Zechariah 11:2

2 Wail, O cypress, ^[a] for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down!

Zechariah 11:2 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 11:2

Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen
By which are designed the princes, nobles, and magistrates of the land: so the Targum interprets them of kings and princes; see ( Nahum 2:3 ) ( Ezekiel 31:3 ) : because all the mighty are spoiled;
which is an explanation of the figurative expressions in the former clause, and in the following; and designs rich men, as the Targum paraphrases it, who at this time would be spoiled of their wealth and substance. Howl, O ye oaks of Bashan;
which the Targum interprets of governors of provinces; and men of power and authority are doubtless intended; see ( Isaiah 2:13 ) ( Amos 2:9 ) : for the forest of the vintage is come down;
or rather, "the fortified forest"; meaning the city of Jerusalem, which was a fortified place, and like a forest full of trees, for number of inhabitants, but now cut down and destroyed; see ( Isaiah 10:16-19 ) .

Zechariah 11:2 In-Context

1 Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may consume your cedars!

2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down!

3 Listen to the wailing of the shepherds, for their glory is in ruins. Listen to the roaring of the young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.

4 This is what the LORD my God says: “Pasture the flock marked for slaughter,

5 whose buyers slaughter them without remorse. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich!’ Even their own shepherds have no compassion on them.

Footnotes

• [a] Or pine or juniper or fir