the Temple, and as you put the last stone in place, the people will shout, "Beautiful, beautiful!' "
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.