Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Zechariah
Chapter 5: The Curse and the Removal of Wickedness
Having seen God cleanse the priest and promise His Spirit, Zechariah now sees two visions of God dealing with sin in the land. First, a giant 'flying roll', a scroll of God's law and curse, goes out over the whole earth to judge the thief and the one who 'sweareth falsely by my name,' entering their houses to consume them. God's holiness will not leave sin unpunished. Then a basket, an 'ephah', appears, and inside sits a woman whom the angel names 'This is wickedness.' She is sealed under a heavy lead lid and flown away by winged women to the land of 'Shinar' (Babylon), to be given a house of her own. Sin is not only judged but removed, carried out of God's holy land back to the place of rebellion. Together the visions show a God who both punishes iniquity and purges it from among His people.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Zechariah chapter 5, the visions of the flying roll and the ephah. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. The chapter shows God both judging sin and removing it from among His people. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
The Flying Roll
God's curse going out against the thief and false swearer.
It Shall Consume the House
Sin brings its own ruin into the sinner's home.
This Is Wickedness
Sin sealed under lead in the ephah.
Carried to Shinar
Wickedness swept out of the holy land.
The Curse That Goeth Forth (Zechariah 5:1-4)
A huge flying scroll bearing God's curse goes out over the whole land to judge the thief and the one who swears falsely by God's name, entering their houses to consume them.
It Shall Remain in the Midst of His House
"Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits. Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, 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."
Hebrew Study
"a flying roll," and "the curse that goeth forth." A "roll" is a scroll, and this one is enormous, twenty cubits by ten (about thirty by fifteen feet), the very dimensions of the tabernacle's holy place, suggesting God's holy law itself. It "flies" over the land as a "curse" (alah, a sworn curse) against sin. The two sins named, stealing (against the neighbor) and false swearing "by my name" (against God), represent breaking both tables of the law, our duty to others and to God. The scroll is God's law in action, pronouncing the curse it warned of: "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them" (Galatians 3:10). God's holiness cannot ignore sin; His law goes forth to judge it.
"it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it." The curse does not merely pass over the sinner; it lodges in his house and "consumes it with the timber... and the stones." Sin is not an external penalty added later but a destroying presence that eats away the sinner's life from within. "The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked" (Proverbs 3:33); "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Unforgiven sin is a consuming thing, ruining what it touches. This makes the gospel all the more precious, for Christ "hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). The curse that would consume our house fell on Him, so that it need not remain in ours.
Explanation
Zechariah sees "a flying roll", a vast scroll soaring over the land. The angel explains: "This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth." It targets two representative sinners: "every one that stealeth" and "every one that sweareth" (falsely, by God's name). These two sins stand for the whole law, wrongs against people and against God. The curse of the broken law is loose, and it will find the guilty.
And its judgment is thorough. "I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name." It does not strike and leave; it "shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof." Sin's judgment settles in and devours the whole structure of a life. The vision is a sober reminder that as God restores His people, He also purges sin, and His holy law goes forth to judge all who cling to iniquity.
Gospel Focus
The flying roll reminds us that God's law is real and its curse is not empty. We live in an age that treats sin lightly, but God's holy law goes forth over the whole earth, and "cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law." Every one of us has broken it, stolen in some form, sworn or spoken falsely, wronged our neighbor and our God, and so the curse hangs over every house. To feel the weight of the flying roll is the beginning of seeking a Saviour.
And here is the gospel: the curse that would "remain in the midst of his house" and consume it fell instead on Christ. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13). On the cross, the flying roll of God's curse landed on Jesus, so that it need not land on us. The sin that would devour our life like fire in the timbers was borne by Him. Do not leave the curse to consume your house; flee to the One who was made a curse for you, and let His redemption take the flying roll away from your door.
This Is Wickedness (Zechariah 5:5-11)
A basket appears with a woman named Wickedness inside, sealed under a heavy lead lid; winged women lift the basket into the air and carry it away to the land of Shinar, where a house will be built for it, sin removed from God's land back to the place of rebellion.
To Build It an House in the Land of Shinar
"Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth. And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base."
Hebrew Study
"This is an ephah... This is wickedness." An "ephah" was a common measuring basket for grain, an emblem of commerce and daily life, and perhaps a hint of the dishonest trade God so often condemns. Inside sits "a woman," and the angel names her plainly: "This is wickedness" (rish'ah, evil, guilt). Sin is personified, contained, measured, and then sealed under "a talent of lead," a heavy weight clamped over the basket's mouth so she cannot escape. The vision teaches that God can gather up the wickedness diffused "through all the earth," confine it, and deal with it decisively. Sin will not run loose forever; God will contain and remove it.
"To build it an house in the land of Shinar." "Shinar" is the ancient name for Babylonia, the land of Babel and its rebellious tower (Genesis 11:2), the biblical symbol of organized opposition to God. Wickedness is carried out of the holy land and given a "house" in Shinar, sent back to its true home, the place of rebellion against God. Sin is being expelled from among God's people and returned to Babylon, where it belongs. This anticipates the final removal of evil: in Revelation, all the world's wickedness is gathered into "Babylon the great," which is then judged and cast down (Revelation 18). God's purpose is not merely to punish sin here and there but to purge it entirely from His people and His land, and one day to remove it forever.
