Zechariah 11


Zechariah 11 is the eleventh of the 14 chapters in the Book of Zechariah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Zechariah. In the Hebrew Bible it is part of the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets. This chapter is a part of a section consisting of Zechariah 9–14, attributed to the so-called "Second Zechariah", an anonymous successor to the Zechariah of chapters 1-8.

Text

The original text was written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 17 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Codex Cairensis, the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets, Aleppo Codex, and Codex Leningradensis. Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 4Q82 with extant verses 1–2.
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus and Codex Marchalianus.

Desolation of Israel (verses 1–3)

These verses form a taunting song against the leadership of the people, or even the temple, alluding to Jeremiah 25:36. This section is a so-called 'link passage' using the 'stitch words' 'Lebanon' and 'shepherds'. The passage has been interpreted as a reference to the second temple after the destruction of that temple in AD 70.

Verse 1

Biblical scholar Katrina Larkin notes that both rabbinic tradition and the Dead Sea Scrolls use the word "Lebanon" to refer to the temple in Jerusalem.

Prophecy of the Shepherds (verses 4–17)

In this section, verses 4–6 introduce a prophet who plays a "shepherd" and is strongly identified with YHWH, with the people of Israel as the "flock", and their leaders as "merchants". The passage alludes to, but controversially turning Ezekiel's image of unity into one of threefold disunity.

Verse 4

The implied words "to me" are added in some versions.

Verse 12

  • "My price": that is, "my wages" for taking care of the "flock", which represents "people".
  • "If ye think good": literally, "If it be good in your eyes." Christian writers connect this to the ministry of Jesus, who had given pastoral care to the people, speaking of himself as a "servant" to fulfill the Father's will.
  • "If not, forbear": recalls the passages in the book of Ezekiel: "Thou shalt say unto them, thus saith the Lord God, He that heareth, let him hear, and he that forbeareth, let him forbear". Elijah had also said, "If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him" indicating that God will not force the free-will of men.
  • "Thirty pieces of silver": is the price of a slave, gored to death by an ox. This is connected to the bargain of Judas, which the high priest, knowingly or unknowingly, fixed on the price of "thirty pieces of silver." Bereshit Rabba notes that this prophecy 'belongs to the Messiah'.

Verse 13

  • "Thirty pieces of silver" : is the price of a slave in.
This saying is attributed to Jeremiah in the New Testament.

Verses 15-17

Verses 15–16 contain the image of an antitype to the good shepherd, echoing similar imagery found in, while verse 17 counteracts verses 15–16 with an oracle of woe against the worthless shepherd.

Jewish

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Christian

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