Zechariah 5

Zechariah · Chapter 5

Zechariah 5:7

1Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll.2And 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.3Then 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.4I 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.5Then 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.6And 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.7And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.8And 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.9Then 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.10Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?11And 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.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
7And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.And behold, the cover of lead was raised, and there was a woman sitting inside the basket.(and, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead); and this is a woman sitting in the midst of the ephah.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

In one of Zechariah's night visions, he sees a measuring basket (an ephah). Its round lead cover is lifted, and a woman is sitting inside. The angel names her "wickedness" and shuts her in, and then two winged women carry the basket away to Shinar. Zechariah overviewZechariah 5:5Zechariah 5:6Zechariah 5:7Zechariah 5:8Zechariah 5:9Zechariah 5:11

SpeakingZechariah tells what he saw. "The angel that talked with me" explains the vision to him. Zechariah 5:5Zechariah 5:6Zechariah overview

ToThe people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon, with their leaders Zerubbabel and Joshua. Zechariah overview

Also involvedThe woman in the basket stands for wickedness. The angel names her in the next verse. The vision shows that wickedness being carried away to Shinar. Zechariah 5:8Zechariah 5:11

A round cover of lead is lifted, and a woman is seen sitting inside the ephah. In verse 8 the angel calls her "wickedness," casts her back into the basket, and sets the lead weight on its mouth. Two women with wings like a stork's then lift the basket between earth and heaven. Zechariah 5:7Zechariah 5:8Zechariah 5:9Strong's H3603HStrong's H0374

Zechariah gave his messages in Jerusalem among the returned exiles. In the vision, the basket holding wickedness is carried to "the land of Shinar," where a house is built for it. Zechariah overviewZechariah 5:11

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThis is one of the night visions in 1:7-6:8. Zechariah's dated messages come from the reign of Darius king of Persia, about 520-518 BC, while the temple was being rebuilt. Zechariah overview

WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote these messages in 520-518 BC. Scholarly: most scholars agree that chapters 1-8, which include this vision, come from Zechariah in those years. Zechariah overview

HereJust before this, a flying roll carries a curse against thieves and false swearers into their houses. This vision goes further: wickedness is shut in under a lead weight and carried far off to Shinar. God both judges sin and takes it away. Zechariah 5:3Zechariah 5:4Zechariah 5:8Zechariah 5:9Zechariah 5:11

In the whole of ScriptureZechariah calls the people to turn to the LORD and promises that God will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Revelation also pictures a woman under judgment, "the great whore that sitteth upon many waters," and names her as "that great city." Zechariah overviewRevelation 17:1Revelation 17:18

For readersThe verse shows that God does not leave wickedness at home among his people. He names it, shuts it in, and has it carried away. Zechariah 5:8Zechariah 5:9Zechariah 5:11

  • talentכִּכָּר
    Hebrew · kik.kar · H3603H

    The word means something round, such as a round weight. Here it is glossed "a round cover." It is the same lead weight that verse 8 sets on the mouth of the basket to seal the woman in. Strong's H3603HZechariah 5:8

  • ephahאֵיפָה
    Hebrew · e.phah · H0374

    An ephah is a dry measure, and the word also means the container that holds that amount. So the woman sits inside a measuring basket that can be closed and carried. Strong's H0374Zechariah 5:9

  • sittethיָשַׁב
    Hebrew · ya.shav · H3427

    The word means to sit, but also to dwell or remain. That fits the end of the vision, where a house is built for the ephah in Shinar and it is "established" there. Strong's H3427Zechariah 5:11

Takeaway

The woman in the ephah is not left unexplained. The angel calls her "wickedness" (5:8). The vision shows wickedness sealed in and carried away from God's people to Shinar. Zechariah 5:7Zechariah 5:8Zechariah 5:9Zechariah 5:11

Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.

The world around the text

Behind this verse

The ephah
An ephah was the basket or vessel used to measure grain. The law required "a just ephah," and Amos condemns sellers "making the ephah small." Zechariah 5:6Leviticus 19:36Amos 8:5

About 520-518 BC. King of Persia: Darius I (522-486 BC). Where Zechariah prophesied. A small, poor community was rebuilding the temple among the ruins of the city Babylon had burned.

Who ruled
  • King of PersiaDarius I522-486 BC

    Zechariah dates his messages by the years of Darius. Darius confirmed Cyrus's decree and ordered the temple work to go on at royal expense. Zechariah 1:1Zechariah 7:1Ezra 6:1-12Haggai 1:1Behistun Inscription

  • Governor of JudahZerubbabelc. 520 BC

    A descendant of David who led the rebuilding. "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it." Zechariah 4:6-10Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:8

  • High priestJoshua the high priestc. 520 BC

    Called Jeshua in Ezra. He stands in Zechariah's vision clothed in filthy garments, which are taken away, and later receives crowns as a sign. Zechariah 3:1-10Zechariah 6:11Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:2

  • Persian governor "on this side the river"Tattenaic. 520 BC

    The governor of the province west of the Euphrates. He asked who had allowed the building, wrote to Darius, and was told to let the work go on. Ezra 5:3-6Ezra 6:6-13

What was happening, 539 BC to 332 BC
  1. 539 BC
    WarBabylon falls to Cyrus

    Cyrus king of Persia took Babylon, ending the empire that had destroyed Jerusalem. Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Cyrus Cylinder

  2. 538 BC
    God's peopleThe first return

    Cyrus let the exiles go home to build the LORD's house. About fifty thousand returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Ezra 1:1-4Ezra 2:1-2Ezra 2:64-65

  3. c. 536 BC
    God's peopleThe foundation is laid, then the work stops

    The returned exiles laid the temple's foundation with shouting and weeping. Opposition from their neighbors stopped the work until the second year of Darius. Ezra 3:10-13Ezra 4:4-5Ezra 4:24

