Zechariah 5:6
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.
Original Language Analysis
מַה
H4100
מַה
Strong's:
H4100
Word #:
2 of 12
properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and
הִ֑יא
H1931
הִ֑יא
Strong's:
H1931
Word #:
3 of 12
he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demo
הָֽאֵיפָה֙
This is an ephah
H374
הָֽאֵיפָה֙
This is an ephah
Strong's:
H374
Word #:
6 of 12
an ephah or measure for grain; hence, a measure in general
הַיּוֹצֵ֔את
that goeth forth
H3318
הַיּוֹצֵ֔את
that goeth forth
Strong's:
H3318
Word #:
7 of 12
to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim
עֵינָ֖ם
moreover This is their resemblance
H5869
עֵינָ֖ם
moreover This is their resemblance
Strong's:
H5869
Word #:
10 of 12
an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
Historical Context
Post-exilic Judah struggled with economic obsession and dishonest commerce (Nehemiah 5:1-13; 13:15-22; Malachi 3:5, 8-10). Haggai rebuked them: 'You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but you have not enough... because of my house that is waste, and you run every man unto his own house' (Haggai 1:6, 9). The ephah vision diagnoses the root problem: prioritizing economic security over covenantal obedience, trusting in wealth rather than God.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the ephah (commercial measure) symbolize the idolatry of materialism?
- What does 'their eye in all the land' reveal about where God's people focus their attention?
- In what ways does contemporary church culture struggle with the same ephah-idolatry Zechariah saw?
Analysis & Commentary
And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth—Zechariah sees an 'ēphāh (אֵיפָה), a large measuring basket used for grain and dry goods, holding about 22 liters (5.8 gallons). The ephah was the standard commercial measure, used in honest trade—or dishonest fraud (Deuteronomy 25:14-15; Amos 8:5; Micah 6:10-11). The angel explains: zō't hā'ēphāh hayyōtsē't (זֹאת הָאֵיפָה הַיּוֹצֵאת, 'this is the ephah going forth'), using the same language as the flying scroll (v. 3, 5)—another instrument of divine action moving with purpose.
He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth—Zō't 'ēynām beḵol-hā'āretz (זֹאת עֵינָם בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ, 'this is their eye/appearance in all the earth/land'). The ephah symbolizes the 'appearance' or 'focus' of the people's hearts—their consuming preoccupation throughout the land. What obsesses God's people? Commercial gain, material accumulation, economic advantage. The ephah represents the idolatry of prosperity, the worship of wealth. This connects to vision 5's theft and false oaths—both motivated by greed. The basket symbolizes Israel's corporate wickedness: making material prosperity their god rather than Yahweh. Jesus would later warn, 'You cannot serve God and mammon' (Matthew 6:24). The vision previews Paul's teaching that 'covetousness is idolatry' (Colossians 3:5).