Zechariah Chapter 11
Thirty Pieces of Silver
A. Judgment Coming on God’s Flock
(Zechariah 11:1–3)
“Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars. Wail, O cypress, for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: wail, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down. 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.”
This passage vividly portrays the sorrow and devastation that will come upon the land because of the approaching judgment of God. The “doors of Lebanon” refer to the mountain passes leading into Israel from the north, symbolizing the route by which invading armies would come. The command to “open your doors” speaks of the inevitability of judgment as God allows the destructive forces to enter. The “cedars” of Lebanon, known for their strength and majesty, symbolize the proud and powerful leaders of the nation who will be brought low.
The “cypress” and “oaks of Bashan” mourn because when the great cedar trees fall, the lesser trees are also cut down, illustrating that judgment upon the leaders will also devastate the rest of the nation. The wailing of shepherds and roaring of lions describe both the spiritual and national ruin of Israel. The shepherds, representing Israel’s leaders, will lament the destruction of their glory, while the lions of the Jordan—symbols of strength and dominion—cry out as their territory is laid waste. The entire creation, both natural and human, mourns the devastation resulting from Israel’s rejection of the Lord and His appointed Shepherd.
This prophecy looks forward to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The Romans, led by Vespasian and later Titus, swept down from the north, laying waste to the land, fulfilling this imagery of burning forests and mourning shepherds. This catastrophe was not merely political or military—it was divine judgment upon a nation that had rejected its Messiah.
(Zechariah 11:4–7)
“Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter; 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. 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. 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.”
Here Zechariah is commanded to act out a prophetic parable, portraying the coming judgment upon Israel. The Lord instructs him to “feed the flock of the slaughter,” meaning that he was to shepherd a doomed people—those marked for destruction. This represents the tragic state of Israel, whose leaders exploit and destroy them without remorse. The “possessors” who slay the flock and claim, “Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich,” expose the hypocrisy of those who use religious language to justify greed and oppression. These are the corrupt rulers and priests of Israel who enrich themselves at the expense of the people.
The Lord declares that He will “no more pity the inhabitants of the land,” signifying the withdrawal of divine protection. Instead, He will deliver them “into his neighbour’s hand, and into the hand of his king.” This points to the civil strife and political subjugation that would come upon the nation, culminating in the Roman domination and eventual destruction of Jerusalem. When God removes His protective hand, the result is chaos, violence, and ruin.
Zechariah then takes two staffs, naming one “Beauty” (meaning favor or grace) and the other “Bands” (meaning unity or bonds). These two staffs symbolize God’s covenant relationship with His people. The staff “Beauty” represents the favor and blessing that Israel enjoyed as God’s chosen nation, while “Bands” represents the unity and fellowship among the tribes under His care. As Zechariah feeds the flock, it is a picture of God’s continued faithfulness even to a people marked for judgment.
This prophetic act anticipates the ministry of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, who came to feed the flock of Israel. Yet, like Zechariah’s flock, they were destined for judgment because they rejected Him. As the Lord said in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” The tragedy of Israel’s history is that when their true Shepherd came, they did not recognize Him, and the result was destruction and dispersion.
The Covenant Symbolically Broken
(Zechariah 11:8–11)
“Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me. 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. 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. 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.”
In this passage, the prophet continues his symbolic act of shepherding Israel on behalf of the Lord. The “three shepherds” whom he dismisses within a single month are difficult to identify historically, yet their removal signifies God’s rejection of Israel’s corrupt leadership. The most plausible interpretation is that they represent the three main offices that once governed Israel—prophets, priests, and kings. Each of these roles had been corrupted by pride, self-interest, and unbelief, leading the people astray. After the Roman conquest of Judea in A.D. 70, these offices effectively disappeared from Israel’s national life. They have never been restored because their functions are now fulfilled perfectly in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true Prophet, Priest, and King.
The declaration, “I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die,” expresses God’s solemn withdrawal of His shepherding care. The Lord, who had long preserved Israel by His providence and mercy, now removes His protective hand. This abandonment does not mean that God ceased to love His people, but rather that He allowed them to experience the full consequence of their rebellion. When God withdraws His hand, what is dying dies, and what is perishing perishes. This foreshadowed the tragic judgment that came through the Roman siege, when starvation and cannibalism occurred—fulfilled in the horrifying scenes recorded by the historian Josephus, where famine drove people to eat their own children.
The breaking of the staff called “Beauty” signifies the end of divine favor toward the nation. God had made a covenant of protection with “all the people,” restraining the nations from utterly destroying Israel. When that covenant was broken, Jerusalem’s defenses collapsed, and the land fell into ruin. Yet amid this judgment, there remained a faithful remnant—“the poor of the flock”—who recognized that even these severe words were truly from the Lord. These humble believers understood that divine discipline was righteous, and they trusted God’s word even when it brought pain. They symbolize those in every generation who discern God’s voice amidst calamity and remain faithful despite national apostasy.
(Zechariah 11:12–14)
“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. 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. Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.”
Having portrayed the faithful yet rejected shepherd, Zechariah now enacts the final insult: the flock’s valuation of their shepherd. When he asks for his wages, they pay him thirty pieces of silver—the price of a slave according to Exodus 21:32, which states, “If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.” The contempt of this payment reflects how little value the nation placed upon God’s leadership and care. It is a prophetic picture of Israel’s rejection of their true Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who would later be betrayed by Judas Iscariot for the same sum.
