Zechariah 5: The Scroll and the Basket
A flying scroll of curses and a basket carrying Wickedness away to Babylon show that God will purge sin from his restored land.
Zechariah 5 (WEB)
1 Then again I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, a flying scroll.
2 He said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits, and its breadth ten cubits.”
3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the surface of the whole land; for everyone who steals shall be cut off according to it on the one side; and everyone who swears falsely shall be cut off according to it on the other side.
4 I will cause it to go out,” says Yahweh of Armies, “and it will enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him who swears falsely by my name; and it will remain in the midst of his house, and will destroy it with its timber and its stones.”
5 Then the angel who talked with me came forward, and said to me, “Lift up now your eyes, and see what is this that is appearing.”
6 I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is the ephah basket that is appearing.” He said moreover, “This is their appearance in all the land
7 (and behold, a talent of lead was lifted up); and this is a woman sitting in the midst of the ephah basket.”
8 He said, “This is Wickedness”; and he threw her down into the midst of the ephah basket; and he threw the weight of lead on its mouth.
9 Then lifted I up my eyes, and saw, and behold, there were two women, and the wind was in their wings. Now they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah basket between earth and the sky.
10 Then I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are these carrying the ephah basket?”
11 He said to me, “To build her a house in the land of Shinar. When it is prepared, she will be set there in her own place.”
Zechariah 5 (KJV)
1 Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll.
2 And 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.
3 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.
4 I 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.
5 Then 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.
6 And 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.
7 And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.
8 And 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.
9 Then 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.
10 Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?
11 And 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.
Zechariah 5 (ASV)
1 Then again I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, a flying roll.
2 And 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.
3 Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole land: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off on the one side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off on the other side according to it.
4 I will cause it to go forth, saith Jehovah 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 abide in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.
5 Then 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.
6 And I said, What is it? And he said, This is the ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their appearance in all the land
7 (and, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead); and this is a woman sitting in the midst of the ephah.
8 And he said, This is Wickedness: and he cast her down into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.
9 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there came forth two women, and the wind was in their wings; now they had wings like the wings of a stork; and they lifted up the ephah between earth and heaven.
10 Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?
11 And he said unto me, To build her a house in the land of Shinar: and when it is prepared, she shall be set there in her own place.
Summary
Two visions of judgment follow the visions of comfort, for God's restoration includes the purging of sin. Zechariah sees a great flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten wide, unrolled over the whole land. The angel explains that it is the curse going out against everyone who steals and everyone who swears falsely by God's name; the curse will enter their houses and consume them with their timber and stones. Then the angel shows Zechariah an ephah basket appearing across the land, and inside it sits a woman whom the angel names Wickedness. He throws her back down into the basket and seals its mouth with a heavy lid of lead. Two women with stork-like wings then lift the basket between earth and sky and carry it away to the land of Shinar—to Babylon—where a house will be built for it and it will be set in its own place. Together these visions teach that a holy God will not leave sin to flourish among his people. The covenant curse falls on those who break it, and wickedness itself is sealed up and removed from the land, banished to the place of rebellion. God's people are to be a holy people in a cleansed land.
Key Figures
- Zechariah — The prophet who sees the flying scroll and the basket and asks the angel to explain these visions of judgment and removal.
- The interpreting angel — The angel who explains that the scroll is the covenant curse on thieves and liars, and that the woman in the basket is Wickedness being carried away.
- The flying scroll — A great unrolled scroll bearing God's curse against those who steal and swear falsely, entering and consuming their houses.
- The basket and the woman called Wickedness — An ephah basket holding a woman named Wickedness, sealed under a lead weight and carried by winged women to Shinar.
Key Verse
Zechariah 5:8 (WEB)
He said, “This is Wickedness”; and he threw her down into the midst of the ephah basket; and he threw the weight of lead on its mouth.
Lessons Learned
- God's restoration of his people includes the removal of sin from among them.
- Sin against neighbor and against God's name brings the covenant curse upon the offender.
- God deals decisively with wickedness, sealing it up and carrying it away.
- A holy God intends to dwell with a holy people in a cleansed land.
- God's word goes out against sin. The scroll is “the curse that goes out over the surface of the whole land” against thieves and false swearers (Zechariah 5:3, WEB). God's holiness will not overlook sin among his people.
- Sin invades and destroys the home. The curse “will enter into the house of the thief… and will destroy it” (Zechariah 5:4, WEB). Hidden sin does not stay contained; it corrodes what it touches.
- God names and contains wickedness. “This is Wickedness… and he threw the weight of lead on its mouth” (Zechariah 5:8, WEB). God exposes evil for what it is and seals it under his power.
- God removes evil from his people's midst. Wickedness is carried “to build her a house in the land of Shinar” (Zechariah 5:11, WEB). God's plan is to banish sin from the land he is restoring.
- Why do visions of judgment appear right after visions of comfort in this book?
- What two sins does the flying scroll target (5:3-4), and what do they reveal about life in God's community?
- What does it mean that the curse enters and destroys the house itself (5:4)?
- Why is wickedness carried away specifically to Shinar (Babylon), and what does that signify?
- What “wickedness” might God be calling you to let him seal up and remove from your life?
- Restoration is not only the rebuilding of walls and temple but the cleansing of God's people. A holy God cannot dwell amid unchecked sin, so these visions assure the remnant that he will purge evil as surely as he comforts the afflicted (5:1-11). Comfort and holiness are not opposites in God's plan; they belong together.
- The scroll falls on those who steal and those who swear falsely by God's name (5:3-4)—sins against neighbor and against God. Together they show that covenant life touches both how we treat one another and how we honor God's name. A restored community must be marked by honesty and reverence.
- The curse does not merely fall on the person but enters and consumes the very house, timber and stones (5:4). It pictures how sin, left to itself, does not stay private but spreads and ruins everything it touches. God's judgment exposes the destructive reach of sin we would rather keep hidden.
- Shinar is the region of Babylon and Babel, the historic place of human rebellion against God (5:11). Carrying wickedness there signifies returning evil to its source, removing it from the holy land. The vision promises that sin will be banished from God's restored people and confined where it belongs.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to consider, prayerfully and without shame, what wickedness God may be inviting them to surrender so it can be removed. As leader, point to the gospel: in Christ our sin is not merely contained but carried away entirely, and we are made clean.