Bible Commentaries
Zechariah 5

Verses 1-4

Zec 5:1-4

Zechariah’s Sixth Divine Vision (Zechariah 5:1-4)

“Then again I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, a flying roll. And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits” (Zechariah 5:1-2).

People of this day and age wrote letters and manuscripts upon rolls of various writing surfaces that were attached to two sticks and rolled upon them (thus a roll). Zechariah is shown one of these rolls as it is completely unrolled. The measurements were 20 cubits in length by ten cubits in width (i.e., ~ 30’ long by 15’ wide) (a rather large roll of writing).

“Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole land: for every one that steals shall be cut off on the one side according to it; and every one that swears shall be cut off on the other side according to it. I will cause it to go forth, saith Jehovah of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that swears falsely by my name; and it shall abide in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof” (Zechariah 5:3-4).

This sixth vision takes into consideration the moral condition of some among the returning captives. Some had given themselves over to unlawful acts that were not to be tolerated. Two classes of people were due God’s curse (punishment). First, the man or woman who were thieves were not to be tolerated. Secondly, men or women who swears falsely by the name of God were to be cursed (such dishonored the name of God / cf. Deuteronomy 6:13). Covetousness and not keeping vows (i.e., using God’s name in vows to do a thing were not taken seriously) were to be punished. The roll apparently revealed this fact.

Verses 5-11

Zec 5:5-11

Zechariah Sees The Seventh Vision (Zechariah 5:5-11)

“Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is the ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their appearance in all the land” (Zechariah 5:5-6).

The angel tells Zechariah to look and see the large container that could hold an “ephah” (~ 38.6 quarts of volume). The container with its contents symbolized the “appearance in all the land.” The contents of the great vessel represent the spiritual state of the people.

“(and, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead); and this is a woman sitting in the midst of the ephah. And he said, This is Wickednes: and he cast her down into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of the lead upon the mouth thereof. Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there came forth two women, and the wind was in their wings; now they had wings like the wings of a stork; and they lifted up the ephah between earth and heaven” (Zechariah 5:7-9).

The top of the ephah container had a circular lid made of led. The lid was lifted so that Zechariah could see a woman within the ephah vessel. The angel explains to Zechariah that the woman is called “Wickedness.” Once Zechariah has seen her the angel cast her back down into the vessel and sealed the top again with the led lid. The significance of this is that the people of God were “Wicked” and held by God to be punished. Let us recall that the people under consideration are those who are suppose to be rebuilding the temple. They have begun the work yet God continues to withhold His blessings from them because of their “Wickedness” (cf. Haggai 2:14). The prophet then sees two women, apparently sent by God to take the wicked woman in the ephah vessel away due to her wickedness.

“Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build her a house in the land of Shinar: and when it is prepared, she shall be set there in her own place” (Zechariah 5:10-11).

An interesting vision of sanctification is delivered. Zechariah asks the angel where the two women are taking the wicked women in the ephah. The angel responds by saying that they are taking her to the land of Shinar to build a permanent dwelling place for her. The land of Shinar was the place that Nimrod (a mighty hunter before Jehovah) established a kingdom. The thing to note is that Nimrod’s kingdom was opposed to Jehovah’s principles and authority (cf. Babel and Nineveh) (cf. Genesis 10:6 to Genesis 11:9). The angel is explaining to Zechariah that wickedness is to be separated from God’s kingdom.