Zechariah 5:8He said, "This is Wickedness;" and he threw her down into the midst of the ephah basket; and he threw the weight of lead on its mouth.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~520 BC. The angel identifies the woman as 'Wickedness' and forcibly seals her in the basket with the lead weight. Modern-day Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: relieved and awed watching divine justice in action
The original word
risha (רִשְׁעָה) — feminine form of wickedness, specifically referring to injustice and dishonest dealings
Why it matters
This vision preceded the basket being carried to Babylon, symbolically returning commercial corruption to its source
Read with care
What most readers miss in Zechariah 5:8
The angel doesn't destroy wickedness but contains and relocates it — God is cleaning house, not ending evil entirely
Common misconceptionPeople think this means God destroys all evil immediately, but He actually contains and removes it strategically — evil isn't eliminated but relocated away from His people.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Zechariah 5:8
Bible Genome reading
Zechariah 5:8 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Zechariah 5:8 comes from the book of Zechariah, written during the Post-Exile period. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the vision genre of biblical literature. Key themes include judgment, evil removed. Notable phrases: This is Wickedness. This verse contains prophecy.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same deciding
“"You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Deuteronomy 5:7
“"You shall not murder.”
— Exodus 20:13
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Matthew 23:12
“For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
“But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"”
— Acts 3:6
Your reflection
What does Zechariah 5:8 mean to you, today?
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