Zechariah 5:5-11

A Vision of a Woman in a Basket

5 Then the angel who was talking with me came forward. He said to me, "Look at what is coming."
6 "What is it?" I asked. "A measuring basket," he replied. "The sins of the people all through the land are in it."
7 Then the basket's cover was lifted up. It was made out of lead. A woman was sitting in the basket!
8 The angel said, "She stands for everything that is evil." Then he pushed her down into the basket. He put the lead cover back over its opening.
9 I looked up and saw two other women. They had wings like the wings of a stork. A wind sent by the LORD carried them along. They lifted the basket up between heaven and earth.
10 "Where are they taking the basket?" I asked the angel.
11 He replied, "To the country of Babylonia. A temple will be built for it. When the temple is ready, the basket will be set there in its place."

Zechariah 5:5-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ZECHARIAH 5

This chapter treats of the judgments of God upon the wicked Jews for their sins and impieties, the measure of which was filled up, and of the execution of them, which are represented in two visions: the first is of a flying roll, which signifies the curse of God, and is described by its measure, the length being twenty cubits, and the breadth ten; and by the extent of it, it reaching to the whole earth, and particularly to thieves and false swearers, who shall be cut off by it; and by the certainty of its coming into the houses of such, and the utter desolation it should there make, Zec 5:1-4 and the other is the vision of an ephah, and a woman sitting in it, and a talent of lead cast upon the mouth of it, which signified wickedness, Zec 5:5-8 this "ephah" is seen to be lifted up between earth and heaven by two women, who are said to have wings like the wings of storks, and the wind to be in them; and who are said by the angel to carry the "ephah" into the land of Shinar, to build it a house, that it might be established and settled upon its own base, Zec 5:9-11.

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