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.

The Vision of the Flying Scroll

1
Again I raised my eyes, and I saw in front of me a flying scroll. ​
2
He said to me, "What do you see?" I replied, "I see a flying scroll thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide. ​
3
Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes out over the face of all the land; for [according to what is written] on one side, everyone who steals will be swept away; and [according to what is written] on the other side, everyone who swears will be swept away. ​
4
'I will release it,' says ADONAI-Tzva'ot, 'and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name; it will stay there inside the house and consume it completely, even its timbers and stones.'" ​

The Vision of the Woman in the Ephah

5
Then the angel speaking with me went forward and said to me, "Now raise your eyes, and see what this thing is, passing by."
6
I asked, "What is it?" He said, "This is the eifah-measure [a one-bushel dry-measure] passing by." Then he added, "This is their eye in all the land." ​
7
Next I saw a lead disc lifted up to reveal a woman sitting in the eifah. ​
8
He said, "This is Evil." He threw her down into the eifah and pressed the lead weight over its opening. ​
9
I raised my eyes and saw two women coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like those of a stork. They lifted the eifah up between the earth and the sky. ​
10
I asked the angel speaking with me, "Where are they taking the eifah?"
11
He answered me, "To build it a shrine in the land of Shin'ar. When it's ready, [the eifah] will be set down there on its base." ​

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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