Zechariah 5 9

Zechariah 5:9 kjv

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.

Zechariah 5:9 nkjv

Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven.

Zechariah 5:9 niv

Then I looked up?and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.

Zechariah 5:9 esv

Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women coming forward! The wind was in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven.

Zechariah 5:9 nlt

Then I looked up and saw two women flying toward us, gliding on the wind. They had wings like a stork, and they picked up the basket and flew into the sky.

Zechariah 5 verses

Zechariah 5 9 meaning

Zechariah 5:9 describes the beginning of the removal of wickedness from the land of Israel. The prophet sees two powerful women, empowered by wind in their large stork-like wings, transporting the ephah container (which holds personified 'Wickedness' from the previous verse) upward and away from between earth and heaven. This visual portrays a supernatural and forceful cleansing operation, initiated by God, to purge moral and spiritual defilement from the land.

Zechariah 5 9 Context

Zechariah 5:9 is part of Zechariah's eighth vision (out of eight night visions in Zech 1-6), focusing on the removal of wickedness and defilement from the land. This vision immediately follows the seventh vision of the flying scroll (Zech 5:1-4), which pronounced curses on thieves and false swearers, indicating a pervasive moral impurity within the post-exilic community. The eighth vision begins with the prophet seeing an ephah basket (a large dry-measure, symbolic of daily commerce and life) with a heavy lead cover. When the cover is lifted, he sees "Wickedness" personified as a woman inside (Zech 5:5-8). This current verse, Zechariah 5:9, then depicts the crucial act of transporting this contained wickedness.The broader historical context is post-Babylonian exile (around 520 BC). The returned Jewish community was rebuilding the Temple and the nation, but they faced internal moral decay, societal injustices, and potential re-engagement with idolatry or pagan practices. Zechariah’s visions were designed to encourage, correct, and assure them of God's presence, purification, and ultimate plan for restoration and holiness, promising both divine judgment on sin and a thorough cleansing of the covenant land.

Zechariah 5 9 Word analysis

• Then I lifted up my eyes and saw: A common phrase in prophetic visions (e.g., Zech 1:18, Zech 2:1, Zech 5:1, Dan 8:3), indicating a fresh observation or continuation of the divine revelation to the prophet. It signifies Zechariah's focused attention on a specific part of the unfolding vision.
• behold: (Hebrew: וְהִנֵּה, v'hinneh) An interjection signaling an immediate, important, or surprising revelation, drawing the viewer's attention to what follows as significant.
• two women: (Hebrew: שְׁתַּיִם נָשִׁים, shtayim nashim) The number "two" often symbolizes sufficient testimony, witness, or opposing forces in biblical contexts. These are clearly not human women in a natural sense, but symbolic or angelic figures. Their female identity might signify nurturers (traditionally) who ironically are carrying wickedness, or could evoke destructive feminine figures as seen elsewhere in scripture.
• coming forth: (Hebrew: יוֹצְאוֹת, yotz'ot) Indicates emergence and active movement, emphasizing their dynamic role in the vision.
• with the wind in their wings: (Hebrew: וְרוּחַ בְּכַנְפֵיהֶן, v'ruach b'khanfeyhen)
  • wind (ruach): Can mean wind, breath, or spirit. Here it implies supernatural power, propulsion, or divine agency animating their flight, distinguishing them from mere earthly beings. It suggests they are not relying on their own strength but are supernaturally enabled.
  • wings (kanfey): A feature often associated with powerful beings, angels, or birds, signifying speed, flight, and connection to heavenly or extraordinary realms.
• They had wings like the wings of a stork: (Hebrew: כַּנְפֵי הַחֲסִידָה, kanfey hachasidah)
  • stork (chasidah): A significant choice. Storks are known for strong, wide wings and powerful flight, capable of carrying burdens over long distances (e.g., in migration). This imagery conveys capability and a sustained effort for transportation. Importantly, storks are listed as unclean birds in Mosaic law (Lev 11:19, Deut 14:18), introducing a potential layer of irony or defilement in their association, even as they remove defilement. The Hebrew root for chasidah (stork) is related to chesed (loyal love/kindness), which adds a stark ironic contrast to the task of transporting "wickedness."
• and they lifted up: (Hebrew: וַתִּשֶּׂאינָה, vattis'einah) A verb of action, signifying physical elevation and transportation. The feminine plural indicates the women as the agents of this action.
• the ephah: (Hebrew: הָאֵיפָה, ha'ephah) The same container mentioned in Zech 5:6, identified as holding 'wickedness' personified. It's the central object of transport. Its common use as a measure in daily commerce implies that the 'wickedness' to be removed had corrupted the social and economic life of Israel.
• between earth and heaven: (Hebrew: בֵּין הָאָרֶץ לַשָּׁמָיִם, bein ha'aretz lashamayim) This liminal space highlights the cosmic and supernatural nature of the event. It signifies that the removal is not a trivial or hidden matter but an act visible and consequential in both the earthly and divine realms, a decisive separation of defilement from the land, under divine oversight.

Zechariah 5 9 Bonus section

• The "two women" are sometimes interpreted by scholars as representative of "swift judgment" or instruments for removing evil, possibly even personifying evil's own capacity to spread (carrying the 'mother of all wickedness' back to Shinar).
• The contrast between chasidah (stork) and chesed (loyal love) could be a poignant theological point. Israel, called to be a people of chesed towards God and neighbor, had instead nurtured wickedness. The agents that remove this wickedness are symbolized by a bird whose name, chasidah, sounds like chesed, yet is considered unclean, highlighting the twisted reality of sin's pervasive effects, even in its removal.
• The destination "Shinar" (mentioned in the following verse, Zech 5:11) is profoundly symbolic. Shinar was the region of Babel/Babylon, representing the origin of human rebellion, idolatry, and anti-God systems. Taking the 'wickedness' back to Shinar implies its complete separation from Israel, returned to its proper symbolic home where such defilement belongs, signifying a radical purification.

Zechariah 5 9 Commentary

Zechariah 5:9 marks a dramatic and visually striking turn in the vision of the ephah. Following the identification of 'Wickedness' trapped within the ephah, this verse introduces the agents of its removal. The 'two women' are enigmatic figures, not explicitly identified as angels, but endowed with powerful, wind-propelled, stork-like wings, clearly signifying their supernatural strength and purpose. The "wind" (ruach) in their wings reinforces this, pointing to divine energy facilitating their task. The stork imagery is multi-layered: it evokes powerful flight suitable for long-distance carriage, but also calls to mind an 'unclean' bird under the Law. This potential defiling aspect might symbolize that even while removing evil, the task itself is grim or that the carriers themselves, though divinely purposed, are not 'pure' in a ceremonial sense. Their primary function, however, is clear: to transport the physical manifestation of Israel's pervasive wickedness. The movement "between earth and heaven" underscores the cosmic significance of this action – it is not just an earthly relocation of a basket but a divine declaration of cleansing the covenant people from deeply embedded sin, observed by both terrestrial and celestial realms. This vision assures the returned exiles that God is actively working to purge sin and establish holiness within His people, a necessary step for their true restoration.