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

1Then I raised my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll. 2And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.” Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the entire land; everyone who steals certainly will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears falsely will be purged away according to the writing on the other side. 4I will make it go forth,” declares 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; and it will spend the night within that house and destroy it with its timber and stones.” 5Then the angel who had been speaking with me went out and said to me, “Now raise your eyes and see what this is that is going forth.”

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

• Then he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• to me, “Thisזֶהzeh · thisH2088
• curseאָלָה'âlâh · oathH423
• that is goingיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: speakH3318
• forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: speakH3318
• overעַל‛al · uponH5921
• the faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
• of the entireכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• stealsגָּנַבgânab · to stealH1589
• certainlyכִּיkîy · forH3588
• will be purgedנָקָהnâqâh · to clearH5352
• swearsשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650

Cross-references for Zechariah 5:3

• Deuteronomy 11:28and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.
• Deuteronomy 27:15‘Cursed is the person who makes a carved image or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall reply and say, ‘Amen.’
• Deuteronomy 28:15“But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to be careful to follow all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
• Deuteronomy 29:19And it shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will consider himself fortunate in his heart, saying, ‘I will do well though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order to destroy the watered land along with the dry.’
• Psalms 109:17He also loved cursing, so it came to him; And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
• Proverbs 3:33The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the home of the righteous.
• Isaiah 24:6Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer for their guilt. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth decrease in number, and few people are left.
• Isaiah 43:28So I will profane the officials of the sanctuary, And I will turn Jacob over to destruction and Israel to abuse.
• Jeremiah 26:6then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.”’”
• Daniel 9:11Indeed, all Israel has violated Your Law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has gushed forth on us, along with the oath which is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him.
• Malachi 3:9You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the entire nation of you!
• Malachi 4:6He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction.”
• Matthew 25:41“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
• Galatians 3:10For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.”
• Hebrews 6:6and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.
• Revelation 21:8But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, 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