Zechariah 5:3

Then 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.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The angel addresses Zechariah immediately after the prophet identifies the vision of the flying scroll measuring twenty by ten cubits. The speaker identifies the scroll’s movement as a divine curse extending across the entire land.

The words — הָאָלָה (ha-'alah) translates literally to “the curse,” and הַיּוֹצֵאת (ha-yotzet) means “which is going forth.” These terms anchor the vision in a judicial decree rather than a passive symbol.

The thread — The motif of a sweeping curse appears in Isaiah 24:6, where a curse consumes the earth and its inhabitants bear guilt. The specific prohibitions against theft and false swearing echo the Decalogue’s commands in Exodus 20:15.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that divine judgment targets both property crimes and oath-breaking with equal severity. It requires the reader to accept that covenant violation carries inescapable, localized consequences.

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

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Exodus 20:15 You shall not steal.
Isaiah 24:6 Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive.
Isaiah 43:28 So I will disgrace the princes of your sanctuary, and I will devote Jacob to destruction and Israel to reproach.”
Isaiah 48:1 “Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, who have descended from the line of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD, who invoke the God of Israel—but not in truth or righteousness—
James 5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment.
Leviticus 19:12 You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
Psalms 109:17 The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him.
Proverbs 30:9 Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God.
Jeremiah 5:2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”
Jeremiah 26:6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city an object of cursing among all the nations of the earth.’”