Zechariah 4:6
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.
Study Note
Study Note
The oracle to Zerubbabel — 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts' — addresses the rebuilding of the Second Temple in Jerusalem following the return from Babylon, redefining how divine purposes are accomplished. The word-pair 'might and power' (chayil ve-koach) encompasses both collective military strength and individual human capacity — both are declared insufficient as the operating principle of God's work. The Temple's completion (Zechariah 4:9) will be celebrated as vindication of this oracle, demonstrating that the Spirit empowers what human resources cannot accomplish. The verse became one of the most quoted Old Testament texts in Pentecostal and charismatic theologies of ministry, grounding dependence on the Spirit over institutional or human resource-based models of church life.
Other Translations
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts.
And he answereth and speaketh unto me, saying: `This <FI>is<Fi> a word of Jehovah unto Zerubbabel, saying: Not by a force, nor by power, But--by My Spirit, said Jehovah of Hosts.
This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by force or by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of armies.
Cross References
Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with …
Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that …
With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to …
Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house …
Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving …
They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.