Tyndale Open Study NotesZechariah 5

These eight visions helped the Judeans overcome their fears and trust in God's promises. The visions happened two months after Haggai's last two messages (Haggai 2:10–19, 20–23). They suggest that Haggai's prophecies were coming true.

Zechariah's vision of the flying scroll reminded the leaders and people of Judah after the exile that they still had to follow God's commands. The blessings and curses of the law still applied (see Deuteronomy 28).

• Again I lifted up my eyes: This is the sixth of eight visions Zechariah had in one night.

• A scroll, similar to a book in biblical times, was usually made of rolled parchment or leather, but sometimes of papyrus, tin, or copper. This scroll was flying, unfurled like a banner for everyone to see.

curse (or oath): A covenant included punishments for those who broke the agreement (see Deuteronomy 29:12–21).

This curse acts like a law officer to punish those who break God's covenant (see Psalm 147:15; Isaiah 55:11).

The seventh vision continues the theme of cleansing that began when the high priest Jeshua was declared innocent (Zechariah 3:1–10). The removal of wickedness, like the removal of Jeshua’s filthy clothes (Zechariah 3:4), shows God’s gracious forgiveness. This act comes from the covenant-keeping God.

The measuring basket, known as an ephah in Hebrew, was a standard unit for measuring dry goods. An ephah was about half a bushel. Old Testament prophets condemned unfair ephahs. They associated the ephah basket with wrongdoing (see Ezekiel 45:10; Micah 6:10).

a woman sitting inside the basket: This symbolizes a tempting and dangerous force that is hard to control. The sin of worshiping idols had earlier caused God's judgment (2 Kings 17:16–18; 2 Chronicles 36:14).

The heavy lead cover weighed about 34 kilograms (75 pounds), which is one talent. This was not a normal cover for an ephah basket. Its weight shows that special action was needed to seal the basket’s unholy contents.

Wickedness can be moral evil or ceremonial evil, and it is opposed to righteousness (see Proverbs 13:6; Ezekiel 33:12). The word wickedness (Hebrew rish‘ah) sounds similar in Hebrew to the name Asherah, the fertility goddess of the ancient Near East (see Deuteronomy 7:5; 16:21).

In the Old Testament, it is rare to see divine or angelic winged creatures depicted as women. If these two women are the Lord's servants, they are unique angels. If they serve Wickedness (a foreign goddess), their obedience to God's command shows his power over false gods.

• Idolatry (the worship of idols) is a powerful and aggressive form of evil. It cannot be contained among God’s people. God orders it to be removed and sent back to its place of origin, Babylonia.

  This image shows that God is able to remove every form of wickedness that separates his people from him.

• The land of Babylonia was where the Hebrews were held captive (Micah 4:10). The prophets describe it as wicked and idolatrous (Isaiah 46–47; Jeremiah 50–51).

  In the New Testament, Babylon represents the evil Roman Empire (Revelation 17:5; 18:2; see 1 Peter 5:13).