Zechariah11

English Standard Version

TranslationKJV WEB ASV ESV NIV NASB NKJV NLT

¹ your , O , that the may your !

² , O , for the has , for the trees are ! , of , for the has been !

³The of the of the , for their is ! The of the of the , for the of the is !

⁴ the Lord my : Become of the doomed to .

⁵Those them them and , and those who them , be the Lord, I have become , and their own have on them.

⁶ I will have on the of this , the Lord. , I will cause to into the of his , and into the of his , and they shall the , and I will from their .

⁷So I became the of the to be by the . And I , I , the I . And I the .

⁸In I the . But became with them, also me.

⁹So I , I will not be your . What is to , let it . What is to , let it . And let those who are the of .

¹⁰And I my , and I it, the that I had with the .

¹¹So it on that , and the , who were me, that it was the of the Lord.

¹²Then I to them, it to you, me my ; but , them. And they out as my pieces of .

¹³Then the Lord to me, it to the — the at which I by them. So I the pieces of and the of the Lord, to the .

¹⁴Then I my , the between and .

¹⁵Then the Lord to me, once the of a .

¹⁶For , I am in the a who does for those , the or the or the , but the of the , even their .

¹⁷ to my , who the ! May the his and his ! Let his be , his !

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Zechariah 11.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: Destruction to come upon the Jews. (1–3). The Lord's dealing with the Jews. (4–14). The emblem and curse of a foolish shepherd. (15–17).

vv1-3

In figurative expressions, that destruction of Jerusalem, and of the Jewish church and nation, is foretold, which our Lord Jesus, when the time was at hand, prophesied plainly and expressly. How can the fir trees stand, if the cedars fall? The falls of the wise and good into sin, and the falls of the rich and great into trouble, are loud alarms to those every way their inferiors. It is sad with a people, when those who should be as shepherds to them, are as young lions. The pride of Jordan was the thickets on the banks; and when the river overflowed the banks, the lions came up from them roaring. Thus the doom of Jerusalem may alarm other churches.

vv4-14

Christ came into this world for judgment to the Jewish church and nation, which were wretchedly corrupt and degenerate. Those have their minds wofully blinded, who do ill, and justify themselves in it; but God will not hold those guiltless who hold themselves so. How can we go to God to beg a blessing on unlawful methods of getting wealth, or to return thanks for success in them? There was a general decay of religion among them, and they regarded it not. The Good Shepherd would feed his flock, but his attention would chiefly be directed to the poor. As an emblem, the prophet seems to have taken two staves; Beauty, denoted the privileges of the Jewish nation, in their national covenant; the other he called Bands, denoting the harmony which hitherto united them as the flock of God. But they chose to cleave to false teachers. The carnal mind and the friendship of the world are enmity to God; and God hates all the workers of iniquity: it is easy to foresee what this will end in. The prophet demanded wages, or a reward, and received thirty pieces of silver. By Divine direction he cast it to the potter, as in disdain for the smallness of the sum. This shadowed forth the bargain of Judas to betray Christ, and the final method of applying it. Nothing ruins a people so certainly, as weakening the brotherhood among them. This follows the dissolving of the covenant between God and them: when sin abounds, love waxes cold, and civil contests follow. No wonder if those fall out among themselves, who have provoked God to fall out with them. Wilful contempt of Christ is the great cause of men's ruin. And if professors rightly valued Christ, they would not contend about little matters.

vv15-17

God, having showed the misery of this people in their being justly left by the Good Shepherd, shows their further misery in being abused by foolish shepherds. The description suits the character Christ gives of the scribes and Pharisees. They never do any thing to support the weak, or comfort the feeble-minded; but seek their own ease, while they are barbarous to the flock. The idol shepherd has the garb and appearance of a shepherd, receives submission, and is supported at much expense; but he leaves the flock to perish through neglect, or leads them to ruin by his example. This suits many in different churches and nations, but the warning had an awful fulfilment in the Jewish teachers. And while such deceive others to their ruin, they will themselves have the deepest condemnation.

Key Words

OpenH6605Hebrew

פָּתַח: to open wide (literally or figuratively); specifically, to loosen, begin, plough, carve

doorsH1817Hebrew

דֶּלֶת: something swinging, i.e. the valve of adoor

LebanonH3844Hebrew

לְבָנוֹן: Lebanon, a mountain range in Palestine

fireH784Hebrew

אֵשׁ: fire (literally or figuratively)

devourH398Hebrew

אָכַל: to eat (literally or figuratively)

cedarsH730Hebrew

אֶרֶז: a cedar tree (from the tenacity of its roots)

WailH3213Hebrew

יָלַל: to howl (with a wailing tone) or yell (with a boisterous one)

cypressH1265Hebrew

בְּרוֹשׁ: a cypress (?) tree; hence, a lance or a musical instrument (as made of that wood)

fallenH5307Hebrew

נָפַל: to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)

gloriousH117Hebrew

אַדִּיר: wide or (generally) large; figuratively, powerful