8 And he said, H559 This is wickedness. H7564 And he cast H7993 it into the midst H8432 of the ephah; H374 and he cast H7993 the weight H68 of lead H5777 upon the mouth H6310 thereof.
But in the fourth H7243 generation H1755 they shall come hither H2008 again: H7725 for the iniquity H5771 of the Amorites H567 is not yet H2008 full. H8003
The yoke H5923 of my transgressions H6588 is bound H8244 by his hand: H3027 they are wreathed, H8276 and come up H5927 upon my neck: H6677 he hath made my strength H3581 to fall, H3782 the Lord H136 hath delivered H5414 me into their hands, H3027 from whom I am not able H3201 to rise up. H6965
I saw H7200 the Lord H136 standing H5324 upon the altar: H4196 and he said, H559 Smite H5221 the lintel of the door, H3730 that the posts H5592 may shake: H7493 and cut H1214 them in the head, H7218 all of them; and I will slay H2026 the last H319 of them with the sword: H2719 he that fleeth H5127 of them shall not flee away, H5127 and he that escapeth H6412 of them shall not be delivered. H4422 Though they dig H2864 into hell, H7585 thence shall mine hand H3027 take H3947 them; though they climb up H5927 to heaven, H8064 thence will I bring them down: H3381 And though they hide H2244 themselves in the top H7218 of Carmel, H3760 I will search H2664 and take them out H3947 thence; and though they be hid H5641 from my sight H5869 in the bottom H7172 of the sea, H3220 thence will I command H6680 the serpent, H5175 and he shall bite H5391 them: And though they go H3212 into captivity H7628 before H6440 their enemies, H341 thence will I command H6680 the sword, H2719 and it shall slay H2026 them: and I will set H7760 mine eyes H5869 upon them for evil, H7451 and not for good. H2896
And, behold, there was lifted up H5375 a talent H3603 of lead: H5777 and this is a H259 woman H802 that sitteth H3427 in the midst H8432 of the ephah. H374
Fill G4137 ye G5210 up G4137 then G2532 the measure G3358 of your G5216 fathers. G3962
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Zechariah 5
Commentary on Zechariah 5 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 5
Hitherto we have seen visions of peace only, and all the words we have heard have been good words and comfortable words. But the pillar of cloud and fire has a black and dark side towards the Egyptians, as well as a bright and pleasant side towards Israel; so have Zechariah's visions; for God's prophets are not only his ambassadors, to treat of peace with the sons of peace, but heralds, to proclaim war against those that delight in war, and persist in their rebellion. In this chapter we have two visions, by which "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.' God will do great and kind things for his people, which the faithful sons of Zion shall rejoice in; but "let the sinners in Zion be afraid;' for,
Zec 5:1-4
We do not find that the prophet now needed to be awakened, as he did ch. 4:1. Being awakened then, he kept wakeful after; nay, now he needs not be so much as called to look about him, for of his own accord he turns and lifts up his eyes. This good men sometimes get by their infirmities, they make them the more careful and circumspect afterwards. Now observe,
Zec 5:5-11
The foregoing vision was very plain and easy, but in this are things dark and hard to be understood; and some think that the scope of it is to foretel the final destruction of the Jewish church and nation and the dispersion of the Jews, when, by crucifying Christ and persecuting his gospel, they should have filled up the measure of their iniquities; therefore it is industriously set out in obscure figures and expressions, "lest the plain denunciation of the second overthrow of temple and state might discourage them too much from going forward in the present restoration of both.' So Mr. Pemble.
The prophet was contemplating the power and terror of the curse which consumes the houses of thieves and swearers, when he was told to turn and he should see greater desolations than these made by the curse of God for the sin of man: Lift up thy eyes now, and see what is here, v. 5. What is this that goeth forth? Whether over the face of the whole earth, as the flying roll (v. 3), or only over Jerusalem, is not certain. But, it seems, the prophet now, through either the distance or the dimness of his sight, could not well tell what it was, but asked, What is it? v. 6. And the angel tells him both what it is and what it means.