Zechariah’s flying scroll is written with curses. Another place where curses are written down is Numbers 5, the jealousy test for a woman suspected of adultery. The verb “cut off” or “purged” ( naqah ) in Zechariah 5:3 is also used in Numbers 5, to describe the status of the woman who has passed the jealousy test: She is “free” of guilt (Numbers 5:19) and “free” to bear children (5:28).
Zechariah’s flying scroll is a jealousy test. It flies over the face of the land, enters the houses of thieves and those who swear falsely. It will expose their unfaithfulness, cause a swelling of the belly and a withering of the thing, and will bring curses to the house.
Recognizing that Numbers 5 is in the background helps to link the two visions of Zechariah 5. First, the scroll with curses enters houses, exposes infidelity; then the woman Wickedness, exposed by the jealousy test, is sent away.
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