Zechariah 11

Zechariah · Chapter 11

Zechariah 11:1

1Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.2Howl, 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.3There 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.4Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;5Whose 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.6For 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.7And 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.8Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.9Then 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.10And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.11And 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.12And 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.13And 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.14Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.15And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.16For, 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.17Woe 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.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
1Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may consume your cedars!Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

This verse opens a short poem of judgment (11:1-3). Fire comes on Lebanon's cedars, the fir trees and the oaks of Bashan howl, and the shepherds howl because their glory is spoiled. The poem leads straight into the LORD's word about the flock of the slaughter and its faithless shepherds (11:4-17). Zechariah 11:1Zechariah 11:2Zechariah 11:3Zechariah 11:4Zechariah 11:5

SpeakingThe prophet Zechariah speaks God's message. It is part of the book's first 'burden' (chapters 9-11), and the next verse begins 'Thus saith the LORD my God.' Zechariah overviewZechariah 11:4

ToLebanon is addressed as if it were a person and told to open its doors. The book's actual hearers were the people of Judah who had returned from exile in Babylon. Zechariah 11:1Zechariah overview

Also involvedThe cedars of Lebanon suffer the fire, and the fir trees and oaks of Bashan are told to howl. The shepherds, whose 'glory is spoiled,' and 'the mighty,' who are spoiled, are also struck. Zechariah 11:1Zechariah 11:2Zechariah 11:3

Lebanon is told to open its doors so that fire can come in and devour its cedars. The fir trees and oaks are then told to howl, because the cedar is fallen and the mighty are spoiled. Zechariah 11:1Zechariah 11:2Strong's H6605AStrong's H0398

Lebanon is a wooded mountain range on Israel's northern border. The poem then turns to the oaks of Bashan and 'the pride of Jordan' (11:2-3). The book itself was written from Jerusalem. Strong's H3844GLebanonZechariah 11:2Zechariah 11:3Zechariah overview

JUDAHMediterranean SeaLEBANONJerusalemTyreDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThe text gives no date for the judgment it describes. It presents the judgment as coming, and the chapter goes on to the breaking of the covenant and the thirty pieces of silver. Zechariah 11:1Zechariah 11:10Zechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:13Zechariah 11:14

WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote it, and his dated messages run from about 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly: chapters 9-14 carry no dates, and many scholars assign them to a later writer or writers, while others hold that Zechariah wrote the whole book. Zechariah overview

HereThe poem announces in vivid pictures that judgment is coming on the land and its leaders. It sets the stage for God's charge against the shepherds who slay and sell the flock and do not pity them. Zechariah 11:1Zechariah 11:3Zechariah 11:5Zechariah 11:6

In the whole of ScriptureIn the book's first burden, Zion's lowly king is promised (9:9). Then the good shepherd is rejected and priced at thirty pieces of silver (11:12-13), and judgment follows. Elsewhere Scripture also uses Lebanon and cedars cast into the fire as pictures of judgment on Judah's royal house (Jeremiah 22:6-7). Zechariah overviewZechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:13Jeremiah 22:6Jeremiah 22:7

For readersWhat looks strong and lasting, like Lebanon's cedars, can be brought down by God. Moses spoke the same warning: 'a fire is kindled in mine anger' that sets on fire even 'the foundations of the mountains' (Deuteronomy 32:22). Zechariah 11:1Zechariah 11:2Deuteronomy 32:22

Christians read this differently

The verse does not say directly what Lebanon and its cedars stand for. Some read it plainly as an invasion that burns the land (11:1-3). Others take the cedars as the proud rulers, pointing to 'the mighty' and 'the shepherds' in 11:2-3 and to Jeremiah 22:6-7, where Judah's royal house is called 'the head of Lebanon.' Still others connect it with Jesus' warnings that Jerusalem would be destroyed (Luke 19:41-44; 21:23-24), since the shepherd is rejected in this chapter. Zechariah 11:1Zechariah 11:2Zechariah 11:3Jeremiah 22:6Jeremiah 22:7Luke 19:41Luke 19:44Luke 21:23Luke 21:24

  • devourאָכַל
    Hebrew · a.khal · H0398

    The word means to eat. It is also used of fire that consumes and of oppression that devours. Strong's H0398

  • cedarsאֶ֫רֶז
    Hebrew · e.rez · H0730

    The word means the cedar tree and also cedar timber used in building. In Jeremiah 22:6-7, the LORD calls the king's house of Judah 'the head of Lebanon' and says its 'choice cedars' will be cut down and cast into the fire. Strong's H0730Jeremiah 22:6Jeremiah 22:7

Takeaway

Zechariah 11:1 opens the door to judgment. Fire falls on Lebanon's cedars and the shepherds howl because their glory is spoiled. The chapter goes on to the shepherd weighed out at thirty pieces of silver. Zechariah 11:1Zechariah 11:3Zechariah 11:5Zechariah 11:12

Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.

The world around the text

About 520-518 BC. King of Persia: Darius I (522-486 BC). Where Zechariah prophesied. A small, poor community was rebuilding the temple among the ruins of the city Babylon had burned.

