The Meaning of Zechariah 1:10 Explained

Zechariah 1:10

KJV: And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

YLT: And the one who is standing between the myrtles doth answer and say, 'These are they whom Jehovah hath sent to walk up and down in the land.'

Darby: And the man that stood among the myrtle-trees answered and said, These are they whom Jehovah hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

ASV: And the man that stood among the myrtle-trees answered and said, These are they whom Jehovah hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the man  that stood  among the myrtle trees  answered  and said,  These [are they] whom the LORD  hath sent  to walk  to and fro through the earth. 

What does Zechariah 1:10 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The angel, who looked like a man and who was standing in the grove of trees, said that the horsemen were Yahweh"s representatives whom He had sent to patrol the earth.
"Like the Persian monarchs who used messengers on swift steeds to keep them informed on all matters concerning their empire, so the Lord knew all about the countries of the earth, including the great Persian state." [1]

Context Summary

Zechariah 1:1-17 - A Vision Of Pardon And Restoration
Zechariah does not slur over the sins of the past, but lays stress on the divine forgiveness. His only fear is lest God should call in vain, and the people refuse as their fathers did. Notice the repetition of God's title, Lord of Hosts, five times in the first six verses. The enemy's armies were vast, but the protecting hosts, vaster. A glimpse of these hosts is given in the following vision. A green valley, filled with myrtles, the emblem of humility, where the prophet may have been wont to meditate, seemed alive with mysterious figures, who had been patrolling the earth, and announced that it was peace, for these were the days of Cyrus' illustrious reign. Notice the frequent reference to his celestial friend, Zechariah 1:9; Zechariah 1:14; Zechariah 1:19; Zechariah 4:1; Zechariah 4:4-5; Zechariah 5:5; Zechariah 1:16-17; Zechariah 6:4. The future was bright with promise, Zechariah 5:10. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Zechariah 1:10 mean?

And answered the man who stood among the myrtle trees and said these [are the ones] whom has sent Yahweh to walk to and fro throughout the earth
וַיַּ֗עַן הָאִ֛ישׁ הָעֹמֵ֥ד בֵּין־ הַהַדַסִּ֖ים‪‬ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֵ֚לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֣ר שָׁלַ֣ח יְהוָ֔ה לְהִתְהַלֵּ֖ךְ בָּאָֽרֶץ

וַיַּ֗עַן  And  answered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: לְעַנּׄות 
Sense: to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout.
הָאִ֛ישׁ  the  man 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הָעֹמֵ֥ד  who  stood 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: עָמַד  
Sense: to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand.
הַהַדַסִּ֖ים‪‬  the  myrtle  trees 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: הֲדַס  
Sense: myrtle (tree).
וַיֹּאמַ֑ר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵ֚לֶּה  these  [are  the  ones] 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
שָׁלַ֣ח  has  sent 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
לְהִתְהַלֵּ֖ךְ  to  walk  to  and  fro 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hitpael, Infinitive construct
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בָּאָֽרֶץ  throughout  the  earth 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.