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Zacarias 5

ARC · Chapter 5/14

1E outra vez levantei os meus olhos, e olhei, e eis que vi um rolo voante.

2E me disse: Que vês? E eu disse: Vejo um rolo voante, que tem vinte covados de comprido e dez covados de largo.

3Então me disse: Esta é a maldição que sairá pela face de toda a terra; porque qualquer que furtar d'ahi, conforme a mesma maldição, será desarraigado: como tambem qualquer que jurar falsamente d'ahi, conforme a mesma maldição, será desarraigado.

4Eu a tirarei para fóra, disse o Senhor dos Exercitos, e virá á casa do ladrão, e á casa do que jurar falsamente pelo meu nome; e pernoitará no meio da sua casa, e a consumirá a ella com a sua madeira e com as suas pedras

5E saiu o anjo, que fallava comigo, e me disse: Levanta agora os teus olhos, e vê que é isto que sae.

6E eu disse: Que é isto? E elle disse: Isto é um epha que sae. Mais disse: Este é o olho d'elles em toda a terra.

7E eis que foi levantado um talento de chumbo, e havia uma mulher que estava assentada no meio do epha.

8E elle disse: Esta é a impiedade. E a lançou dentro do epha; e lançou na bocca d'elle o peso de chumbo.

9E levantei os meus olhos, e olhei, e eis que duas mulheres sairam, e havia vento nas suas azas, e tinham azas como as azas da cegonha; e levantaram o epha entre a terra e o céu.

10Então eu disse ao anjo que fallava comigo: Para onde levam estas o epha?

11E elle me disse: Para lhe edificarem uma casa na terra de Sinear, e, sendo esta assentada, elle será posto ali sobre a sua base.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Zechariah sees two visions of the land's purification: a great flying scroll that represents the curse against thieves and liars, and a basket (ephah) containing the personification of wickedness being carried away to the land of Shinar.

Explanation

The flying scroll, of enormous dimensions (about nine by four meters), symbolizes a universal judicial curse that reaches both those who steal and those who swear falsely, showing that God cares as much about integrity in business dealings as He does about the sincerity of spoken words. The second vision, of the ephah (a grain measure) with a woman named 'Wickedness' being carried off to Shinar (the region of ancient Babylon), symbolizes the definitive removal of systemic sin from the promised land to its place of spiritual origin. Together, these visions prepare the moral ground for the purification necessary before the complete restoration of Jerusalem. The application for today: a community's true spiritual restoration includes both the active removal of sin and a commitment to honesty in everyday dealings.

Fun facts

  • Shinar is the ancient biblical name for the region where Babylon stood, first mentioned in Genesis 11 as the site of the Tower of Babel — using it here as the destination of 'Wickedness' creates a symbolic link between humanity's original sin of pride and the exile Judah had just endured.
  • The measurements of the scroll (twenty by ten cubits) correspond exactly to the dimensions of the porch of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 6:3), suggesting a symbolic connection between the curse on sin and the temple's own sacred space.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Zacarias 5:1Fifth vision: an enormous flying scroll (about thirty feet by fifteen) representing a curse striking anyone who steals or swears falsely — the law circulating physically over the land as a visible judgment.
  2. Zacarias 5:2The scroll measures about thirty feet by fifteen — an enormous size for a scroll, reinforcing that the curse written on it reaches gigantic proportions.
  3. Zacarias 5:3The scroll's curse is written on both sides, one against thieves and the other against those who swear falsely — the two crimes that most corrode trust in a small, post-exilic community.
  4. Zacarias 5:4This curse does not stay on paper: it will literally enter the house of the thief and of the one who swears falsely, destroying the whole structure, timber and stones.
  5. Zacarias 5:5The angel draws the prophet's attention to a new scene coming into view — the sixth vision of the series.
  6. Zacarias 5:6The 'ephah' was a common grain measure used in trade; here, according to the angel, it represents the wickedness spreading through the whole land, visible to everyone.
  7. Zacarias 5:7The lead cover is lifted, revealing a woman sitting inside the measure itself — a strange scene that is only explained in the following verse.
  8. Zacarias 5:8Sixth vision: a woman representing 'wickedness' is placed inside a grain measure (an ephah) and sealed with a weight of lead — a strange personification of sin being forcibly contained.
  9. Zacarias 5:9Two women with wings like the wings of a stork appear, carrying the ephah between heaven and earth — messengers assigned to remove this personified wickedness from among the people.
  10. Zacarias 5:10The prophet asks where they are taking the container with the wickedness inside, seeking to understand the final destination of this symbolic removal.
  11. Zacarias 5:11'The land of Shinar' is another name for the region of Babylon; carrying the wickedness there symbolizes sending evil back to where it came from, removing it from the land of Judah.

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