  4. 525 BC
    WarPersia conquers Egypt

    Cyrus's son Cambyses invaded and took Egypt, bringing the whole region from the Nile to the Indus under one king. Herodotus, Histories 3.1-16

  5. 522-521 BC
    WarDarius crushes the revolts

    When Darius took the throne, provinces across the empire rebelled, Babylon twice. By 520 he had put them all down. Compare the riders' report in Zechariah's first vision: "all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest." Behistun InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 3.150-159Zechariah 1:11

  6. 520 BC
    God's peopleHaggai and Zechariah stir the people to build

    In Darius's second year the two prophets urged the people to take up the temple work again, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua began to build. Ezra 5:1-2Haggai 1:1-15Zechariah 1:1

  7. c. 520-519 BC
    RulersDarius confirms Cyrus's decree

    Tattenai questioned the building. A search found Cyrus's decree at Achmetha, and Darius ordered the work to continue and be paid for from royal taxes. Ezra 5:3-6:12

  8. 515 BC
    BuildingThe second temple is finished

    The temple was finished on the third day of Adar in Darius's sixth year and dedicated with joy. Ezra 6:14-18Zechariah 4:9

  9. 490-479 BC
    WarPersia's wars with Greece

    Persia invaded Greece twice and was turned back at Marathon (490), Salamis (480) and Plataea (479). Greece, which Zechariah names in 9:13, was becoming Persia's great rival. Herodotus, Histories 6.102-117Herodotus, Histories 8.40-96Herodotus, Histories 9.1-89Zechariah 9:13

  10. 445 BC
    BuildingNehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem's walls

    Under the Persian king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah came from Shushan and rebuilt the walls in fifty-two days. Nehemiah 2:1-8Nehemiah 6:15

  11. 332 BC
    WarAlexander takes Tyre and Gaza

    Alexander the Great besieged island Tyre for seven months and then Gaza for two, on his way to Egypt. Zechariah 9 speaks of Tyre's "strong hold" and of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron and Ashdod. Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 2.15-27Zechariah 9:3-7

The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records (the Behistun Inscription, the Cyrus Cylinder, the Babylonian Chronicles) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and there!וְהִנֵּ֛הve-hi-NEHH2009
behold

הִנֵּה (hin.neh) behold, lo, see, if

a round cover ofכִּכַּ֥רki-KARH3603H
talent

כִּכָּר (kik.kar) 1) round 1a) a round district (environs of the Jordan valley) 1b) a round loaf (of bread) 1c) a round weight, talent (of gold, silver, bronze, iron) Aramaic equivalent: kik.ker (כִּכֵּר "talent" H3604)

leadעֹפֶ֖רֶת'o-FE-retH5777
lead

עֹפֶרֶת (o.phe.ret) lead

[was] raisedנִשֵּׂ֑אתni-SETH5375G
to exalt

מִתְנַשֵּׂא (mit.nas.se) (Hithpael) one who exalts himself A grammatical form of na.sa (נָשָׂא ": raise" H5375)

and thisוְזֹאת֙ve-zoTH2063
this

זֹאת (zot) 1) this, this one, here, which, this...that, the one...the other, such 1a) (alone) 1a1) this one 1a2) this...that, the one...the other, another 1b) (appos to subst) 1b1) this 1c) (as predicate) 1c1) this, such 1d) (enclitically) 1d1) then 1d2) who, whom 1d3) how now, what now 1d4) what now 1d5) wherefore now 1d6) behold here 1d7) just now 1d8) now, now already 1e) (poetry) 1e1) wherein, which, those who 1f) (with prefixes) 1f1) in this (place) here, then 1f2) on these conditions, herewith, thus provided, by, through this, for this cause, in this matter 1f3) thus and thus …

womanאִשָּׁ֣ה'i-SHAHH0802G
woman

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) : woman 1) woman, wife, female 1a) woman (opposite of man) 1b) wife (woman married to a man) 1c) female (of animals) 1d) each, every (pronoun)

oneאַחַ֔ת'a-CHATH0259
one

אֶחָד (e.chad) 1) one (number) 1a) one (number) 1b) each, every 1c) a certain 1d) an (indefinite article) 1e) only, once, once for all 1f) one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one 1g) first 1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal)

[was] sittingיוֹשֶׁ֖בֶתyo-SHE-vetH3427
to dwell

יָשַׁב (ya.shav) 1) to dwell, remain, sit, abide 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to sit, sit down 1a2) to be set 1a3) to remain, stay 1a4) to dwell, have one's abode 1b) (Niphal) to be inhabited 1c) (Piel) to set, place 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to sit 1d2) to cause to abide, set 1d3) to cause to dwell 1d4) to cause (cities) to be inhabited 1d5) to marry (give an dwelling to) 1e) (Hophal) 1e1) to be inhabited 1e2) to make to dwell Aramaic equivalent: ye.tiv (יְתִב "to dwell" H3488)

in [the] midst ofבְּת֥וֹךְbe-TOKHH8432
midst

תָּ֫וֶךְ (ta.vekh) 1) midst, middle 1a) midst, middle 1b) into, through (after verbs of motion) 1c) among (of a number of persons) 1d) between (of things arranged by twos) 1e) from among (as to take or separate etc)

the ephahהָאֵיפָֽה׃ha-'ei-FAHH0374
ephah

אֵיפָה (e.phah) 1) ephah 1a) a dry measure of quantity, equal to 3 seahs, 10 omers; the same as the liquid measure bath; (about 9 imperial gallons (40 l), rabbinical writings give sizes of one-half this amount) 1b) the receptacle for measuring or holding that amount

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.