What is the meaning of Zechariah 5:11? To build a house for it - “It” refers back to the woman in the ephah, identified in Zechariah 5:8 as “Wickedness.” - A “house” means a settled dwelling, not a temporary shelter. The verse shows God permitting wickedness to have a fixed base—yet outside the restored land of Judah. - Cross references: Genesis 11:4 records mankind trying to “build... a city” in pride; Revelation 18:2 pictures Babylon as the “dwelling place of demons.” Both passages echo the idea of constructing a habitat for rebellion against God. In the land of Shinar - Shinar is the ancient name for Babylon (Genesis 10:10; Daniel 1:2). - Literally, God relocates the embodiment of wickedness back to the region from which Israel’s exile had come, underscoring His complete removal of impurity from His covenant people (Zechariah 3:9; 13:1). - Prophetically, this points to the final revival of Babylon’s evil system seen in Revelation 17–18, which will again dominate the world before God’s ultimate judgment. When it is ready - God sets an appointed time for everything (Habakkuk 2:3). Wickedness is given space to ripen fully so that divine justice will be unmistakable (Romans 2:5; Revelation 14:18–19). - This phrase reminds believers that apparent delays are purposeful; the Lord remains sovereign over the timetable of history (Acts 17:26). The basket will be set there - The basket (ephah) containing Wickedness will be firmly placed; God is allowing a final, visible concentration of evil (Isaiah 13:19; Jeremiah 50:24). - The vision reassures the remnant in Judah that sin’s center of gravity is being shifted away from them and toward its destined place of judgment (Zechariah 2:10–13). On its pedestal - A pedestal elevates and displays; Babylon will exalt wickedness openly (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:4). - Yet the same image foreshadows its downfall: the higher the pedestal, the greater the fall when God topples it (Jeremiah 51:44; Revelation 18:21). summary Zechariah 5:11 shows God transferring embodied wickedness to Babylon, giving it a temporary yet conspicuous home until the fullness of judgment. The passage guarantees that unrepentant evil will be isolated, exposed, and ultimately destroyed, while God’s purified people remain secure under His sovereign plan. |
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