4:2 lampstand all of gold. The lampstand was probably used to remind the people of the lampstand in the tabernacle and the temple (Ex. 25:31), although its shape was different. The lampstand may also have symbolized the responsibility of the postexilic Jewish community to be a “light for the nations” (Is. 42:6; 49:6).

seven lamps . . . seven lips. The numbers in this verse are somewhat confusing but they probably mean that there were seven lamps on the stand with one bowl to hold the lamp oil. Seven tubes from the bowl fed the lamps, while the bowl itself was filled from the olive trees (v. 12).