For the relationship of this verse to the previous two verses, see the discussion above.
For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice: Versions both ancient and modern take the first clause as a question, “Who has despised the day of small things?” (New English Bible/ Revised English Bible; similarly King James Version, Revised Version, Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Beck, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). This view can be supported by the grammar of the Hebrew: the verb translated despised is singular while that translated shall rejoice is plural. However, if the clause is a question, it is a rhetorical one, and is in effect the equivalent of a strong statement, so the overall meaning of the verse is much the same either way. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version interpret the clause in a similar way to Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version. New Living Translation, Bible en français courant, and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente go further and turn the clause into a command not to despise the small beginnings of the work on the Temple. The day of small things means a time when little progress is apparent for God’s people, especially in the rebuilding of the Temple. Good News Translation makes the first clause a separate sentence, but frames it as a statement rather than a question. Translators may also express this as “They are disappointed because very little building has been done.” People who despise such a time are easily discouraged, and discourage others. Haggai also had to contend with such people (Hag 2.3). The message given here through Zechariah is that perseverance is needed. Any large project has a small beginning but can be completed by constant effort. In the case of the Temple, it would be completed under Zerubbabel’s leadership (compare verse 9) and would make even those who are discouraged rejoice.
And shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel: The two Hebrew words translated plummet in Revised Standard Version have been interpreted in various ways. Literally, they are “the stone, the tin.” Many interpreters take them to refer to a weight (of stone or metal or both) on the end of a string or rope. This device, which Revised Standard Version calls a plummet, was (and still is) used in building work to check that walls are straight and true. It is often referred to as a “plumb line” (New International Version). If people see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel, this means that the building of the Temple is going ahead. Good News Translation accepts this interpretation and translates “they will see Zerubbabel continuing to build the Temple” (similarly Moffatt, New American Bible, New International Version, Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).
However, the word whose meaning is given above as “tin” may come from a different root, meaning “to separate.” That was the understanding of the ancient Syriac translation, and is followed by New English Bible and Revised English Bible with “the stone called Separation.” This suggests that the Temple is a symbol of the way the people who worshiped there were different from other nations, and were set apart for the service of God (compare Lev 20.26).
It is also possible to hold this interpretation and apply the separation to the stone itself. This view is found in the renderings “the stone of distinction” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) and “the chosen stone” (Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible; similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). A translation like this links this stone with “the top stone” of verse 7, and indeed Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Contemporary English Version use the same term in both verses. This gives better links through the paragraph as a whole; but if this is what Zechariah intended, then it is strange that he did not use the same term in both places himself.
The translation plummet makes good sense in the context, and on the whole we recommend it to translators. Those who accept this interpretation may well wish to follow the example of Good News Translation and explain that the plummet being in the hand of Zerubbabel means that he will be continuing work on the reconstruction of the Temple.
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• They [The people] are disappointed because very little building has yet been done. But when they see Zerubbabel continuing to build the Temple, they will be very happy.
As suggested in the introductory comments on this chapter, we regard verse 10b as a continuation of the conversation between Zechariah and the angel recorded in verses 2-5.
These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth: With these words the angel answers the prophet’s question asked in verse 4. So we understand These seven as referring to the seven lamps of verse 2. This understanding is made clear in Good News Translation, which says, “The seven lamps are…” (see also Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). The angel explains them as standing for, or representing (Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente) the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth. This means that the LORD is keeping a close watch on events all over the world (compare 2 Chr 16.9; Pro 15.3). The idea of the LORD having seven eyes is not to be taken literally. The number seven stands for completeness, as often in Scripture. If the LORD is pictured as having seven eyes, it means that he sees everything that happens on earth (Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) and nothing can escape his notice. Contemporary English Version has “they see everything on this earth.”
What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?: As in verse 4, the question concerns the meaning of the trees, as is expressed more clearly in Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente. As verse 3 stated, the trees were one on each side of the lampstand. Good News Translation could possibly be taken to mean that there were two trees on each side, and translators should be careful to avoid giving this impression. An alternative way to express the question is “What do these two olive trees, one on each side of the lampstand, mean?” or “What about the olive trees on each side of the lampstand? What do they represent?” (Contemporary English Version). For lampstand see the notes on verse 2.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .