My past research on Zechariah 4:6 turned up so many good resources and points that I would like to add a few thoughts to my earlier post about the verse:
Orthodox Jewish Bible: "Then he answered and spoke
unto me, saying, This is the Devar Hashem unto Zerubavel, saying, Not
by might, nor by ko’ach (power), but by My Ruach [Hakodesh], saith Hashem Tzva’os."
Rotherham Emphasized Bible: "Then responded he, and spake unto me, saying, This, is the word of
Yahweh, unto Zerubbabel, saying,—Not by wealth, nor by strength, but by
my spirit, saith Yahweh of hosts."
Robert Alter (The Hebrew Bible):
Two Foci With Which I'm Concerned:
1) What is the ruach YHWH in Zechariah 4:6?
2) In what sense is Jehovah (YHWH), "Yahweh of hosts"?
Concerning the first question, how most readers tend to understand the ruach YHWH has long been shaped by church theology. How many theologians have read the third person of the Trinity into passages that mention God's ruach? More than we care to recount now. Nevertheless, an objective reading of the Hebrew Bible reveals that God's ruach is not a person but more akin to a power: Jehovah's Witnesses believe the holy spirit (ruach) is Jehovah's active force that constantly emanates from him in order to accomplish his sovereign will.
The first mention of this ruach, which some understand to be "wind," is Genesis 1:2. Later in Judges 14:6, 19, the Hebrew Bible mentions the ruach YHWH becoming active on Samson.
Alan J. Hauser (The Genesis Debate) makes these points about the ruach YHWH in the Hebrew Bible:
"Let us briefly examine the use of 'spirit of God' in the Old Testament. The first part of the phrase, 'spirit of,' is commonly used in the construct state in Hebrew to denote the motivating force or dynamic power of a person or of God. In 2 Chronicles 36:22 we are told that 'the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia' to issue a proclamation allowing worshipers of Israel's God to rebuild His temple (cf. Ezra 1:1). In 1 Chronicles 5:26 God stirs up 'the spirit of
Pul king of Assyria - that is, the spirit of Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria' to carry away some of the tribes of Israel" (pages 118, 119).
Additionally from Hauser:
"In these instances 'spirit of' does not denote an entity in any way separate from the person but rather the active, forceful power of that person (cf. also Gen. 45:27; 2 Kings 2:15; 1 Sam. 30:12; Hag. 1:14). Why should we presume that it is different when the object of the phrase 'spirit of' is God? When we are told in Judges 14:6 that the 'spirit of the LORD came mightily upon' Samson, and that Samson tore apart the lion, does this mean that the Holy Spirit seized Samson? What is meant instead is that God's power came upon Samson and gave him strength (see also, for example, Judg. 6:34, 11:29). There is no hint of a separate person within the Godhead from the Father acting upon the individual."
I would phrase matters slightly different and contend that God exerts his power through the holy spirit, a non-personal force that belongs to the Father, but Hauser makes the point well: the ruach YHWH is not depicted as a person in the Hebrew Bible.
After his sin with Bathsheba, King David implored Jehovah in Psalm 51:10-12, cast me not from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit away from me. For the king and former shepherd, God's ruach is good and it leads David in the way of righteousness (Psalm 143:10). So he begs Jehovah to teach him because David knows the ruach of God is good, and it directs God's people in the appropriate way. See 1 Samuel 16:13; 2 Samuel 23:2.
Now in Zechariah 4:6, within the context of building the Second Jewish temple amidst opposition, the inspired prophet foretells that this building work will be done not by human might or military force: it will only be effected by God's ruach--the ruach YHWH. Ralph L. Smith explains (Vol. 32 of the WBC Series):
"There are really two words from Yahweh here (4:6–7 and 8–10a) but they both say essentially the same thing. One, the temple will be built. Zerubbabel started the rebuilding and he will finish it. Two, strength to finish the temple will not be man’s physical ability 
or military might 
, but will be by the power of the Spirit of Yahweh of hosts (4:6)."
What about the divine title, Yahweh of hosts?
"The interpreting angel attributed the divine quote to 'the LORD Almighty.'315 The Hebrew term ([ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯbôt]) is usually translated 'Almighty' or 'Hosts' and also connotes a military image, emphasizing the compelling power and authority that the Lord uses to accomplish whatever he wills.316 This unfathomable power belonging to the Lord awaits the people of God through his agent, the Spirit of the Lord."
Klein, George. New American Commentary Vol. 21B: Zechariah (Kindle Locations 4865-4869). B&H Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Whether one translates "the LORD Almighty," Yahweh of hosts or "Jehovah of armies," some questions arise as to whether entities on earth, stars or angels are meant by the word "hosts/armies." Could it be both stars and angels (i.e. spirit creatures)? The context doesn't necessarily make clear the intended meaning, so either meaning is possible. It doesn't appear that we can be dogmatic about the expression.
11 comments:
How does on see the wind?
https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-22174381-candle-flame-wind-blowing-closeup
"Yahweh of hosts" is that for the hosts he has or the hosts he can control?
Luke 1:15–16
Luke 1:41
Regarrding your question, I don't see it as either/or and the grammar would seem to uphold either view, but YHWH can have hosts (like an army) and control them. The stars are comp[ared to his figurative army in Isaiah. But if you mean "has," in the sense of possessing a quality/property, that would be different. I believe the grammar can be understood either objectively or subjectively.
https://biblehub.com/text/1_samuel/17-45.htm
https://biblehub.com/text/1_samuel/17-26.htm
The meaning seems quite clear in this instance.
