The Pulpit Commentary — Zechariah — Section 58

vers. 1-4.-The flying roll: Divine retribution. "Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, a flying roll. And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I a11swered. I see a flying roll: the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits," etc. This is the sixth vision of the series of visions which the prophet had during the night. He now saw a "flying roll." We ha,,e mention ma.de of such rolls by Ezra, by Isaiah, by Jeremiah, and by Ezekiel. Ezra speaks of search being made in "the book of rolls," the depository of the public archives or records, a.nd of a "roll " being found there in which was recorded the decree of King Darius respecting the Jews; and Jeremiah speaks of "a roll of a book." The book might be considered as consisting of several "rolls," over each other, and forming one volume. This is il!ustre.ted by the book which John saw "in the right he.nd of him that sat on the throne," which was" sealed with seven seals," and of which the con- tents were brought to view as each of the seals was unfolded. . "The ancients wrote on a variety of materials--the papyrus, or paper-reed, the inner bark of particular trees, and the dressed skins of animals, forming a kind of parchment. These, when written, were rolled up, for convenience and for preservation of the writing, either singly or in a number over each other. 'l'he roll seen by the prophet was a 'flying roll,' but not flying through the air in its rolled-up state. It ":as expanded, and ;'as of extraordinary size. Reckoning the cubit at a foot and a half, it was ten yards ID length by five in width, the measurement being guessed by the prophet's eye" (Wardlaw). '"!'his is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth." '!'his is the explanation given by the interpreting angel. Without presuming to give an accurate interpretation of e.ll the particulars of the symbolic representation, I think it may be fairly and use- fully employed to exhibit the sublimely awful subject of Divine retribution. And this subject it serves to illustrate in two aspects. L As FOLLOvmrn BIN. Notice: 1. The parlicu'lar sins which retribution pursues. 'rhey are: (1) Theft and sacrilege. "Every one that stealeth." Stealing, here, refers not only to any property taken from man, but especially to the appropriation of worldly wealth to the decoration of their" ceiled houses," instead of applying it to the rebuilding oJ God's boll.lie. Hence Jehovah said," Ye have robbed me in tithes antl offerings. on. v. 1-11,] THE BOOK OF ZEORARIAII. 55