And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.
Parallel translations
- WEB (and behold, a talent of lead was lifted up); and this is a woman sitting in the middle of the ephah basket.”
- BSB And behold, the cover of lead was raised, and there was a woman sitting inside the basket.
- NKJV Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket”;
- NASB And behold, a lead cover was lifted up.” He continued, “And this is a woman sitting inside the ephah.”
- NLT Then the heavy lead cover was lifted off the basket, and there was a woman sitting inside it.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A lead cover is lifted, revealing a woman sitting inside the basket. The woman personifies wickedness contained within.
Overview
The heavy lead lid and the woman inside set up the vision's meaning: wickedness is being confined and prepared for removal. The imagery is symbolic, not literal, portraying sin as something to be sealed away. This prepares for the next verse, where the figure is explicitly named and forcibly contained.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Rev 17:1–18And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
- Ezek 23:1–49The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
- Jer 3:1–2They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.
- Hos 1:1–3The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
- Isa 13:1The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
- Isa 22:11Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.
- Ezek 16:1–63Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
- Isa 15:1The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Branch who is both priest and king, the shepherd struck and the flock scattered, the king coming humble on a donkey, the one they pierced, the fountain opened for sin — Zechariah is dense with Christ.
How Zechariah 5:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.