Zechariah 5:2

“What do you see?” asked the angel. “I see a flying scroll,” I replied, “twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.”

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The angel asks Zechariah what he sees, and Zechariah replies that he is observing a flying scroll twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide. This dialogue occurs immediately after Zechariah lifts his eyes to witness the vision in Zechariah 5:1.

The words — The Hebrew verb רֹאֶה (ro.'Eh) appears twice in the exchange, literally meaning "seeing" or "am seeing." Its repetition emphasizes that the prophetic message originates from a direct visual encounter rather than an abstract declaration.

The thread — The divine question format mirrors the inquiries in Jeremiah 1:11 and Amos 7:8, where God prompts the prophets to identify what they see. The scroll’s function as a curse against theft and perjury extends the biblical pattern of divine judgment on moral corruption, echoing the earth’s state in Genesis 6:11.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to first identify the visible reality before receiving its explanation. It demands recognition that divine judgment operates through specific, measurable standards applied to documented sins.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיֹּ֣אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he said אֵלַ֔י'e.La/ito/ me מָ֥הmahwhat?אַתָּ֖ה'a.Tah[are] you רֹאֶ֑הro.'Ehseeing וָאֹמַ֗רva./'o.Marand/ I said אֲנִ֤י'a.NiI רֹאֶה֙ro.'Eh[am] seeing מְגִלָּ֣הme.gi.Laha scroll עָפָ֔ה'a.Fahflying אָרְכָּהּ֙'a.re.Ka/hlength/ its עֶשְׂרִ֣ים'es.Rim[is] twenty בָּֽאַמָּ֔הba./'a.Mahby the/ cubit וְרָחְבָּ֖הּve./ra.che.Ba/hand/ breadth/ its עֶ֥שֶׂר'E.ser[is] ten בָּאַמָּֽה׃ba./'a.Mahby the/ cubit

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Genesis 6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and full of violence.
Jeremiah 1:11 And the word of the LORD came to me, asking, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” “I see a branch of an almond tree,” I replied.
Amos 7:8 “Amos, what do you see?” asked the LORD. “A plumb line,” I replied. “Behold,” said the Lord, “I am setting a plumb line among My people Israel; I will no longer spare them:
Zephaniah 1:14 The great Day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter.
Zechariah 4:2 “What do you see?” he asked. “I see a solid gold lampstand,” I replied, “with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven spouts to the lamps.
2 Peter 2:3 In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
Revelation 18:5 For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.