Zecharyah 5:4

4 I will send it [ha’alah, the curse] forth, saith Hashem Tzva’os, and it shall enter into the bais haganav, and into the bais of him that sweareth falsely biShmi (by My Name); and it [ha’alah] shall remain inside his bais, and shall destroy it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

Zecharyah 5:4 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 5:4

I will bring it forth, saith the Lord of hosts
The roll was come forth, and was flying abroad; but the curse and wrath of God, signified by it, is what God would bring forth out of his treasures, according to his purposes and declarations, and execute upon sinners; which shows the certainty of it, and that there is no escaping it: and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the
house of him that sweareth falsely by my name; and it shall remain
in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber
thereof, and the stones thereof;
when wrath is gone forth from the Lord, there is no stopping it; and where it takes place it will remain, there is no getting rid of it; it makes an utter desolation of goods and estates, and entirely destroys both body and soul in hell: there seems to be an allusion to the plague of the leprosy, ( Leviticus 14:45 ) . So the son of Sirach says,

``a man that swears much shall be full of iniquity, and the plague shall not depart from his house:''

and again,

``if a man swears in vain, he shall not be innocent or justified, for his house shall be full of calamities ^F25.''

So the oracle in Herodotus ^F26, which Grotius has observed, makes an utter destruction of a man's house and family, to be the punishment of the sin of perjury. Moreover, by the house of the thief and swearer may be meant the temple, as in the times of Christ, which was become a den of thieves and perjurers, and for their sins, became desolate, ( Matthew 21:13 ) ( 23:38 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 Ecclesiasticus xxiii. 11.
F26 Erato, sive l. 6. c. 86.

Zecharyah 5:4 In-Context

2 And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered: I see a megillah flying; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.

3 Then said he unto me, This is ha’alah (the curse) that goeth forth over the face of kol ha’aretz; for every ganav that stealeth shall be purged out [i.e., banished] according to what it says on one side of the megillah; and every perjurer that sweareth falsely shall be purged out according to what it says on the other side. [Shemot 20:15,7]

4 I will send it [ha’alah, the curse] forth, saith Hashem Tzva’os, and it shall enter into the bais haganav, and into the bais of him that sweareth falsely biShmi (by My Name); and it [ha’alah] shall remain inside his bais, and shall destroy it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

5 Then the malach that spoke with me came forward, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that cometh into view.

6 And I said, What is it? And he said, This is the eifah (measuring basket) going out. He said moreover, This is their [i.e., that of ganavim and perjurors] appearance throughout kol ha’aretz.