The Lord’s response—“Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them”—is deeply sarcastic. God mocks their estimation of His worth, for thirty pieces of silver was the lowest possible valuation of a man’s life. Zechariah obeys and throws the silver “to the potter in the house of the LORD.” This detail is remarkable because it anticipates the literal fulfillment centuries later in Matthew 27:3–10. After betraying Jesus, Judas was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests. They refused to take it back into the treasury, declaring it to be blood money. Instead, they used it to purchase the potter’s field—a place for burying strangers. Thus, the silver truly was “thrown into the house of the LORD” and given “to the potter,” precisely as Zechariah had written.
Matthew attributes this prophecy to Jeremiah, which has led to much discussion. The best explanation is that the scroll of Jeremiah may have contained both Jeremiah’s and Zechariah’s writings, and thus Matthew cited the title of the scroll rather than the specific book. Regardless, the prophetic link is unmistakable. The thirty pieces of silver not only signify the contempt of men toward the Messiah but also declare the price of redemption. The potter’s field, filled with broken and discarded vessels, becomes a symbol of humanity—broken, rejected, and worthless apart from Christ. In purchasing that field, Jesus symbolically redeemed the world’s broken ones, turning the place of rejection into the place of restoration.
Finally, Zechariah cuts his second staff, “Bands,” in two, symbolizing the breaking of unity among God’s people. After rejecting their Shepherd, Israel’s internal bond would dissolve. The division between Judah and Israel deepened spiritually and politically, culminating in national dispersion. This was ultimately fulfilled when the Romans scattered the Jewish people across the earth following their rebellion. For nearly two thousand years, the unity of the nation was shattered—a vivid testimony of the consequences of rejecting the Messiah. Yet even in this, God’s plan moved forward, for He promised that one day He would gather His people again under the reign of the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who will restore both “Beauty” and “Bands” in His millennial kingdom.
B. A False Shepherd to Come
(Zechariah 11:15–16)
“And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. 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.”
In this passage, Zechariah is again commanded by the Lord to perform a prophetic act, this time portraying the role of a foolish shepherd. The implements or instruments of a foolish shepherd refer to the tools of a shepherd—his staff, crook, and clothing—but used now as symbols of neglect, cruelty, and corruption. This foolish shepherd is a counterfeit leader who stands in stark contrast to the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. His behavior exposes everything that an unfaithful leader is: heartless, self-serving, and spiritually blind.
The description of this false shepherd paints a devastating portrait. He “shall not visit those that be cut off,” showing his disregard for the lost and the wandering. In contrast, the true Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to seek the one that is lost, as Jesus said in Luke 15:4–7. The foolish shepherd “neither shall seek the young one,” neglecting the lambs who need special care and guidance. Yet the godly shepherd welcomes and teaches the young, as the Lord Jesus declared, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).
The false shepherd “shall not heal that that is broken.” A true shepherd tends the wounds of the injured and mends broken spirits through the word of God, but this shepherd leaves the wounded to perish. Nor will he “feed that that standeth still,” meaning he will not sustain even the healthy sheep. Instead, he “shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.” This grotesque image signifies exploitation and destruction. The foolish shepherd preys upon the very ones entrusted to his care, consuming their strength for his own gain. By contrast, the Lord Jesus said in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” The Good Shepherd sacrifices Himself for the flock, while the foolish shepherd sacrifices the flock for himself.
The Lord declares, “I will raise up a shepherd in the land.” This indicates divine permission rather than divine approval. Because the people rejected the true Shepherd, God allows them to be ruled by a false one as an act of judgment. This principle runs throughout Scripture: when men reject truth, God allows them to believe lies. As Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 2:10–11, “Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”
The rejection of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, led to the acceptance of inferior and even wicked leaders. This was partially fulfilled when the people chose Barabbas over Christ, crying, “Not this man, but Barabbas” (John 18:40; Matthew 27:20–22). Yet the prophecy finds its ultimate fulfillment in the coming of the Antichrist, the final false shepherd who will deceive Israel and the world. As Jesus warned in John 5:43, “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” The future Antichrist will be this foolish shepherd—arrogant, self-exalting, and cruel—who will make a covenant with Israel (Daniel 9:27), only to betray and persecute them.
This passage serves as a solemn reminder that rejecting Christ always opens the door to deception. When truth is cast aside, falsehood fills the vacuum. The nation that would not follow the Good Shepherd will one day submit to the worst shepherd the world has ever known.
(Zechariah 11:17)
“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.”
Here the Lord pronounces a curse upon the worthless or idol shepherd—one who deserts the flock and lives for self-interest. The word idol suggests not only worthlessness but also idolatry, for this false shepherd exalts himself as an object of worship. The Lord’s declaration of “woe” is a solemn pronouncement of divine judgment. God had allowed this false shepherd to rise, but He will not leave him unpunished.
The judgment targets his arm and his right eye—symbols of strength and perception. The arm represents his power and authority; the eye represents his intelligence and discernment. God’s sword will strike both, leaving the false shepherd powerless and blind. His arm will wither, symbolizing the collapse of his strength, and his right eye will be darkened, indicating the destruction of his wisdom and insight. This foreshadows the ultimate downfall of the Antichrist, whose apparent invincibility will end under the wrath of the returning Christ.
Revelation 13:3, 12–14 describes a similar wound: “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast... And he doeth great wonders... saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” This connection affirms that the “worthless shepherd” of Zechariah is a prophetic picture of the Antichrist, the ultimate deceiver who will demand worship, destroy the faithful, and then be destroyed by the Lord Himself at His Second Coming.
Thus, Zechariah 11 ends with both a warning and a hope. The warning is clear: those who reject God’s true Shepherd will face the tyranny of false shepherds. The hope, however, is that God’s judgment upon the false shepherd ensures that evil will not prevail forever. The Lord will one day destroy the Antichrist and restore His flock under the righteous reign of the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who will rule in justice and peace from Jerusalem.
