זכריה, פרק ב׳, פסוק א׳

Continuing and expanding upon a previous prophecy, a new vision unfolds to answer the prophet's deep concerns about the fate of the Israelites and the nations that persecuted them. He lifts his eyes and receives a divine revelation featuring four horns. The primary approach among commentators is that these represent the sharp, powerful horns of goring animals, such as bulls, symbolizing the ancient nations that violently attacked and scattered the Israelites [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Alternatively, this imagery depicts massive battering rams used by invading armies to smash through city walls [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Beyond the physical threat, the number four carries geographical significance, representing threats coming from all four directions of the world [מלבי״ם], or specifically targeting the four corners of Jerusalem [אבן עזרא].

During the vision, the prophet immediately understood the general concept of violent destruction, but he was unsure of the exact identities of these attackers [רד״ק]. He had been wondering which specific nation would bring about the final exile. The vision resolves his confusion by revealing that these attackers represent four distinct empires that oppressed and ruled over the Israelites: Babylon, Persia and Media, and Greece [רד״ק], with others adding Rome to this list [אברבנאל].

Although the Babylonian empire had already fallen by the time of this prophecy, God chose to show the complete historical timeline. He presented the entire reign of these four empires from their very beginning to their ultimate end, exactly as He had decreed and arranged them in advance [אברבנאל].