The Meaning of Zechariah 5:4 Explained

Zechariah 5:4

KJV: I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

YLT: I have brought it out -- an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts -- and it hath come in unto the house of the thief, and unto the house of him who hath sworn in My name to a falsehood, and it hath remained in the midst of his house, and hath consumed it, both its wood and its stones.'

Darby: I will cause it to go forth, saith Jehovah of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name; and it shall lodge in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

ASV: I will cause it to go forth, saith Jehovah of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name; and it shall abide in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I will bring it forth,  saith  the LORD  of hosts,  and it shall enter  into the house  of the thief,  and into the house  of him that sweareth  falsely  by my name:  and it shall remain  in the midst  of his house,  and shall consume  it with the timber  thereof and the stones  thereof. 

What does Zechariah 5:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Yahweh then promised to cause His curse to seek out the guilty and to bring judgment on them. He personified the curse and pictured it going throughout the land, even into homes, to seek out law-breakers. God"s Word still had its ancient power even in post-exilic Judaism. Even the privacy of their homes would not afford protection from the judgment that the Lord would send on those of His people who broke His law.
In spite of the glorious promises of the future just revealed in the previous visions, the Israelites needed to realize that sin would still bring inevitable divine punishment on them. They needed to remain pure so they could avoid the Lord"s curses and enjoy His promised blessings (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:1). They were still under the Mosaic Law, including the Decalogue.
"It is striking that this vision plays down any human activity." [1]
"This whole passage is very valuable as a commentary on the nature of Christ"s rule in righteousness in the millennial period as well as the severity of His dealing with sinners once the day of grace is ended and the day of wrath and judgment is ushered in with the opening of the seven-sealed roll of Revelation 5:1-9, loosing the seals, trumpets, and bowl judgments that dispossess Satan, demons, and the wicked men from the earth preparatory to the advent of the King of kings and Lord of lords to establish His rule and kingdom." [2]
Amillennialists hold that "there is no allusion in our vision to the millennial kingdom and its establishment within the limits of the earthly Canaan." [3]

Context Summary

Zechariah 5:1-11 - The Vision Of The Flying Roll
This huge sheet of parchment, 30 by 15 feet, was covered with the solemn curses of the Law, on one side against the thief and on the other against false-swearing. The young community was notorious for these two sins. They brought the dry-rot with them, Zechariah 5:4. Their commercial life also, represented by the ephah, was full of wickedness. But it was to be eliminated. The swift stork wings would bear it away. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 5

1  By the flying scroll is shown the curse of thieves and swearers;
5  and by a woman pressed in an ephah the final judgment of wickedness

What do the individual words in Zechariah 5:4 mean?

I will send out [the curse] says Yahweh of hosts and it shall enter into the house of the thief and of the one who swears by My name falsely and it shall remain in the midst of his house and consume it and with its timber stones
הוֹצֵאתִ֗יהָ נְאֻם֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת וּבָ֙אָה֙ אֶל־ בֵּ֣ית הַגַּנָּ֔ב וְאֶל־ הַנִּשְׁבָּ֥ע בִּשְׁמִ֖י לַשָּׁ֑קֶר וְלָ֙נֶה֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ בֵּית֔וֹ וְכִלַּ֖תּוּ וְאֶת־ עֵצָ֥יו אֲבָנָֽיו

הוֹצֵאתִ֗יהָ  I  will  send  out  [the  curse] 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, first person common singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
נְאֻם֙  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
צְבָא֔וֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
וּבָ֙אָה֙  and  it  shall  enter 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֶל־  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
בֵּ֣ית  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
הַגַּנָּ֔ב  of  the  thief 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גַּנָּב  
Sense: thief.
הַנִּשְׁבָּ֥ע  of  the  one  who  swears 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׁבַע  
Sense: to swear, adjure.
בִּשְׁמִ֖י  by  My  name 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
לַשָּׁ֑קֶר  falsely 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁקֶר  
Sense: lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood.
וְלָ֙נֶה֙  and  it  shall  remain 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: לוּן 
Sense: to lodge, stop over, pass the night, abide.
בְּת֣וֹךְ  in  the  midst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
בֵּית֔וֹ  of  his  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
וְכִלַּ֖תּוּ  and  consume  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּלָה  
Sense: to accomplish, cease, consume, determine, end, fail, finish, be complete, be accomplished, be ended, be at an end, be finished, be spent.
עֵצָ֥יו  with  its  timber 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.
אֲבָנָֽיו  stones 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone (large or small).