Explanation
The angel shows Zechariah "an ephah," a measuring basket, "This is their resemblance through all the earth", a picture of the pervasive wickedness of the people. When the heavy lead lid is lifted, a woman is seen sitting inside, and the angel names her: "This is wickedness." He thrusts her back down into the basket and slams "the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof," sealing sin under a lid it cannot lift.
Then "two women" with "wings like the wings of a stork," carried by the wind, lift the whole basket "between the earth and the heaven" and fly it away. Where to? "To build it an house in the land of Shinar", to Babylon, the land of rebellion, where it will be "established... upon her own base." Wickedness is being removed from God's land and deported to its native home. The two visions together make one point: God deals with sin. The flying roll shows Him judging it; the ephah shows Him removing it, sweeping evil out from among His people and sending it back to Babylon where it belongs.
Gospel Focus
The vision of the ephah is a picture of God's determination not merely to forgive sin but to remove it. Wickedness is contained, sealed, and carried out of the holy land, expelled from among God's people and sent back to Babylon, the place of rebellion. This is the second half of what the gospel does: God not only takes away the guilt of our sin (as in the cleansing of Joshua in chapter 3), He works to purge sin's presence from our lives, "our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed" (Romans 6:6). Salvation is not only pardon but purification; God is at work to carry the "wickedness" out of us and give it no house among His people.
And the vision looks toward the final removal of evil. Sin is sent to "the land of Shinar," to Babylon, its true home, and the Bible ends with all the world's wickedness gathered into "Babylon the great" and cast down forever (Revelation 18:2, 21). God's ultimate purpose is a new creation "wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13), where sin has no house at all. For now, we live between the judging of sin at the cross and its final removal at Christ's return, and we are called to let God carry the wickedness out of our lives. Do not build sin a house in your heart; let God seal it under lead and sweep it away to Babylon, and long for the day when evil is removed from His world forever.
Chapter 5 in Review
Zechariah 5 gives two visions of God dealing with sin. First, "a flying roll", a giant scroll of God's law and curse, goes out over the whole land to judge "every one that stealeth" and "every one that sweareth falsely by my name," entering their houses to "consume" them, sin brings its own ruin, and God's holiness will not leave it unpunished. Second, a woman named "wickedness" is sealed under a lead lid in an "ephah" and flown away by winged women "to build it an house in the land of Shinar", Babylon, the home of rebellion. Sin is not only judged but removed, carried out of God's holy land.
For the Apostolic reader these visions preach both halves of the gospel's work against sin. God judges iniquity: His holy law goes forth as a curse, and every house is under it, but that curse fell on Christ, "made a curse for us," so that it need not remain in ours. And God removes iniquity: He seals up wickedness and sweeps it out from among His people, a picture of the sanctifying work by which "the body of sin" is destroyed, and of the final day when all evil is gathered into Babylon and cast down forever. Salvation is both pardon and purging. Flee the curse to Christ who bore it, and let God carry the wickedness out of your life, longing for the new creation "wherein dwelleth righteousness."
- God's law goes forth as a real curse against sin, breaking both tables (5:3; Galatians 3:10).
- Unforgiven sin is a consuming presence that ruins the sinner's house (5:4; Proverbs 3:33; Romans 6:23).
- The curse that would consume us fell on Christ, "made a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13).
- God can contain and seal up wickedness diffused through all the earth (5:6-8).
- Sin is removed from God's people and sent back to Babylon, its true home (5:11; Revelation 18).
- Salvation is both pardon and purging; long for the new creation without sin (Romans 6:6; 2 Peter 3:13).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you take God's law and its curse against sin seriously?
- Have you fled to Christ, who was "made a curse for us," so the curse need not remain in your house?
- Is there a "wickedness" you are letting build a house in your heart instead of sweeping it out?
- Do you long for the day when evil is removed from God's world forever?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Key terms: "roll" (scroll, verses 1-2); alah ("curse," a sworn oath-curse, verse 3); "ephah" (a measuring basket, verse 6); rish'ah ("wickedness," verse 8); "Shinar" (Babylonia, verse 11). The curse of the broken law and Christ made a curse: Deuteronomy 27:15-26; 28:15-20; Galatians 3:10-13; Proverbs 3:33. Judgment on theft and false swearing: Exodus 20:7, 15; Leviticus 19:11-12; Malachi 3:5; Jeremiah 7:9-10. Sin personified and contained: Genesis 4:7; Romans 5:12, 21; 6:12-14. Shinar/Babylon as the home of rebellion, and the final removal of evil: Genesis 10:10; 11:1-9; Isaiah 13-14; Revelation 17-18; 21:8, 27. Salvation as both pardon and purging: Romans 6:1-14; 8:13; Titus 2:14; 1 John 3:8; 2 Peter 3:11-13. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The flying roll: God's curse judging sin, borne by Christ: Zechariah 5:1-4; Galatians 3:10-13.
- The ephah and the woman Wickedness: sin removed to Babylon: Zechariah 5:5-11; Romans 6:6; Revelation 18.