Zechariah5

Zechariah beholds a vision of a large flying roll, which an angel explains represents a curse against all who steal and swear falsely, destined to consume their houses. Subsequently, he sees an ephah containing a woman, identified as wickedness, which is sealed with a lead weight. This ephah is then carried by two winged women to the land of Shinar, where it is to be established.
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The Vision of the Flying Scroll

1
Again I lifted up my eyes and saw before me a flying scroll. ​
2
“What do you see?” asked the angel. “I see a flying scroll,” I replied, “twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.” ​
3
Then he told me, “This is the curse that is going out over the face of all the land, for according to one side of the scroll, every thief will be removed; and according to the other side, every perjurer will be removed. ​
4
I will send it out, declares the LORD of Hosts, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by My name. It will remain inside his house and destroy it, down to its timbers and stones.” ​

The Vision of the Woman in the Ephah

5
Then the angel who was speaking with me came forward and told me, “Now lift up your eyes and see what is approaching.”
6
“What is it?” I asked. And he replied, “A measuring basket is going forth.” Then he continued, “This is their iniquity in all the land.” ​
7
And behold, the cover of lead was raised, and there was a woman sitting inside the basket. ​
8
“This is Wickedness,” he said. And he shoved her down into the basket, pushing down the lead cover over its opening. ​
9
Then I lifted up my eyes and saw two women approaching, with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth. ​
10
“Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking with me.
11
“To build a house for it in the land of Shinar,” he told me. “And when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its pedestal.” ​

Study Notes for Zechariah 5

Verse 1

The 'flying roll' (or scroll) likely represents a divine decree or the written Mosaic Law. Its appearance signifies the swift and comprehensive nature of God's judgment against covenant breakers.

Verse 2

The dimensions (20 cubits long, 10 cubits wide—approximately 30 x 15 feet) are immense. These dimensions may intentionally mirror the porch or the Holy Place of the Temple, suggesting the judgment is weighty and covers the area of God's dwelling/people.

Verse 3

This scroll is identified as the 'curse' promised in the Law (Deut. 27–28). Stealing (violation of human relationships) and false swearing (violation of relationship with God) represent the two major categories of covenant transgression being addressed in the post-exilic community.

Verse 4

The judgment is portrayed as an active, consuming force that enters the house itself. This emphasizes that God’s curse is unavoidable and brings total destruction to the sinner’s dwelling, symbolizing the removal of sin and its effects from the land.

Verse 6

An *ephah* was a standard dry measure, often used in commerce. Here, it likely symbolizes economic life and perhaps the accumulation of unjust gain, indicating that the wickedness being judged involves commercial corruption.

Verse 7

A heavy 'talent of lead' is used to seal the ephah. The woman inside personifies the moral corruption. The lead ensures that the wickedness is contained and cannot escape before its removal from the land.

Verse 8

The woman is explicitly named 'Wickedness' (Hebrew *rish'ah*). This vision concerns the definitive and physical separation of moral corruption from the purified community of Judah.

Verse 9

The two women, possibly angelic agents, have stork-like wings, suggesting rapid movement. The stork was an unclean bird (Lev. 11:19), fitting for agents carrying away impurity and sin.

Verse 11

Shinar is the ancient name for Babylon (Gen. 10:10), the traditional source of idolatry and opposition to God. Relocating wickedness there symbolizes the definitive separation of sin from the restored holy community in Jerusalem, returning sin to its origin.

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