Bible Strands
Zechariah 5:6
“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.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The angel addresses Zechariah immediately after commanding him to look up, identifying a vision of a flying measuring basket. The dialogue occurs between the prophet and the interpreting angel during a sequence of apocalyptic visions.
The words — The Hebrew term אֵיפָה (eiphah) denotes a standard dry measure, here functioning as the container for the vision. The verb יוֹצֵאת (yotzet) literally means "going forth" or "flying out," emphasizing the basket's sudden, uncontrolled movement.
The thread — The measuring basket appears in judgments against covenant unfaithfulness, paralleling Amos 8:5’s critique of commercial exploitation and Ezekiel 44:10’s condemnation of idolatrous Levites. These references link the object to systemic iniquity rather than isolated transgression.
Why it lands — The vision demands recognition that sin operates collectively across a nation, not merely as private failure. It requires the reader to confront how widespread corruption distorts justice and demands divine removal.
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
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.
Cross-references
- Amos 8:5 asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales.
- Ezekiel 44:10 Surely the Levites who wandered away from Me when Israel went astray, and who wandered away from Me after their idols, will bear the consequences of their iniquity.