47 1. "Then I turned CHAPTER V. a flying roll."-He saw in a vision, a roll flying through the air, and this is also Jonathan's interpretation, "a flying roll." 2. "And he said the length thereof twenty cubits, and the breadth ten cubits."—It is not clear to what time this prophecy applies, but it seems as if it were spoken of the prophet's own times; for we have seen in the book of Ezra, that they were then guilty of many transgressions. And this curse went forth against stealing and false swearing; for, although stealing is not so grave an offence as false and lying oaths, yet thereby men are led to swear falsely. As to the circumstance, that he saw the measure of the length and the measure of the breadth, the commentators have explained this to mean, that he saw it going forth from the porch of the temple, of which the length was twenty cubits, and the breadth ten cubits, according to the building which Solomon built and although it was then desolate, yet this roll had gone forth thence, for it had been spread out there, according to the measure of the length and the breadth; and this is what is meant by the expressions, "that goeth forth," and "I will bring it forth." 3. "Then said he diction. This is the curse," the male "Over the face of the whole earth," the land of Israel. -Jonathan has interpreted, "This is the oath which shall go forth." The subject of this roll is similar to that seen by Ezekiel, which was written within and without (Ezek. ii.), and so this roll was written on both sides, and the writing was on one side, "Every one that stealeth shall be cut off; and on the other side, Every one that sweareth shall be cut off." The meaning of i, "according to it," is the same as in Genesis xliv. 18, My Tie ("For thou art even as Pharaoh "); and again, 1 Kings xxii. 4, in? ring("I am as thou art "); that is to say, the roll was written with curse and malediction on this side as on that side, and on that side as on this side; the meaning of ? is, "Shall be cut off," as in Exodus xxxiv. 7, pp. (English translation, "That will by no means clear the guilty.") is the conjugation Niphal. Although I have borne with them long until now, from henceforth they shall receive their punishment, for their time is come, therefore this roll went forth. The prophet saw the roll, but he did not see the writing upon it as Ezekiel did, until the angel told him, for the power of prophecy was gradually exhausting, and, therefore, the visions of Zechariah are obscure, and in Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, prophecy ceased. 4. "I will bring it forth."—This curse I have brought forth to punish, from this time forth, the secret thief and the swearer, and I will no longer bear with them. "And it shall remain," . The curse shall abide in the midst of his house, until it consume him, and the timbers of his house, and the stones thereof. 5. "Then the angel went forth."-It appears that, after showing him the vision of the flying roll, the angel was hidden from him, and afterwards he went forth and showed him the vision of the ephah. "That goeth forth."-Going forth from the house of the Lord, as the former. Or the meaning may be, Going forth from the land of Israel. The Targum of Jonathan has, "Who are these that are revealed?" 6. "And he said, This is the ephah that goeth forth." -He showed him the captivity of the ten tribes, who had long since been led away captive, how that they were utterly lost in the captivity, and did not now go forth, when the captivity of Judah and Benjamin went forth. He showed him an ephah, which is a measure, to signify that God had measured out to them measure for measure; for, according as they had done by continuing many days in their wickedness, from the day that the kingdom was divided until the day that they were led away captive; and as they had not had one out of all their kings, who turned them to good, but, on the contrary, they all walked in an evil way; according, I say, as they had continued long in evil, so they shall be many days in captivity: this is measure for measure, therefore the prophet saw an ephah, which is a measure. "He said moreover, This is their eye in all the earth.” Again the angel interpreted to him, and said, "This is their eye;" that is to say, this ephah, which thou seest, teaches, that there is an eye upon them, which sees their deeds, and which also sees in all the earth; as he said above, The eyes of the Lord that run to and fro through all the earth. "Their eye."-The eye that seeth them, i. e., the eye of the Lord. 7. "And, behold, a talent of lead lifted up."—Was lifted up. "In the midst of the ephah."-, talent, is feminine, ass 2, "One loaf of bread" (Ex. xxix. 23); A, "Ten talents of silver." (2 Kings v. 5.) And a talent of lead is to teach us, that it was to make it heavy, and to sink it in captivity. "And this is one woman sitting in the midst of the ephah."-To whom does this woman refer? She is the ten tribes, who were included in one kingdom, and walked one way to evil, therefore, he calls her " one woman; and she is sitting in the midst of the ephah, for she receives the measure which she meted withal. 8. "And he said, This is the wickedness."-The angel said to the prophet, this ephah is the wickedness that was E in Israel, and that is, the ten tribes who made the calves, and began the service of Baal. "And he cast her into the midst of the ephah."Therefore God, blessed be He, cast her into the midst of the ephah, for he measured to her according to her measure. And he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof." -To sink her in captivity many days. "The mouth thereof," means the mouth of the ephah. a substantive or an adjective. may be and beheld two 9." Then I lifted up mine eyes women."-As we interpreted 66 one woman" to mean the ten tribes, so we will interpret the two women of Judah and Benjamin, who had been carried captive to Babylon. Although they had long since gone up from the captivity, when this vision happened, he showed him the vision for the sake of those who remained in Babylon, who were lazy to go up to Jerusalem, even after the building of the house had begun. And he said that he saw these two women going forth in captivity. "And the wind in their wings," i. e., They were very quickly carried captive to Babylon. "For they had wings like the wings of a stork," that is to say, wings long and broad like the stork's. "And they lifted up the ephah."-They lifted it up upon their wings, to show them that their captivity was in equity and in measure, as God measured to them for their evil deeds. The words, "between earth and heaven," are very plain; for he that flies, flies between the earth and the heavens, in the firmament of the heavens; and show that these two are not like the first woman, for upon her he cast a talent of lead to sink her in the earth, in the place of her captivity. But of these he did not speak to sink them in the earth, but they are suspended in the air, until the time that they returned to their land after the seventy years. The reason why he saw Judah and Benjamin as a vision of two women, and the ten tribes as one woman, is, because the tribe of Judah was kept distinct on account of the kingdom; and the tribe of Benjamin was joined with them more than the other tribes, because their portion was like one, and they were both carried captive together, therefore he says, "Two women." That great wise man, the Rav, our rabbi, Moses, the son of Maimon, may his memory be blessed, has interpreted the two women of angels, whom he saw in the likeness of women, as he had also seen them in the likeness of horses, because the power of prophecy was languid in his time.* 10. "And I said - whither do these bear the ephah?" He did not ask this in the first vision (but now), because he saw them bearing it away quickly. And what is the meaning of this, that the woman bore away the ephah? It is to show, that they caused the blessed God to pay them according to their measure. And it is as if he said, " They carry themselves away captive." 11. "And he said, to build her an house in the land of Shinar."-Thein, is rapheh. This is what Jeremiah sent to them, saying, "This captivity is long, build ye houses, and dwell in them." (Jer. xxix. 28.) "And it shall be established, and set there upon her own base."--Their habitation shall be established there, that is to say, they have built houses there, and established their habitation there; and it is said, "Set these upon her own base," that is to say, the base that she has made for herself, because by the building of houses and planting of vineyards, they are lazy to go up from Babylon, who have remained there after that Ezra went up, and they did not wish to go up even after the building. *In the Moreh Nevuchim, part i., chap. 49. |