View Zechariah 5 in the note window.
The vision of the flying roll, ver. 1 - 4.
Of the ephah, the talent of lead, and the woman, ver. 5 - 11.
1: A flying roll - A volume, or book spread out at large, flying in
the air, swiftly.
3: This - This roll or book containeth the curse, due to sinners.
The whole earth - Either the whole land of Judea, or all the world,
wherever these sins are found. According to it - According to the
threats inscribed thereon. Sweareth - Profanely, or falsely.
4: It shall enter - This curse shall come with commission from me.
It shall remain - It shall stick close to them and theirs like Gehazi's
leprosy. And the stones - Nothing shall remain, as when both the timber
and stones of a house are consumed.
6: He - The angel. An ephah - A measure which held about three
bushels. Goeth forth - Out of the temple. Their resemblance - This is
an emblem of this people everywhere. Thus there is limited time and
measure for them, while they sin, and are filling the ephah with their
sins, they will find that the ephah of wrath is filled up also, to be
poured out upon them.
7: And behold - Here is another part of this vision.
Lifted up - Brought thither to cover it. A talent - A piece of lead of
a talent weight, as large as the mouth of the ephah. A woman - A woman,
the third in the vision. Perhaps this vision was purposely obscure,
least a plain denunciation of the second overthrow of the state and
temple, might discourage them from going forward in the present
restoration of them.
8: This - This woman represents the wickedness of the Jews.
He cast it - The angel cast down this woman. On the mouth - And so
shut her up, to suffer the punishment of all her sins.
9: There came out - From the same place whence the ephah came.
Their wings - They had wings, like the wings of storks, large and strong,
and flew before the wind with great swiftness. The judgments came thus
flying, and so bore away with them those that were incorrigible.
11: To build - Not in mercy, but in judgment. Of Shinar - Of
Babylon whither many of the Jews fled, and others of them were
forced by the Romans. Set there - There they shall be confined
without hope of release. Her own base - They are settled upon the lees
of their own unbelief: their wickedness is established on its own bases.
