Zechariah 11: The Shepherd Rejected
Zechariah enacts the role of a good shepherd who is despised and dismissed for thirty pieces of silver, foreshadowing the rejection of Christ.
Zechariah 11 (WEB)
1 Open your doors, Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars.
2 Wail, fir tree, for the cedar has fallen, because the stately ones are destroyed. Wail, you oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest has come down.
3 A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! For their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions! For the pride of the Jordan is ruined.
4 Thus says Yahweh my God: “Feed the flock of slaughter.
5 Their buyers slaughter them, and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be Yahweh, for I am rich;’ and their own shepherds don’t pity them.
6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land,” says Yahweh; “but, behold, I will deliver the men everyone into his neighbor’s hand, and into the hand of his king. They will strike the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.”
7 So I fed the flock of slaughter, especially the oppressed of the flock. I took for myself two staffs. The one I called “Favor”, and the other I called “Union”, and I fed the flock.
8 I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me.
9 Then I said, “I will not feed you. That which dies, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let those who are left eat each other’s flesh.”
10 I took my staff Favor, and cut it apart, that I might break my covenant that I had made with all the peoples.
11 It was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that listened to me knew that it was Yahweh’s word.
12 I said to them, “If you think it best, give me my wages; and if not, keep them.” So they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
13 Yahweh said to me, “Throw it to the potter, the handsome price that I was valued at by them!” I took the thirty pieces of silver, and threw them to the potter, in Yahweh’s house.
14 Then I cut apart my other staff, even Union, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 Yahweh said to me, “Take for yourself yet again the equipment of a foolish shepherd.
16 For, behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those who are cut off, neither will seek those who are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat sheep, and will tear their hoofs in pieces.
17 Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! The sword will be on his arm, and on his right eye. His arm will be completely withered, and his right eye will be totally blinded!”
Zechariah 11 (KJV)
1 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.
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.
3 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.
4 Thus saith the Lord my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;
5 Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the Lord; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.
6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour’s hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.
7 And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
8 Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
9 Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.
10 And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.
11 And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord.
12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.
14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
17 Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
Zechariah 11 (ASV)
1 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.
2 Wail, O fir-tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the goodly ones are destroyed: wail, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest is come down.
3 A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! for their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions! for the pride of the Jordan is laid waste.
4 Thus said Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter;
5 whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah, for I am rich; and their own shepherds pity them not.
6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah; but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor’s hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.
7 So I fed the flock of slaughter, verily the poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
8 And I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me.
9 Then said I, I will not feed you: that which dieth, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let them that are left eat every one the flesh of another.
10 And I took my staff Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples.
11 And it was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that gave heed unto me knew that it was the word of Jehovah.
12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver.
13 And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter, the goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them unto the potter, in the house of Jehovah.
14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 And Jehovah said unto me, Take unto thee yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those that are cut off, neither will seek those that are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat sheep, and will tear their hoofs in pieces.
17 Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
Summary
After a poem of wailing over fallen trees and ruined shepherds, God commissions Zechariah to enact a sobering drama: to shepherd a flock destined for slaughter, whose buyers slaughter them without remorse and whose own shepherds do not pity them. Zechariah takes two staffs, named Favor and Union, and feeds the flock, cutting off three worthless shepherds in one month. But the flock loathes him, and he wearies of them, so he resigns from shepherding them and breaks the staff called Favor, annulling the covenant of protection. He then asks for his wages, and they weigh out thirty pieces of silver—the price of a slave—a sum God scornfully calls the handsome price at which he was valued. At the Lord's command Zechariah throws the silver to the potter in the house of the Lord, then breaks the second staff, Union, severing the bond between Judah and Israel. Finally God tells him to take up the gear of a foolish, worthless shepherd, who will neglect and devour the flock rather than care for it, and pronounces woe on that shepherd. The chapter is a dark prophecy of a people who reject their good shepherd and fall under worthless ones—remarkably fulfilled when Jesus was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver thrown into the temple.
Key Figures
- Zechariah as shepherd — The prophet who enacts the role of the good shepherd, feeding the doomed flock with the staffs Favor and Union, only to be rejected and dismissed.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who commissions the shepherd drama, names the thirty pieces of silver a contemptible price, and warns of a worthless shepherd to come.
- The flock of slaughter — God's people, oppressed and led to ruin, who loathe their shepherd and reject his care.
- The worthless shepherd — The foolish shepherd God will raise up, who neglects and devours the flock rather than tending it, and on whom woe is pronounced.
Key Verse
Zechariah 11:12 (WEB)
I said to them, “If you think it best, give me my wages; and if not, keep them.” So they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
Lessons Learned
- God grieves over people led astray by careless and self-serving leaders.
- The good shepherd offers favor and unity, but a hardened people may reject his care.
- To value the shepherd at thirty pieces of silver is to scorn him grievously.
- Rejecting the true shepherd leaves people exposed to worthless ones who devour them.
- God appoints a shepherd of favor and union. The two staffs are named “Favor” and “Union” (Zechariah 11:7, WEB). God's care brings both grace and the binding together of his people.
- A good shepherd can be despised. “My soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me” (Zechariah 11:8, WEB). Even faithful care may be met with rejection.
- Rejecting the shepherd has a price. “They weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver” (Zechariah 11:12, WEB)—the price of a slave, a contemptuous valuation fulfilled in Christ's betrayal.
- Refusing the true shepherd invites a false one. “I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those who are cut off” (Zechariah 11:16, WEB). Spurning good leadership opens the door to ruinous leadership.
- What do the two staffs, Favor and Union, represent, and why does Zechariah break them (11:7-14)?
- What does the price of “thirty pieces of silver” (11:12) communicate about how the shepherd was valued?
- How is this prophecy fulfilled in the betrayal of Jesus (see Matthew 26:15; 27:3-10)?
- What is the warning in the rise of the “worthless shepherd” (11:15-17)?
- How do you respond to Jesus as your shepherd—do you treasure his care or take it for granted?
- Favor represents God's gracious covenant of protection, and Union the bond holding his people together (11:7). Breaking them dramatizes the withdrawal of God's protection and the fracturing of the community when the shepherd is rejected (11:10, 14). The acted parable shows the grievous consequences of spurning God's care.
- Thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave (Exodus 21:32), so to pay the shepherd this sum was a deliberate insult, valuing him as cheaply as possible. God's scornful description—“the handsome price that I was valued at”—drips with irony (11:13). It exposes the contempt in their hearts toward their shepherd.
- Judas was paid exactly thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus, then, overcome with remorse, threw the money into the temple, with which a potter's field was bought (Matthew 26:15; 27:3-10). The precise detail—thirty pieces, thrown in the house of the Lord, to the potter—fulfills Zechariah's enacted prophecy with startling accuracy, marking Jesus as the rejected shepherd.
- Having rejected the good shepherd, the people fall under a worthless one who neglects the weak and devours the flock for his own gain (11:15-16). The warning is sobering: spurning God's faithful care does not leave us free but exposes us to destructive leadership. God pronounces woe on such a shepherd, yet the people's choice bears bitter fruit.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to examine whether they cherish Christ's shepherding care or treat it lightly. As leader, contrast the rejected shepherd of this chapter with the good shepherd who lays down his life (John 10:11), and encourage grateful, wholehearted following.