Zechariah 11:15
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. | And the LORD said to me: “Take up once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd. | And Jehovah said unto me, Take unto thee yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedAfter the prophet feeds the flock, is rejected, is paid thirty pieces of silver, and breaks both of his staves, the LORD gives him a new part to act out. He must now take up the gear of a foolish shepherd. The next verse explains the sign: God will raise up a shepherd who neglects and devours the flock. Zechariah 11:7Zechariah 11:10Zechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:13Zechariah 11:14Zechariah 11:15Zechariah 11:16
SpeakingThe LORD speaks to the prophet Zechariah, who reports it in the first person. Zechariah 11:15Zechariah overview
ToThe command is given to the prophet. The book as a whole was addressed to the people of Judah who had returned from exile in Babylon. Zechariah 11:15Zechariah overview
Also involvedThe flock, the people the prophet had fed, would suffer under the coming foolish shepherd. That shepherd himself falls under God's woe. Zechariah 11:7Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17
The prophet is told to act out a second shepherd role, this time as a foolish shepherd. Verse 16 says this shepherd will not visit those that are cut off, seek the young one, heal the broken, or feed the one that stands still, but will eat the flesh of the fat. Verse 17 pronounces woe on this "idol shepherd that leaveth the flock." Zechariah 11:15Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17
The prophet worked in Jerusalem among the returned exiles. The foolish shepherd is raised up "in the land." Zechariah overviewZechariah 11:16
The eventsThe sign comes in the first burden of the book (chapters 9-11), right after the brotherhood between Judah and Israel is broken. The text does not give a date for when the foolish shepherd would arise. Zechariah overviewZechariah 11:14Zechariah 11:16
WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the whole book, with dated messages from about 520-518 BC. Scholarly: most agree chapters 1-8 come from Zechariah then; chapters 9-14 carry no dates, and many scholars assign them to a later writer or writers, while others hold that Zechariah wrote them. Zechariah overview
HereThe sign shows what follows when the people reject the shepherd God gave them. God himself says, "I will raise up a shepherd in the land" who preys on the flock, as he had warned that he would no more pity the inhabitants of the land. Zechariah 11:6Zechariah 11:9Zechariah 11:15Zechariah 11:16
In the whole of ScriptureChapters 9-11 move from the coming king to the rejected shepherd. Later the book says, "smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered" (13:7), a line quoted in Matthew 26:31. Zechariah overview
For readersOther Scripture also condemns foolish and blind leaders. Ezekiel 13:3 says, "Woe unto the foolish prophets," and Jesus warns that "if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch" (Matthew 15:14). Ezekiel 13:3Matthew 15:14
Christians read this differently
Neither the passage nor the cited Scriptures name who the foolish shepherd is; verses 16-17 describe what he does, not who he is. Some Christians read him as the corrupt rulers who followed the people's rejection of God's shepherd, others as a single evil leader still to come, and others as a picture of all false shepherds. Zechariah 11:15Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17
- instrumentsכְּלִי
The word means an article, implement, or tool. The prophet takes up the gear of a foolish shepherd as a sign, just as he earlier took two staves. Strong's H3627Zechariah 11:7
- yetעוֹד
The word means still, yet, or again, and can mark addition or repetition. This is the prophet's second shepherd act, following the one begun in verse 7. Strong's H5750Zechariah 11:7
- foolishאֱוִלִי
The lexicon glosses it simply as "foolish." The cross-references set this shepherd beside the "foolish prophets" of Ezekiel 13:3 and the prophets who saw "vain and foolish things" in Lamentations 2:14. Strong's H0196Ezekiel 13:3Lamentations 2:14
- shepherdרָעָה
The word means to pasture or tend. It is used figuratively of a ruler or teacher, with the people as the flock, so the sign concerns those who lead God's people. Strong's H7462BZechariah 11:16
Takeaway
When a people reject the shepherd God provides, he can give them over to a leader who feeds on them instead of caring for them. Yet God pronounces woe on such a shepherd who leaves the flock. Zechariah 11:13Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17Matthew 15:14
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
- 539 BCWarBabylon 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
- 538 BCGod'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
- c. 536 BCGod'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
- 525 BCWarPersia 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
- 522-521 BCWarDarius 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
- 520 BCGod'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
- c. 520-519 BCRulersDarius 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
- 515 BCBuildingThe 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
- 490-479 BCWarPersia'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
- 445 BCBuildingNehemiah 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
- 332 BCWarAlexander 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.
Original Hebrew words
| English | Hebrew | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and he said | וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | vai-YO-mer | H0559 | to sayאָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560) |
| Yahweh | יְהוָ֖ה | YAH-weh | H3068G | Lordאֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G) |
| to me | אֵלָ֑י | 'e-LAI | H0413 | to(wards)אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to) |
| again | ע֣וֹד | od | H5750 | stillעוֹד (od) subst 1) a going round, continuance adv 2) still, yet, again, besides 2a) still, yet (of continuance or persistence) 2b) still, yet, more (of addition or repetition) 2c) again 2d) still, moreover, besides Aramaic equivalent: od (עוֹד "still" H5751) |
| take | קַח־ | kach- | H3947G | to take: takeלָקַח (la.qach) : take 1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take, take in the hand 1a2) to take and carry along 1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away 1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept 1a5) to take up or upon, put upon 1a6) to fetch 1a7) to take, lead, conduct 1a8) to take, capture, seize 1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be captured 1b2) to be taken away, be removed … |
| [the] equipment of | כְּלִ֖י | ke-LI | H3627 | article/utensilכְּלִי (ke.li) 1) article, vessel, implement, utensil 1a) article, object (general) 1b) utensil, implement, apparatus, vessel 1b1) implement (of hunting or war) 1b2) implement (of music) 1b3) implement, tool (of labour) 1b4) equipment, yoke (of oxen) 1b5) utensils, furniture 1c) vessel, receptacle (general) 1d) vessels (boats) of paper-reed |
| a shepherd | רֹעֶ֥ה | ro-'EH | H7462B | to pastureרָעָה (ra.ah) 1) to pasture, tend, graze, feed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to tend, pasture 1a1a) to shepherd 1a1b) of ruler, teacher (fig) 1a1c) of people as flock (fig) 1a1d) shepherd, herdsman (subst) 1a2) to feed, graze 1a2a) of cows, sheep etc (literal) 1a2b) of idolater, Israel as flock (fig) 1b) (Hiphil) shepherd, shepherdess Also means: ro.i (רֹעִי "to shepherd" H7473) |
| foolish | אֱוִלִֽי׃ | 'e-vi-LI | H0196 | foolishאֱוִלִי (e.vi.li) foolish |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.