Zechariah 5

By the representation of & flying roll, God’s judgments are denounced agaipst robbery and perjury: and the Jews are warned against such sins as occasioned their former captivity, for fear of incurring the same, or a worse calamity. Ver.l.jf TURNED, and lifted up mine eyes.] Or, Again I lifted up mine eyes: for the Hebrew verb shub, to return, is often used adverbially. (See Eccles. iv. 1. ix. 11. and the note upon Isa. vi. 13.) And, behold, a flying roll] The roll of a book, as it is expressed, Jer. xxxvi. 1. Ezek. ii. 9. The ancient way of writing being upon long scrolls of parchment. It is described as flying, to denote the swiftness of God’s judgments.

Zechariah 5:2

The length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth ten cubits. Such scrolls were usually longer than they were broad; so this was represented as ten yards in length, and five in breadth. The curses therein contained, might probably be writ in capital letters. (See the note upon Isa. viii. 1.)

Zechariah 5:3

This is the curse that goeth over the face of the whole earth. Or rather, Of the whole land; meaning the land of Judea. This roll contained the curses; i. e. the judgments denounced against the Jews, who were guilty of the sins here specified. (Compare viii. 17. Deut. xi. 29. xxviii. 15. xxx. J.9. Nehem. x. 29.) For every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side, according to it, &c] The roll was written upon both sides, as that mentioned Ezek. ii. 10. On one side was contained the judgments against stealing, and on the other against false-swearing. These two sins are joined together, because in the Jewish courts men were compelled to purge themselves by oath, in the case of theft; so they often would forswear themselves rather than discover the truth. (See Hos. iv. 2. Prov. xxix. 24. xxx. 9.) Stealing may here particularly denote the defrauding the temple of the tithes and offerings that were to be brought thither for the maintaining of God’s worship; a sin for which the Jews of that age are severely reproved. (See Mai. i. 8, &c. iii. 8, 9. Nehem. xiii. 10, 11.)

Zechariah 5:4

And I will bring it forth, and it shall enter into the house of the thief; and it shall consumeit, with the timber thereof and the stones thereof. The curse denounced in this roll, or book, shall take hold of the man and his family, and shall never leave them till they are utterly consumed. It shall be like the leprosy that infects a house, and cannot be purged till the house itself be pulled down. (Sec Lev. xiv.45.) The oracle at Delphi denounced a like punishment against perjury, as it is recorded by Herodotus, lib* iii. Kpanrvbc §£ fX£rlpx* ra h cltrofct -rraaav ^vfxfiap)pat 6\ly ytvzrjv kcl\ oIkov airavra. The curse shall swiftly enter, and shall bring V Tlie man himself, and all his house to ruin.

Zechariah 5:5

Then the angel that talked with me [see iv. 1. went forth.] Or, Went on. The verb yatsa signifies to go, io go on, or forward: so it is used 2 Chron. xxi. 19. Jer. xxv. 32.^and so it may signify at the end of this verse, and in the next, where it occurs again. Ver. G. And I said, What is it? and he said, Tliis is an ephah that goeth forth.] Dr. Wells observes, that this vessel or barrel was made in the shape of an ephah: yet t it was of a much bigger size, large enough to contain a woman in it; which was the reason Zechariah did not know what it was. An ephah contained about the quantity of our bushel, and being the measure of dry things; denotes the Jews’ unjust dealings in buying and selling. (See Amos viii. 5.) He said moreover, TJds is their resemblance through all the earth.] Or, Through all the land. By this you may make an estimate of their unjust dealings all the land over. (Compare ver. 3, 4.) The LXX. give a very easy sense of the words: TJiis is their iniquity throughout all the land; changing only one letter in the original text, and reading onam for enam.

Zechariah 5:7

And, behold, there was lifted tip a talent of lead. To denote the weight or severity of the judgments here threatened. And this is a woman sitting in the midst of the ephah.] What thou seest besides, is a woman in the midst of, or within, the ephah; as Noldius interprets it/ Concordant p. 83. The Hebrew reads one woman, but the adjective one is sometimes equivalent to the article a, or the, commonly placed before substantives. (See Dan. viii. 3. x. 5.)

Zechariah 5:8

And he said, This is wickedness. Public states or societies are oftentimes represented by women, and as the mothers of their people or inhabitants, as we sec in the ancient coins. By the same analogy corrupt societies are figuratively expressed by harlots, and women of lewd characters; such are Aholah and Aholibah, described Ezek. xxiii. so here the corrupt state of the Jews is set forth by a wicked woman. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; [or, -within the ephah, see ver. 7.] and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof] To signify, that when a people have filled up the measure of their iniquity they sink under the weight of their sins, and cannot escape the judgment of God.

Zechariah 5:9

J looked, and, behold, there cameout[or, appeared. two women, and the wind was in their wings, &c] These may probably signify the empires of Assyria and Babylon. Empires and kingdoms are commonly described as having wings, to denote the swiftness of their conquests. (See Deut. xxviii. 49. Jer. xlix. 22. Hos. viii. 1.) And they lifted up the ephah between tlie earth and the heaven.] i. e. The Assyrians carried away captive the ten tribes, and then the Babylonians took away the remainder of the Jews, and made an entire riddance of the people of the land. 2F2