He said to me may be better translated “He replied” (Moffatt, New American Bible, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, New Living Translation) or “he answered” (New English Bible/ Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Contemporary English Version).

To the land of Shinar: Shinar was an ancient name for Babylonia, which occurs for instance in Gen 11.2. The use of an ancient name rather than the ordinary name Babylonia suggests a symbolic meaning. Its effect could be to some extent paralleled in English by referring to France as Gaul, or to China as Cathay. The association of the name Shinar with the story of the tower of Babel in Gen 11 suggests that the land of Shinar is associated with human opposition to God. Thus it is a fitting place to take the barrel symbolizing wickedness. Since Shinar is not a common or well-known name, it may be necessary in many languages to translate it as “Babylonia” (Good News Translation, New International Version, Contemporary English Version, Beck, New Living Translation). In order to keep something of the emotive impact of the term Shinar, however, translators could perhaps say “to the wicked land of Babylonia.” An alternative approach is to explain the significance of Shinar in a footnote, as in Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1. Edition, and Contemporary English Version. In some languages it will be necessary to repeat the verb “taking” from verse 10 and say, “They are taking it to Babylonia.”

To build a house for it: In Hebrew these words form the beginning of the angel’s reply. Revised Standard Version has changed the order so as to state first the answer to the prophet’s question “Where are they taking the ephah?” (verse 10). This change helps the flow of the paragraph, and is also made by a number of other versions. Many translators will find this a useful example to follow. To build may need to be expressed more fully as “There they will build….” The word house often means a temple, and that is probably its meaning here also. Several modern versions make this clear (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Good News Translation, Beck, New Living Translation), and many translators will also wish to do so. House (or, “temple”) here may be also expressed as “a place where people worship [their god],” or more simply “a worship place.”

When this is prepared: Good News Translation expresses this more simply as “When the temple is finished” (compare New American Bible, Beck, New Living Translation). Other possibilities are “When this place [or, building] is ready” and “When they finish building this temple.”

They will set the ephah down there on its base: The word translated base is associated with items of temple worship, such as the “stands” that supported the bronze tank in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kgs 7.27), and the “place” for the sacrificial altar of the second Temple (Ezra 3.3). If the barrel is to be set on such a base, this suggests that it and the woman inside it will be worshiped. Good News Translation states this directly by saying that the barrel “will be placed there to be worshiped.” In many other languages it will be helpful to do the same. In languages that do not use the passive voice, translators may render the final part of this verse as “When they complete this building, they will place the barrel there for people to worship.”

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 .