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6635.htm
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/maarchot_4634.htm
I agree that armies/hosts are clear in the texts cited, but less so in Zechariah and other places. James likewise utilizes the expresion in James 5:4.
Psalms34:7ASV "The angel of JEHOVAH encampeth round about them that fear him, And delivereth them."
Quotes on the holy spirit:
“The Spirit of God is the vital power which belongs to the Divine Being, and is seen to be operative in the world and in men. It is the Divine Energy which is the origin of all created life, especially of human existence and the faculties of human nature. […] The Spirit of God is represented as the cosmic force which operated upon the primaeval chaos. […] The Divine Energy, of which the Old Testament spoke as the Spirit of God.”
—Henry Barclay Swete, The Holy Spirit in the New Testament, Macmillan & Co. 1909, pp. 2, 26, 359.
“There is apparent a development in the direction of hypostatization of the Spirit, not in the sense that it is conceived as a person but as a substantial source of force and activity. It is the creative force of Yahweh (Gn. 1:2; Jb 33:5).”
—John L. Mckenzie, Dictionary of the Bible, Simon and Schuster 1995/11965), p. 841.
“The Spirit brooding over the primeval waters (Gn. 1:2) and creating man (Gn. 2:7), the Spirit who garnishes the heavens (Jb 26:13), sustains animal life and renews the face of the earth (Ps. 54:30), is the ruah (‘breath,’ ‘wind’) of God, the outgoing divine energy and power.”
—James Dixon Douglas, The New Bible Dictionary, Inter-varsity Fellowship 1962, p. 531.
“The phrase describes not chaos but the creative power of God in action. Wind, a symbol of power, is used theologically in the Old Testament to refer to the dynamic activity and presence of God in the world—his Spirit.”
—Robert Davidson, The Cambridge Bible Commentary: Genesis 1-11, Cambridge University Press 1973, p. 16.
“Characteristically, OT thought can on the one hand observe the wind in its real physical manifestations, but on the other hand it can relate it, to a greater or lesser degree, to Yahweh. The mysterious power at work in the wind and its unknown origin are particularly suggestive of God's activity in it and its effects.”
—Ernst Jenni & Claus Westerman, Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, Hendrickson Publishers 2004, vol. 3, p. 1205.
“God's Wind. a Survey: The wind is often viewed as an instrument of God's action; only once (Am. 4:13) is it stated expressly that Yahweh “creates the wind.” The creation texts themselves never mention the creation of the wind. According to Gen. 1:2, the rûaḥ of creation is preexistent (either as an element of chaos or, more likely, as God's creative energy). In the other texts, the wind is always taken into Yahweh's service. […] In the vast majority of instances, therefore, rûaḥ in the sense of “wind” is associated directly with God’s active intervention. […] In Gen. 1:2 a translation such a “mighty wind” might be possible, but would represent a departure from all other instances.”
—G. Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren & Heinz-Josef Fabry, Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing 1974, vol. 13, pp. 381, 382.
Quotes on the holy spirit:
“The Jews never regarded the spirit as a person; nor is there any solid evidence that any Old Testament writer held this view ...The Holy Spirit is usually presented in the Synoptic gospels (Matt., Mark, Luke) and in Acts as a divine force or power.” (Edmund Fortman, The Triune God, pp. 6, 15)
“The Spirit of God is the divine principle of activity everywhere at work in the world, executing the will of God.” (The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible, by John D. Davis. Rev. by Gehman, p. 253. ©1944)
“Nowhere in the Old Testament do we find any clear indication of a Third Person.” (The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1912, Vol. 15, p. 49)
Catholic Biblical Encyclopedia: “The doctrine of the Blessed Trinity was not clearly and directly revealed in the O.T. There is no reference to the Holy Spirit as a Person really distinct from the Father and the Son.” (1959, New York)
“Although this spirit is often described in personal terms, it seems quite clear that the sacred writers [of the Old Testament] never conceived or presented this spirit as a distinct person.”(Edmund Fortman, The Triune God, p. 9)
“The Holy Spirit in Judaism generally refers to the divine aspect of prophecy and wisdom. It also refers to the divine force, quality, and influence of the Most High God, over the universe or over his creatures, in given contexts. [Alan Unterman and Rivka Horowitz, Ruah ha-Kodesh, Encyclopedia Judaica (CD-ROM Edition, Jerusalem: Judaica Multimedia/Keter, 1997)] It is not considered a separate person of God, but rather God's divine wisdom, breath, or moving power.” (Wikipedia, Nontrinitarianism, under Judaism.)
“The Old Testament clearly does not envisage God’s spirit as a person...God’s spirit is simply God’s power. If it is sometimes represented as being distinct from God, it is because the breath of Yahweh acts exteriorly... The majority of New Testament texts reveal God’s spirit as something , not someone; this is especially seen in the parallelism between the spirit and the power of God.” (New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, Vol. 13, pp. 574, 575)
“The word ‘spirit’ (Hebrew ruah, Greek pneuma) is the word used from ancient times to describe and explain the experience of divine power working in, upon, and around men, and understood by them as the power of God.” (Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 1. Page 986. Edited by Walter A. Elwell)
“On the whole the New Testament, like the Old, speaks of the spirit as a divine energy or power.” (W.E. Addis and Thomas Arnold, A Catholic Dictionary, 1960, p. 810)
The New American Bible acknowledged: “The Greek word for ‘Spirit’ is neuter, and while we use personal pronouns in English (“he,” “his,” “him”), most Greek MSS [manuscripts] employ ‘it.’” (Saint Joseph Edition, 1970. John 14:17 footnote. Note: Later editions obscure this clear, factual statement.)
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