The Vision of the Flying Scroll
Zechariah’s vision of the flying scroll reminded the...
Zechariah’s vision of the flying scroll reminded the leaders and people of postexilic Judah that they were still obligated to follow God’s commands. The blessings and curses of the law (Deut 28) were still in effect.
1Again I lifted up my eyes and saw before me a flying scroll.
2“What do you see?” asked the angel. “I see a flying scroll,” I replied, “twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.”†
3Then he told me, “This is the curse that is going out over the face of all the land, for according to one side of the scroll, every thief will be removed; and according to the other side, every perjurer will be removed. 4I will send it out, declares the LORD of Hosts, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by My name. It will remain inside his house and destroy it, down to its timbers and stones.”
The Vision of the Woman in a Basket
The seventh vision continues the theme of cleansing...
The seventh vision continues the theme of cleansing that began with the acquittal of the high priest Jeshua (3:1–10). The removal of wickedness, much like the removal of Jeshua’s filthy garments (3:4), was a gracious act of pardon by the covenant-keeping God.
5Then the angel who was speaking with me came forward and told me, “Now lift up your eyes and see what is approaching.”
6“What is it?” I asked. And he replied, “A measuring basket† is going forth.” Then he continued, “This is their iniquity† in all the land.”
The evil woman in a basket represents a...
The evil woman in a basket represents a seductive and dangerous force that is difficult to contain. The sin of idolatry had previously provoked God’s judgment (2 Kgs 17:16–18; 2 Chr 36:14).
7And behold, the cover of lead was raised, and there was a woman sitting inside the basket.
8“This is Wickedness,” he said. And he shoved her down into the basket, pushing down the lead cover over its opening.
9Then I lifted up my eyes and saw two women approaching, with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.
10“Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking with me.
11“To build a house for it in the land of Shinar,”† he told me. “And when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its pedestal.”