Zechariah 2:4

This young man. Regarding the identity of this young man two views have been held: (1) That he is the man with the measuring line (v. 1). According to this view the fact that the young man is on his way to measure the city implies that he is going to circumscribe its limits. He is to be interrupted and told that the new city is not to be circumscribed, that it is going to overflow its former boundaries and be like an unwalled city. (2) That he is Zechariah. This conclusion is probably based on the idea that the message delivered to the “young man” was really intended for Zechariah. However, regardless of who received the message in the symbolic vision, the relating of the vision would later convey the divine message to those for whom it was intended.

The word translated “this” (hallaz) may also be translated “that,” as in 2 Kings 4:25; 23:17. The pronoun is therefore of no help in identifying the “young man.”