The Meaning of Zechariah 5:9 Explained

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.

YLT: And I lift up mine eyes, and see, and lo, two women are coming forth, and wind in their wings; and they have wings like wings of the stork, and they lift up the ephah between the earth and the heavens.

Darby: And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; and they had wings like the wings of a stork; and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens.

ASV: 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Zechariah 5:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The prophet next saw two other women flying through the air with stork wings. Perhaps they were women and not men because of the motherly attention they brought to their task. [1] Storks are strong, motherly birds that are capable of carrying loads a long distance in flight. They were common in Palestine in the spring months when they migrated to Europe ( Jeremiah 8:7). [2] The word "stork" (Heb. sida) means "faithful one." These women would faithfully carry the ephah and its contents to God"s appointed destination. Some believe they represent agents of evil, perhaps demonic forces. [1] If they were that, however, would they not try to help Wickedness escape? Storks were unclean birds for the Israelites ( Leviticus 11:19; Deuteronomy 14:18), so these stork-like women were appropriate carriers of the contaminated basket. They lifted up the ephah into the air flying off from earth to heaven with the divine assistance of the wind (Spirit, Heb. ruah).
"The removal of Wickedness, like the removal of Joshua"s filthy garments ( Zechariah 3:4), was an act of free grace on the part of the covenant-keeping (hasid) God." [4]

Context Summary

Zechariah 5:1-11 - The Vision Of The Flying Roll
This huge sheet of parchment, 30 by 15 feet, was covered with the solemn curses of the Law, on one side against the thief and on the other against false-swearing. The young community was notorious for these two sins. They brought the dry-rot with them, Zechariah 5:4. Their commercial life also, represented by the ephah, was full of wickedness. But it was to be eliminated. The swift stork wings would bear it away. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 5

1  By the flying scroll is shown the curse of thieves and swearers;
5  and by a woman pressed in an ephah the final judgment of wickedness

What do the individual words in Zechariah 5:9 mean?

And I raised my eyes and looked and there [were] two women coming and 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
וָאֶשָּׂ֨א עֵינַ֜י וָאֵ֗רֶא וְהִנֵּה֩ שְׁתַּ֨יִם נָשִׁ֤ים יֽוֹצְאוֹת֙ וְר֣וּחַ בְּכַנְפֵיהֶ֔ם וְלָהֵ֥נָּה כְנָפַ֖יִם כְּכַנְפֵ֣י הַחֲסִידָ֑ה וַתִּשֶּׂ֙אנָה֙ אֶת־ הָ֣אֵיפָ֔ה בֵּ֥ין הָאָ֖רֶץ וּבֵ֥ין הַשָּׁמָֽיִם

וָאֶשָּׂ֨א  And  I  raised 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
עֵינַ֜י  my  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, first person common singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
וָאֵ֗רֶא  and  looked 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וְהִנֵּה֩  and  there  [were] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
שְׁתַּ֨יִם  two 
Parse: Number, fd
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
נָשִׁ֤ים  women 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
יֽוֹצְאוֹת֙  coming 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
וְר֣וּחַ  and  with  the  wind 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
בְּכַנְפֵיהֶ֔ם  in  their  wings 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: כָּנָף  
Sense: wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt.
וְלָהֵ֥נָּה  for  they  [had] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Pronoun, third person feminine plural
Root: הֵנָּה  
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
כְנָפַ֖יִם  wings 
Parse: Noun, fd
Root: כָּנָף  
Sense: wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt.
כְּכַנְפֵ֣י  like  the  wings 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: כָּנָף  
Sense: wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt.
הַחֲסִידָ֑ה  of  a  stork 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֲסִידָה  
Sense: stork.
וַתִּשֶּׂ֙אנָה֙  and  they  lifted  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָ֣אֵיפָ֔ה  the  basket 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֵיפָה  
Sense: ephah.
בֵּ֥ין  between 
Parse: Preposition
Root: בַּיִן 
Sense: between, among, in the midst of (with other preps), from between.
הָאָ֖רֶץ  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
הַשָּׁמָֽיִם  heaven 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.

What are the major concepts related to Zechariah 5:9?

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