Zechariah 5:3

Zechariah 5:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)And he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: ‘Every thief shall be expelled,’ according to this side of the scroll; and, ‘Every perjurer shall be expelled,’ according to that side of it.”

Context of Zechariah 5:3

1I looked up again and saw a flying scroll. 2“What do you see?” he asked me. “I see a flying scroll,” I replied, “thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide.” Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going out over the whole land, for everyone who is a thief, contrary to what is written on one side, has gone unpunished, and everyone who swears falsely, contrary to what is written on the other side, has gone unpunished. 4I will send it out,” — this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies — “and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by my name. It will stay inside his house and destroy it along with its timbers and stones.” 5Then the angel who was speaking with me came forward and told me, “Look up and see what this is that is approaching.”

Zechariah 5:3 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֔י זֹ֚את הָֽאָלָ֔ה הַיּוֹצֵ֖את עַל־פְּנֵ֣י כָל־הָאָ֑רֶץ כִּ֣י כָל־הַגֹּנֵ֗ב מִזֶּה֙ כָּמ֣וֹהָ נִקָּ֔ה וְכָל־הַנִּ֨שְׁבָּ֔ע מִזֶּ֖ה כָּמ֥וֹהָ נִקָּֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the curseאָלָה'âlâh · oathH423
• that goeth forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: speakH3318
• over the faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
• of the whole earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• for every one that stealethגָּנַבgânab · to stealH1589
• shall be cut offנָקָהnâqâh · to clearH5352
• on this side accordingכְּמוֹkemô kâmô · likeH3644
• to it; and every one that swearethשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650

Cross-references for Zechariah 5:3

• Deuteronomy 11:28and a curse, if you do not obey the commands of the Lord your God and you turn aside from the path I command you today by following other gods you have not known.
• Deuteronomy 27:15‘The person who makes a carved idol or cast image, which is detestable to the Lord, the work of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret is cursed.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen!’
• Deuteronomy 28:15“But if you do not obey the Lord your God by carefully following all his commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake you:
• Deuteronomy 29:19When someone hears the words of this oath, he may consider himself exempt, thinking, ‘I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart.’ This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land.
• Psalms 109:17He loved cursing — let it fall on him; he took no delight in blessing — let it be far from him.
• Proverbs 3:33The Lord’s curse is on the household of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous;
• Isaiah 24:6Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants have become guilty; the earth’s inhabitants have been burned, and only a few survive.
• Isaiah 43:28So I defiled the officers of the sanctuary, and set Jacob apart for destruction and Israel for scorn.
• Jeremiah 26:6I will make this temple like Shiloh. I will make this city an example for cursing for all the nations of the earth.’”
• Daniel 9:11All Israel has broken your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. The promised curse written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against him.
• Malachi 3:9You are suffering under a curse, yet you — the whole nation — are still robbing me.
• Malachi 4:6And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
• Matthew 25:41“Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!
• Galatians 3:10For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed.
• Hebrews 6:6and who have fallen away. This is because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding him up to contempt.
• Revelation 21:8But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars — their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Commentaries on Zechariah 5:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Every one that stealeth - and every one that sweareth - It seems that the roll was written both on the front and back: stealing and swearing are supposed to be two general heads of crimes; the former, comprising sins against men; the latter, sins against God. It is supposed that the roll contained the sins and punishments of the Chaldeans.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Over the face of the whole earth - primarily land, since the perjured persons, upon whom the curse was to fall Zechariah 5:4, were those who swore falsely by the name of God: and this was in Judah only. The reference to the two tables of the law also confines it primarily to those who were under the law. Yet, since the moral law abides under the Gospel, ultimately these visions related to the Christian Church, which was to be spread over the whole earth…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3curse (or oath): A covenant included punishments for those who broke the agreement (see Deuteronomy 29:12–21).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. curse ... earth--(Mal 4:6). The Gentiles are amenable to the curse of the law, as they have its substance, so far as they have not seared and corrupted conscience, written on their hearts (Ro 2:15). cut off--literally, "cleared away." as on this side ... as on that side--both sides of the roll [Vatablus]. From this place ... from this place (repeated twice, as "the house" is repeated in Zec 5:4) [Maurer]; so "hence" is used, Ge 37:17 (or, "on this and…Read the comment

Topics related to Zechariah 5:3

• Blasphemy
• Dishonesty
• False Teachers
• Punishment
• Symbols and Similitudes
• Theft and Thieves
• Vision
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Angel
• Theft
• Bible, the
• Crime; Crimes
• Curse
• Joshua (3)
• Zechariah, Book of

Commentaries on Zechariah 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings