Zechariah 11:2

2 Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down!

Zechariah 11:2 in Other Translations

2 Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.

2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has been felled!

2 Weep, you cypress trees, for all the ruined cedars; the most majestic ones have fallen. Weep, you oaks of Bashan, for the thick forests have been cut down.

2 Weep, great pine trees! Mourn, you sister cedars! Your towering trees are cordwood. Weep Bashan oak trees! Your thick forest is now a field of stumps.

2 Wail, cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the glorious [trees] are destroyed! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the stately forest has fallen!

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, Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars!

2 Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down!

3 Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed! Listen to the roar of the lions; the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!

4 This is what the LORD my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.

5 Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the LORD, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.

Cross References

• 1. S Isaiah 2:13
• 2. Isaiah 32:19
• 3. S Isaiah 10:34