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Zechariah 5:1–5. And I turned and lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold a sickle 43 flying. And he said to me: what do you see? and said: I see a sickle flying, twenty cubits in length, and ten cubits in latitude. And he said to me: this is the oath that goes out on the face of the whole earth: every thief will take revenge from this even to death, and everyone who swears a lie will take revenge from this even to death. And I will carry him away, 44 says the Lord Almighty, and the thief will come into the house, and into the house of him who swears in my name as a lie, and will dwell in the midst of his house, and will put an end to him, and his wood, and his stone. And here again the expression used: “turned”, I think no one can understand in the sense of place, but as if in the sense of the sequence of one vision after another: when the first vision stops and the gaze moves on to another contemplation, then this phenomenon is designated by the word: turning. So, he raises his mental eyes high and then sees a sickle like a bird, rising to the top and, as it were, directing towards the whole earth. It was very wide and long; for its length was twenty cubits, and its breadth was half less than its length. When the Angel asked what it was, and the Prophet said that he did not know; then (the Angel) says: “This is an oath that goes out on the face of the whole earth,” subjecting the one who swears falsely and along with him the thief to appropriate punishments. And as for a more detailed explanation of what was shown in the vision; then it does not present anything difficult. The divine oath will certainly destroy the thieves and, along with them, those who are accustomed to uttering a false oath and, as if with a sickle, will cut off the insolent detractors, discover the fence of the houses and set them on fire, and entering the husband’s house will destroy and greatly shake him. I think it is necessary to carefully examine the reasons why the present vision that occupies us is attached to others as necessary. Why, perhaps one of the most just people will say, at a time when there were a lot of sinners in life and the Israelites at that time were subject to many accusations, why was it only for thieves and those who swear falsely, he says, that punishment was inflicted with the sickle, or why does an oath come out that flogs the guilty and completely destroys them? In response to this, we will say that God, who always desires the good of those who listen to Him, through the holy prophets spoke what was beneficial to each time. So, those who lived at that time needed to understand this vision in particular. Let us give the reasons for this and indicate the most suitable one. When the Israelites, having barely left the Chaldean country and freed from the yoke of slavery, returned to Judea and arrived in Jerusalem; then they should have refrained from their previous sins and, by turning to a better way of life, make amends for previously committed crimes and please the Deliverer by fulfilling what was pleasing to Him; but despite this, they, just as before, thoughtlessly violated the requirements of the law. While Moses says that they should not enter into marriages with foreign women, they, neglecting the provisions of the law, married the daughters of neighboring pagans and became fathers of foreign children and full of the wicked tribe. Among them were some of the noblest guilty of such crimes. This is what Ezra wept about and, coming to the house of God, prayed for those who acted wickedly. What happened after that, we learn about this from his book itself, where it reads like this: “And when Ezra, praying, confessed, weeping and throwing himself to the ground in front of the church, a very large number of people gathered to him from Jerusalem, men and women and young men, for there was great weeping in the crowd. And Jehoiachin cried 45 Jeel of the children of Israel 46 said unto Ezra, We have sinned against the Lord God, and we have taken for ourselves foreign wives from the nations of the land, and all Israel liveth with them. Let us swear this to the Lord, to drive out all our wives from foreign nations, together with their children, as has been ordered (commanded) to you and to all who obey the law. Get up and do it, because this matter concerns you, and we are with you for reinforcement. And Ezra rose up, and charged the chief priests and Levites of all Israel to do accordingly, and they swore an oath” 47 (1 Ezra 10:1-5). So, it was necessary that those who swore to fulfill the requirements of the law were threatened with the curse that inevitably befalls those who acquired the habit of swearing falsely, so that they kept their oaths. But since during the construction of the divine church there was a large accumulation of money, partly