“Whither do these bear the ephah?”
The full verse · Zechariah 5:10 · KJV
Then I to the that with me, Whither do these the ?
Asked by
Asked to
The interpreting angel who had been guiding Zechariah through the series of night visions and explaining their meaning.
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionZechariah asks to understand the destination and ultimate purpose of the vision he is witnessing. By framing this as a question rather than waiting for explanation, he demonstrates active engagement with divine revelation and models the proper posture of inquiry before God’s messengers.
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe angel explained that the two women with wings were carrying the basket to the land of Shinar (Babylonia) to build a house for it, where it would be set on its own pedestal (Zechariah 5:11).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyZechariah’s question reveals both wonder and confusion at the bizarre vision unfolding before him. The prophet watches two winged women transport a basket containing personified wickedness, and rather than making assumptions, he asks for clarity. The Hebrew construction here (Hebrew anah, “where”) seeks not just a geographical destination but a purposeful end. By asking rather than assuming, Zechariah demonstrates that even prophets receiving direct revelation need interpretive help. The question format acknowledges the angel’s role as mediator of divine truth and shows that understanding God’s symbolic visions requires humble inquiry. This carries theological weight because it establishes that God’s dealings with sin are not random or chaotic but purposeful and complete, wickedness has a destination, and that destination is away from God’s people.
When God shows you something disturbing about sin, ask Him what He’s doing about it. Zechariah didn’t just observe wickedness in the basket; he pursued understanding of God’s plan to remove it. This teaches us that confession isn’t enough; we need to grasp God’s provision for putting sin away from us. Like the basket transported to distant Babylon, God doesn’t just forgive our sin; He removes it “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). When guilt lingers, remember that God has already carried your confessed sin to a place where it can never return to accuse you.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
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