Four horns and four craftsmen

The four horns and the four craftsmen feature in a vision found in the Book of Zechariah in the Old Testament. The passage is in Zechariah 1:18-21 in traditional English texts; in Hebrew texts 1:18-21 is numbered 2:1-4. The vision precedes the vision of a man with a measuring line.

In the Talmud

The four craftsmen are discussed in Babylonian Talmud Suk. 52b. Rav Hana bar Bizna attributed to Rav Simeon Hasida the identification of these four craftsmen as Messiah ben David, Messiah ben Joseph, Elijah, and the Righteous Priest. However David Kimhi interpreted the four craftsmen as four kingdoms.

In later interpretation

The imagery of craftsmen is generally considered as "smiths", able to master the four iron horns, as symbolizing nations used as instruments of divine power for the destruction of Israel's enemies. The appearance of four horns "symbolises their universality".