Zacharias 5:2

2 And he said to me, What seest thou? And I said, I see a flying sickle, of the length of twenty cubits, and of the breadth of ten cubits.

Zacharias 5:2 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 5:2

And he said unto me
That is, the angel: What seest thou? and I answered, I see a flying roll, the length
whereof [is] twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits;
so that it was a very large one, a volume of a very uncommon size, especially it may so seem to us; but in other nations they have very long rolls or volumes, even longer than this: the Russians write their acts, protests, and other court matters, on long rolls of paper, some twenty ells, some thirty, and some sixty, and more ^F24: and this being the length and breadth of the porch before the temple, ( 1 Kings 6:3 ) hence the Jewish writers conclude that this flying roll came from thence: it may design either the roll or book in which the sins of men are written; which is very large, and will quickly be brought into judgment, when it will be opened, and men will be judged according to it; which shows the notice God takes of the sins of men; the exact knowledge he has of them; his strict remembrance of them; and the certain account men must give of them another day: or, the book of God's judgments upon sinners, such as was Ezekiel's roll, ( Ezekiel 2:9 Ezekiel 2:10 ) which are many and great; are rolled up, and not at present to be searched into; but are flying, coming on, and will be speedily executed: or rather the book of the law, called a roll or volume, ( Psalms 40:7 ) ( Luke 4:17 Luke 4:20 ) and which will be a swift witness against the breakers of it, as more fully appears from the explanation of it in the next verse ( Zechariah 5:3 ) . It is a mere fancy and conceit of some that the Talmud is meant by this roll, the body of the Jewish traditions, which make void the commands of God, take away the blessing, and leave a curse in the land, as they did in the land of Judea.

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 Eskuche apud Burkium in loc.

Zacharias 5:2 In-Context

1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked and behold a flying sickle.

2 And he said to me, What seest thou? And I said, I see a flying sickle, of the length of twenty cubits, and of the breadth of ten cubits.

3 And he said to me, This is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth: for every thief shall be punished with death on this side, and every false swearer shall be punished on that side.

4 And I will bring it forth, saith the Lord Almighty, 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 rest in the midst of his house, and shall consume it, and the timber of it, and the stones of it.

5 And the angel that talked with me went forth, and said to me, Lift up thine eyes, and see this that goes forth.