What do the "two women" symbolize in Zechariah 5:9's vision? Scene and Setting - Zechariah is shown an ephah-sized basket containing a woman personifying “Wickedness” (Ze 5:6–8). - Immediately afterward, “Two women came out with the wind in their wings; and they had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and sky” (Zechariah 5:9). - The angel explains that the basket is being taken to “the land of Shinar” (Babylon) where a house will be built for it (v. 11). Key Details to Notice • Wind-driven flight: They move by a power beyond themselves, highlighting God’s overruling hand. • “Wings like a stork”: The stork was an unclean bird under Mosaic law (Leviticus 11:19), underlining that God can employ even unclean instruments in judgment. • Two women, not men or angels in typical form: Scripture purposefully departs from the norm to make a theological point. What the Two Women Symbolize - Agents of Divine Judgment • They are commissioned to remove the personified Wickedness from Judah, showing that God expels sin from His covenant community (cf. Psalm 101:8). - Instruments Chosen by God, Regardless of Their Own Ceremonial Status • Like Assyria called “the rod of My anger” (Isaiah 10:5), these women—even with stork wings—serve God’s holy purpose. - Harbingers of Exile for Evil • By transporting Wickedness back to Shinar/Babylon, they picture sin going to its proper dwelling: the world system opposed to God (Genesis 11:1-9; Revelation 17–18). - A Double Witness • Two persons establish a matter legally (Deuteronomy 19:15). Their paired action testifies that the judgment is just, final, and unchallengeable. Why Two Women Instead of Angels in Normal Form? - The feminine imagery matches the female figure of “Wickedness,” keeping the symbolism consistent. - Their gender and unclean-bird wings accent the contrast between God’s holiness and the impurity He is removing—yet He sovereignly directs the whole process. - The unexpected choice jolts the reader, reinforcing the seriousness of the vision. Scriptural Parallels Strengthening the Symbolism • Jeremiah 51:9, 45 – Babylon pictured as the place where sin is “heaped up to the heavens.” • Revelation 18:2 – “Fallen, Babylon the great!... a haunt for every unclean bird,” echoing the stork imagery. • Zechariah 3:4 – Just as filthy garments are removed from Joshua the high priest, so Wickedness is physically removed from the land. Take-Home Truths • God literally sees, identifies, and removes wickedness; its exile is certain. • He may employ surprising, even unlikely, agents to accomplish His purpose. • Sin ultimately belongs in Babylon—outside the restored, holy community of God’s people. • The double witness guarantees that His judgment is both lawful and complete, giving believers confidence in the final eradication of evil. |
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