Who ruled
  • King of PersiaDarius I522-486 BC

    Zechariah dates his messages by the years of Darius. Darius confirmed Cyrus's decree and ordered the temple work to go on at royal expense. Zechariah 1:1Zechariah 7:1Ezra 6:1-12Haggai 1:1Behistun Inscription

  • Governor of JudahZerubbabelc. 520 BC

    A descendant of David who led the rebuilding. "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it." Zechariah 4:6-10Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:8

  • High priestJoshua the high priestc. 520 BC

    Called Jeshua in Ezra. He stands in Zechariah's vision clothed in filthy garments, which are taken away, and later receives crowns as a sign. Zechariah 3:1-10Zechariah 6:11Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:2

  • Persian governor "on this side the river"Tattenaic. 520 BC

    The governor of the province west of the Euphrates. He asked who had allowed the building, wrote to Darius, and was told to let the work go on. Ezra 5:3-6Ezra 6:6-13

What was happening, 539 BC to 332 BC
  1. 539 BC
    WarBabylon falls to Cyrus

    Cyrus king of Persia took Babylon, ending the empire that had destroyed Jerusalem. Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Cyrus Cylinder

  2. 538 BC
    God's peopleThe first return

    Cyrus let the exiles go home to build the LORD's house. About fifty thousand returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Ezra 1:1-4Ezra 2:1-2Ezra 2:64-65

  3. c. 536 BC
    God's peopleThe foundation is laid, then the work stops

    The returned exiles laid the temple's foundation with shouting and weeping. Opposition from their neighbors stopped the work until the second year of Darius. Ezra 3:10-13Ezra 4:4-5Ezra 4:24

  4. 525 BC
    WarPersia conquers Egypt

    Cyrus's son Cambyses invaded and took Egypt, bringing the whole region from the Nile to the Indus under one king. Herodotus, Histories 3.1-16

  5. 522-521 BC
    WarDarius crushes the revolts

    When Darius took the throne, provinces across the empire rebelled, Babylon twice. By 520 he had put them all down. Compare the riders' report in Zechariah's first vision: "all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest." Behistun InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 3.150-159Zechariah 1:11

  6. 520 BC
    God's peopleHaggai and Zechariah stir the people to build

    In Darius's second year the two prophets urged the people to take up the temple work again, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua began to build. Ezra 5:1-2Haggai 1:1-15Zechariah 1:1

  7. c. 520-519 BC
    RulersDarius confirms Cyrus's decree

    Tattenai questioned the building. A search found Cyrus's decree at Achmetha, and Darius ordered the work to continue and be paid for from royal taxes. Ezra 5:3-6:12

  8. 515 BC
    BuildingThe second temple is finished

    The temple was finished on the third day of Adar in Darius's sixth year and dedicated with joy. Ezra 6:14-18Zechariah 4:9

  9. 490-479 BC
    WarPersia's wars with Greece

    Persia invaded Greece twice and was turned back at Marathon (490), Salamis (480) and Plataea (479). Greece, which Zechariah names in 9:13, was becoming Persia's great rival. Herodotus, Histories 6.102-117Herodotus, Histories 8.40-96Herodotus, Histories 9.1-89Zechariah 9:13

  10. 445 BC
    BuildingNehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem's walls

    Under the Persian king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah came from Shushan and rebuilt the walls in fifty-two days. Nehemiah 2:1-8Nehemiah 6:15

  11. 332 BC
    WarAlexander takes Tyre and Gaza

    Alexander the Great besieged island Tyre for seven months and then Gaza for two, on his way to Egypt. Zechariah 9 speaks of Tyre's "strong hold" and of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron and Ashdod. Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 2.15-27Zechariah 9:3-7

The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records (the Behistun Inscription, the Cyrus Cylinder, the Babylonian Chronicles) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.

Where

Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
openפְּתַ֥חpe-TACHH6605A
to open

פָּתַח (pa.tach) 1) to open 1a) (Qal) to open 1b) (Niphal) to be opened, be let loose, be thrown open 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to free 1c2) to loosen 1c3) to open, open oneself 1d) (Hithpael) to loose oneself Aramaic equivalent: pe.tach (פְּתַח "to open" H6606)

O Lebanonלְבָנ֖וֹןle-va-NONH3844G
Lebanon

לְבָנוֹן (le.va.non) § Lebanon = "whiteness" a wooded mountain range on the northern border of Israel

doors yourדְּלָתֶ֑יךָde-la-TEI-khaH1817C
door

דֶּ֫לֶת (de.let) 1) door, gate 1a) a door 1b) a gate 1c) (fig.) 1c1) of chest lid 1c2) of crocodile jaws 1c3) of doors of the heavens 1c4) of an easily-accessible woman

so it may consumeוְתֹאכַ֥לve-to-KHALH0398
to eat

אָכַל (a.khal) 1) to eat, devour, burn up, feed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to eat (human subject) 1a2) to eat, devour (of beasts and birds) 1a3) to devour, consume (of fire) 1a4) to devour, slay (of sword) 1a5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought) 1a6) to devour (of oppression) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be eaten (by men) 1b2) to be devoured, consumed (of fire) 1b3) to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh) 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to cause to eat, feed with 1c2) to cause to devour 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to feed 1d2) to cause to eat 1e) (Piel) 1e1) consume Aramaic equivalent: a.khal (אֲכַל "to devour" H0399)

fireאֵ֖שׁ'eshH0784
fire

אֵשׁ (esh) 1) fire 1a) fire, flames 1b) supernatural fire (accompanying theophany) 1c) fire (for cooking, roasting, parching) 1d) altar-fire 1e) God's anger (fig.) Aramaic equivalent: esh (אֶשָּׁא "fire" H0785)

in cedars yourבַּאֲרָזֶֽיךָ׃ba-'a-ra-ZEI-khaH0730
cedar

אֶ֫רֶז (e.rez) 1) cedar 1a) cedar tree 1b) cedar timber, cedar wood (in building) 1c) cedar wood (in purifications)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.