because Darius gave it, partly because the people brought it, and some of those assigned to manage it, in all likelihood, separated for their own benefit some of what was brought to the glory of God; then he says well that the curse falls on thieves, so that they refrain from shameful profits and do not touch sacred money, using it for their own needs. This is the reason for the vision. People who are accustomed to stealing and uttering a false oath should be afraid of being cursed and being cut with a sickle. God will certainly carry out his decrees and will not spare either thieves or other criminals; for He always hates those who despise His divine glory and rush with insatiable desire to what is unbecoming to them. Zechariah 5:5–8. And the Angel came forth and said to me: Look at your eyes and see this coming. And reh: what is there? and he said: this is the measure that goes out, and he said: this is their unrighteousness throughout the whole earth. And behold the talent of the tin 48 sit down: 49 and behold one woman sits in the middle of the measure. And he said: this is lawlessness. And she cast it into the middle of the measure, and cast a tin stone 50 into her mouth 51 . Earlier, when I began to explain the prophet, I said that after returning from Babylon, he found it useful to tell the delivered ones about what happened during the captivity. But when he saw that they were too careless in fulfilling the law and were carried away by an uncontrollable inclination to what was pleasing and pleasing to themselves and completely neglected the laws of Moses (for they entered into marriage with foreign women, and some had already completely departed from the paths of righteousness, served idols and, on top of that, did something that is not permissible to even talk about); then the prophet considers it necessary to talk about these deeds, so that those who were delivered with difficulty would know by what prayers of people and holy angels they acquired freedom for themselves and now again irritate God of all kinds against themselves, being overwhelmed and carried away by the desire for former crimes. Therefore, he said that “the Angel came forth and spoke in me.” From where? where has he been before? This meant a transition from the vision of a sickle to a real vision, to a vision, I say, of a measure. So, the prophet raises his eyes to the top, which is rightly characteristic of those who love to strive for grief and, with the help of divine power, to contemplate the mystery. He asked what was being shown to him; to this the angel says; “This is the outgoing measure; This is their untruth throughout all the earth." We need to discuss what a measure is. We say that the God of all things is good by nature and loves mankind; He is patient with those who sin and tolerates those who break the law, waiting for everyone to repent. If someone reaches the extreme degree of crime and completely exhausts the patience assigned to him (by divine providence); then he will finally be punished and there will no longer be any excuse for him for such a long negligence and can no longer get rid of retribution, which is fully consistent with his actions. That is why Christ said to the Jewish people, who rushed with extreme recklessness towards everything unnatural: “And you will fulfill the measure of your fathers” (Matthew 23:32). So, the measure seen by the prophet showed the fullness of the sins of the people. The wife sat in the measure, occupying the place of iniquity and, as it were, filling the capacity (of the measure), perhaps even protruding over the edge and looking out of it with the remainder (which did not fit in the measure). But, she says, the talent of lead has risen and cast it into her mouth. The vision depicts to us iniquity under the image of a woman; for a wife is an image of pleasure and at the same time of weakness. After all, any lawlessness is committed only as a result of the fact that some kind of pleasure attracts to evil, and at the same time there is weakness in the soul. If the soul itself were strong and courageous, then it would not tolerate inclinations towards evil. But as soon as she turns out to be pampered and carried away by pleasure, then she will experience sorrow. So, it is very correct that iniquity is depicted under the image of a woman. By the talent of lead that rises and stops her lips, I think, nothing else can be understood as our Lord Jesus Christ, who was raised through the honorable cross and iniquities “he lifted us up in his body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24) and destroyed “the handwriting about us” (Col. 2:14), so that, as the divine Psalmist says, “stop all iniquity from the mouth.” own" (Ps. 106:42) 52. It is also compared to lead, for among silversmiths, as I said, lead is used to purify molten metals. Such is the power of Christ at work