Zacarías 5

1 El rollo que volaba
Levanté otra vez la mirada y vi un rollo volando en el aire.

2 —¿Qué ves? —preguntó el ángel.
—Veo un rollo que vuela —contesté—. Parece tener cerca de diez metros de largo y cinco metros de ancho.

3 Entonces él me dijo:
—Este rollo contiene la maldición que cubrirá toda la tierra. Un lado del rollo dice que los que roban serán desterrados; el otro lado dice que los que juran en falso serán desterrados.

4 El Señor
de los Ejércitos Celestiales dice: “Envío esta maldición a la casa de cada ladrón y a la casa de todos los que juran en falso usando mi nombre. Mi maldición se quedará en esa casa y la destruirá por completo, hasta las maderas y las piedras”.

5 La mujer en un canasto
Entonces el ángel que hablaba conmigo se adelantó y dijo:
—Mira hacia arriba y fíjate en lo que viene.

6 —¿Qué es? —pregunté.
—Es un canasto para medir grano
—respondió— y está lleno con los pecados
de los habitantes de todo el país.

7 Entonces fue levantada la pesada tapa de plomo del canasto y adentro había una mujer sentada.

8 El ángel dijo: «La mujer se llama Perversidad», y la empujó adentro del canasto otra vez y cerró la pesada tapa.

9 Entonces miré hacia arriba y vi a dos mujeres que volaban hacia nosotros, planeando con el viento. Tenían alas como de cigüeña, y recogieron el canasto y levantaron el vuelo.

10 —¿Adónde llevan el canasto? —le pregunté al ángel.

11 —A la tierra de Babilonia
—me respondió—, donde construirán un templo para el canasto. Luego, cuando el templo esté listo, colocarán el canasto allí sobre un pedestal.

Zacarías 5 Commentary

Chapter 5

The vision of a flying roll. (1-4) The vision of a woman and an ephah. (5-11)

Verses 1-4 The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are rolls, in which God has written the great things of his law and gospel; they are flying rolls. God's word runs very swiftly, Ps. 147:15 . This flying roll contains a declaration of the righteous wrath of God against sinners. Oh that we saw with an eye of faith the flying roll of God's curse hanging over the guilty world as a thick cloud, not only keeping off the sunbeams of God's favour, but big with thunders, lightnings, and storms, ready to destroy them! How welcome then would the tidings of a Saviour be, who came to redeem us from the curse of the law, being himself made a curse for us! Sin is the ruin of houses and families; especially the doing hurt to others and false witness. Who knows the power of God's anger? God's curse cannot be kept out by bars or locks. While one part of the curse of God ruins the substance of the sinner, another part will rest on the soul, and sink it to everlasting punishment. All are transgressors of the law, so we cannot escape this wrath of God, except we flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us in the gospel.

Verses 5-11 In this vision the prophet sees an ephah, something in the shape of a corn measure. This betokened the Jewish nation. They are filling the measure of their iniquity; and when it is full, they shall be delivered into the hands of those to whom God sold them for their sins. The woman sitting in the midst of the ephah represents the sinful church and nation of the Jews, in their latter and corrupt age. Guilt is upon the sinner as a weight of lead, to sink him to the lowest hell. This seems to mean the condemnation of the Jews, after they filled the measure of their iniquities by crucifying Christ and rejecting his gospel. Zechariah sees the ephah, with the woman thus pressed in it, carried away to some far country. This intimates that the Jews should be hurried out of their own land, and forced to dwell in far countries, as they had been in Babylon. There the ephah shall be firmly placed, and their sufferings shall continue far longer than in their late captivity. Blindness is happened unto Israel, and they are settled upon their own unbelief. Let sinners fear to treasure up wrath against the day of wrath; for the more they multiply crimes, the faster the measure fills.

Chapter Summary

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.