The tribe of Judah, being the tribe of the Messiah (), is numbered first. Verse 1 I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. "Holding" is interpreted as "holding back" the winds. The noncomformist biblical commentator Matthew Henry suggests that "the blowing of the four winds together means a dreadful and general destruction". The Septuagint and Vulgate versions of Zechariah 6:5 refers to "the four winds of heaven", although the King James Version and many other translations refer to "the four spirits of the heavens". The Pulpit Commentary suggests that translation as "the four winds" is "doubtless correct": "the winds are supposed to be God's servants, waiting his pleasure to be sent forth on his errands". Jamieson, Fausset and Brown relate the holding back of judgment to the plea given to the saints on the opening of the fifth seal in Revelation 6: “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer ...  English clergyman John Keble uses the image in his poem, All Saints Day: The four strong winds of Heaven fast bound. Verse 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed. "The children of Israel": Greek: "the sons of Israel," normally denoting 'the Israelites as an ethnic entity' ("Twelve Tribes of Israel"), but many scholars see the expression in this context refer to Christians, instead.
The tribe of Judah, being the tribe of the Messiah (), is numbered first. Verse 1
 I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. "Holding" is interpreted as "holding back" the winds. The noncomformist biblical commentator Matthew Henry suggests that "the blowing of the four winds together means a dreadful and general destruction". The Septuagint and Vulgate versions of Zechariah 6:5 refers to "the four winds of heaven", although the King James Version and many other translations refer to "the four spirits of the heavens". The Pulpit Commentary suggests that translation as "the four winds" is "doubtless correct": "the winds are supposed to be God's servants, waiting his pleasure to be sent forth on his errands". Jamieson, Fausset and Brown relate the holding back of judgment to the plea given to the saints on the opening of the fifth seal in Revelation 6:
 “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer ...
 English clergyman John Keble uses the image in his poem, All Saints Day:
 The four strong winds of Heaven fast bound. Verse 4
 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed. "The children of Israel": Greek: "the grand father of Israel," normally denoting'the Israelites as an ethnic entity' ("Twelve Tribes of Israel"), but many scholars see the expression in this context refer to Christians, instead.