in us; for when He is in the soul and heart, He completely destroys impurity. Some people think that lead is thrown into the mouth of iniquity as a sign that God is blocking them and does not allow them to cry out against (accuse) sinners beyond measure. And so it (lawlessness) is bound by measure, as if with a rope, because, I think, God, who is merciful to everyone, punishes everyone in proportion to his crimes. Zechariah 5:9–11. And I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, two women going forth, and a spirit in their wings, and they cried unto the name of 53 widows: and they took a measure between the earth, and between the heavens. And the angel said to me: Where do they take this measure? And he spoke to me: build a church for her in the land of Babylon, and prepare it, and they will lay it there for their preparation. First of all, I think it is necessary to say what two wives mean here and what they serve as an image. Nowhere did God say to the Prophet Ezekiel: “Son of man, two wives were born to one mother, and they committed fornication in Egypt in their youth; there their breasts fell.” And to this he added, explaining what had been announced: “And their names are Samaria Oola, and Jerusalem Ooliva” (Ezek. 23:2-4); because in the beginning there was one kingdom 54 of Judah, but during the reign of Rehoboam the ten tribes separated from the others, settled in Samaria and committed fornication with the golden heifers, which Jeroboam the son of Nebat made, but this was not done without a reason..... that is, Jerusalem, because he himself committed fornication in many ways, as when some worshiped idols and made sacrifices to Baal, Ashtoreth, the hills, the sun, the moon and other luminaries, so also when they readily rushed towards all uncleanness and regarded the institutions of the wise Moses as nothing. And so the vision again likens the kingdoms of Israel 55 to two women who, he says, had the wings of a hoopoe, in order to better indicate their inherent impurity of soul and their inclination to everything vile, for the hoopoe is an insignificant bird that loves dirt and dung, greedily pouncing on heaps of worms and usually eating the very last uncleanness. Such, of course, is the mind of those devoted to idolatry. He does not follow the straight path to good, but rushes towards unrighteousness, does not know the divine law, is filled with all uncleanness and feeds on all kinds of evil. That is why the word of vision gives women the wings of a hoopoe, suggesting that they have the same aspirations as the aspirations of a hoopoe. They take a measure filled with iniquity; for each soul is inevitably burdened with its own weight, I say, the weight of sin. since the crimes of both, I say, Samaria and Jerusalem are the same and related; That is why, and equally burdened with measure and lawlessness, they rush quickly and non-stop to the country of foreigners, obviously to the country of the Babylonians, because the spirit entered their wings. When the unclean spirit led them to sin and burdened them with iniquity; then they were taken into captivity and fell under the dominion of the enemies. since the blessed Angel said that the measure “is attributed to the creation of a church for it in the land of Babylonia”; then we must understand this in the sense that this is a sign of the long stay of the Israelites among their enemies and that through their iniquity a house is being built, as if some kind of residence and dwelling is being prepared for her among the enemies, which was fulfilled; for she is freed from the bonds of slavery only after the expiration of the seventieth year. Instead of δρεπανον – LXX (Arabic Valt.), Heb. Huld. Sire. (cf. Ephr. Sir.). Vulg. read: scroll - Heb. מגלה LXX read: מגל. (Arm: δόκον – log in Pars.). Ak. and Theod., but Jer. and Syrogekz: διφθερα – glassine, leather, – Symm: κεφαλις – in the sense of the book’s head – according to Jerome. and according to Sirohekz. Εὶλημα (See Field ad h. 1. and Jer. 1447. p.). Wed. Apoc.14, etc. Variations: αυτο, αυτα, αυτους, αυτον, αυτω, some. omission Greek Σεχενὶας, Heb. Shekhania. Greek Ιεηλ and Ιεειηλ, Heb. Elam. This place is given by St. Kirill is not everywhere with literal accuracy. Greek and Heb.: raised or rising Ἐξαιρόμενον, but Slav., apparently, derives from Ἐξαιρέω, and not from ’Εξαίρω, Jer. elevatum est (LXX). portabatur – rushing, rushing (1449. A). ἀυτῆς, i.e. wives, according to other interpretations: measures. Wed. similar Ephr. Sire. 291–292. So Vatik. and some But Slav. approx.: like krill = ὡς πτἑρυγας, according to Ald. Set Vulg. Syn. Alex. LXX Jeron. (ib.) Code. Syrogex. Sire. Huld. and Heb. – Slav.; widows = ουπμοπος Ald., others: εποπος – εποψ = hoopoe bird, stork. Heb. and Sir.: stork. Vulg. milvus kite, Targ. Jonath. eagle - Ak. Sim. and Feod. according to Jero: ερωδίου. You might be interested in: