Zechariah 5

This chapter contains the sixth and seventh of the eight night visions of Zechariah that begin at 1:7. Zechariah 1:7 dates these visions to the second year of King Darius. The preceding chapter, Zechariah 4, presents the vision of the lampstand and the two olive trees. Chapter 5 continues with scenes in which sin within the community that has returned from exile is judged and removed from the land.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 Zechariah sees a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide (a cubit is about 45 cm, or 18 inches). The angel explains that it is the curse that goes forth over the whole land. According to the writing on one side, those who steal will be cut off; according to the writing on the other side, those who swear falsely will be cut off. The LORD of hosts declares that this curse will remain in their houses and consume even their timber and stones.
• Verses 5–8 The angel tells Zechariah to look at the ephah that is going forth. An ephah is both a container for measuring grain and a unit of volume. A woman sits inside it. The angel calls the woman "Wickedness," thrusts her down into the ephah, and covers its opening with a round lead lid.
• Verses 9–11 Two women with wings like those of a stork appear, lift up the ephah, and fly off with it between earth and heaven. The angel explains that they are going to build a house for the ephah in the land of Shinar and set it there in its own place.

Key Verses

• Zechariah 5:3 "Every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it" — shows that God's word brings judgment even to the everyday conduct of the people.
• Zechariah 5:8 "This is wickedness" — the center of the scene in which wickedness is depicted as a figure, confined, and removed.
• Zechariah 5:11 "To build it an house in the land of Shinar" — conveys the idea that sin is sent back outside the Promised Land, to a land that set itself against God.

People and Places

• Zechariah A prophet active during the rebuilding of the temple after the return from exile; he is the narrator who sees the visions and asks about them.
• The angel that talked with me The angel who interprets the visions.
• The LORD of hosts A title of Yahweh meaning "Lord of the heavenly armies."
• Shinar An ancient name for southern Mesopotamia. It is where the Tower of Babel was built (Genesis 11:2), and it refers to the region of Babylon.

Points for Reflection

• The two sins targeted by the scroll Many interpreters see theft and false swearing as each representing one of the two tablets of the Ten Commandments. The numbering of the commandments, however, differs among traditions: in the Reformed tradition these correspond to the Third and Eighth Commandments, while in the Lutheran and Catholic traditions they correspond to the Second and Seventh.
• The size of the scroll The dimensions of 20 by 10 cubits match those of the porch (vestibule) of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 6:3). Some interpreters connect the scroll with the temple on this basis, though the text does not say so explicitly.
• Why "Wickedness" is depicted as a woman This is usually explained by the fact that the Hebrew word for "wickedness" is a feminine noun, so it is personified as a woman. The image is generally not read as a judgment on women as such.
• A textual issue in verse 6 Where the text reads "their resemblance," some ancient versions, including the Septuagint, read "their iniquity." As a result, translations render the phrase differently.
• Lines of interpretation Many commentators read this chapter as a promise that God will purify the returned community. Some dispensationalist interpreters also connect the house to be built in Shinar with events at the end of the age.
• Connections with the New Testament A scroll written on both the front and the back also appears in Ezekiel 2:10 and Revelation 5:1. The imagery of a woman and Babylon is often compared with "Babylon the great" in Revelation 17–18.