Charles Ellicott Commentary Zechariah 4:12

"And I answered the second time, and said unto him, What are these two olive-branches, which are beside the two golden spouts, that empty the golden [oil] out of themselves?" — Zechariah 4:12 (ASV)

Olive branches. —Better, bunches of olives. Two important points in the vision are here incidentally introduced for the first time: namely, the bunch of fruits on each olive-tree, and the “two golden pipes,” or rather, spouts.

Which through ... themselves. —Better, Which are resting in the two golden spouts, which pour out from themselves the gold [ en oil ] . The meaning appears to be that on each side of the golden bowl at the top of the candlestick was a golden spout turned upwards, into which the two clusters of olives poured their oil spontaneously, and from which the oil flowed into the bowl, and from there through the forty-nine pipes to the seven lamps. “The gold” stands for pure bright oil.

Though the word which we render “resting in” (Septuagint, ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ, “in the hands”) might mean “through”—that is, “by means of”—the rendering of the English version is inadmissible because the definite article (equivalent here to the relative) is prefixed to the participle, “empty,” or “pour out.” The Septuagint, rendering it as “τῶν ἐπιχεόντων καὶ ὰπαναγόντων τας ἐπαρυστρίδας τὰς χρυσᾶς” (“which pour into, and lead up into the golden funnels”), takes the words “from themselves” as an active participle and understands “the gold” as “golden funnels,” not “golden oil,” as we do.