Zechariah 11:4-14

4 Thus said the LORD my God: 1"Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.
5 2Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, 'Blessed be the LORD, 3I have become rich,' and their own shepherds have no pity on them.
6 For 4I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the LORD. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand."
7 5So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named 6Favor, the other I named 7Union. 8And I tended the sheep.
8 In one month 9I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
9 So I said, "I will not be your shepherd. 10What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another."
10 And I took 11my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples.
11 So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD.
12 Then I said to them, "If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them." And they weighed out as my wages 12thirty pieces of silver.
13 Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter"--13the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the 14thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD, to the potter.
14 Then I broke 15my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Zechariah 11:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ZECHARIAH 11

This chapter contains a prophecy of the destruction of the Jews, and shows the causes and reasons of it; and is concluded with a prediction concerning antichrist. The destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem, and the inhabitants of it, is signified by figurative expressions, Zec 11:1,2 which occasions an howling among the shepherds or rulers of Israel, on account of whose cruelty and covetousness the wrath of God came upon them without mercy, Zec 11:3,5,6 but inasmuch as there were a remnant according to the election of grace among them, named the flock of the slaughter, Christ is called upon to feed them; who undertakes it, and prepares for it, Zec 11:4,7 but being abhorred by the shepherds, whom he therefore loathed and cut off, he determines to leave the people to utter ruin and destruction, Zec 11:8,9 and, as a token of it, breaks the two staves asunder he had took to feed them with, Zec 11:10,11,14 and, as an instance of their ingratitude to him, and which is a justification of his conduct towards them, notice is taken of his being valued at and sold for thirty pieces of silver, Zec 11:12,13 but, in the place of these shepherds cut off, it is suggested that another should arise, who is described by his folly, negligence, and cruelty, Zec 11:15,16 to whom a woe is denounced, Zec 11:17.

Cross References 15

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.