Zechariah 11:2

2 Wail, O juniper, for [the] cedar has fallen, for [the] magnificent [trees] are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the impenetrable forest has come 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, so that fire will devour your cedars!

2 Wail, O juniper, for [the] cedar has fallen, for [the] magnificent [trees] are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the impenetrable forest has come down!

3 [Listen to] the wailing of the shepherds, for their splendor is ruined! [Listen to] the roar of [the] young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are ruined!

4 Thus says Yahweh my God: "Shepherd the flock [doomed] to slaughter.

5 The ones buying them kill them and go unpunished, and the ones selling them say, 'Blessed [be] Yahweh, for I have become rich.' Their own shepherds have no compassion for them.

Footnotes

• [a] Or "cypress"