Zechariah 11:16
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will neither care for the lost, nor seek the young, nor heal the broken, nor sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the choice sheep and tear off their hooves. | 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. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedAfter the people reject the good shepherd Zechariah acted out, valuing him at thirty pieces of silver, the LORD tells the prophet to take up the tools of a foolish shepherd. This verse explains why: God will raise up a shepherd in the land who neglects the weak and devours the healthy. The next verse pronounces woe on this worthless shepherd. Zechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:13Zechariah 11:14Zechariah 11:15Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17
SpeakingThe LORD speaks to the prophet Zechariah. He is explaining the sign Zechariah must act out. Zechariah 11:15Zechariah 11:16Zechariah overview
ToThe words come to Zechariah and, through him, to the people of Judah who had returned from exile. Zechariah 11:15Zechariah overview
Also involvedThe flock, meaning God's people, who had just rejected their true shepherd and will now suffer under a harmful one. Zechariah 11:4Zechariah 11:9Zechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:16
God announces a shepherd who does none of a shepherd's work. He will not visit those that are cut off, seek the young one, heal the broken or feed the one that stands still. Instead he eats the flesh of the fat sheep and tears their claws in pieces. This is the reverse of how God says he himself will shepherd: seeking the lost, binding up the broken and feeding his flock. Zechariah 11:16Ezekiel 34:16Isaiah 40:11
The shepherd is raised up "in the land," the land of God's people, Judah and Israel. The book was written in Jerusalem among the returned exiles. Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:14Zechariah overview
The eventsThe sign comes right after the breaking of the two staffs, Beauty and Bands, in the prophet's acted-out parable. The text does not give a date for this message or say when the foolish shepherd would arise. Zechariah 11:10Zechariah 11:14Zechariah 11:16Zechariah overview
WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the whole book, with dated messages 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 them. Zechariah overview
HereThe verse shows what follows when the people reject the shepherd God gave them. God hands them over to a leader who uses them for himself. It is a judgment that matches God's warning that he would no longer pity the inhabitants of the land. Zechariah 11:6Zechariah 11:9Zechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:16
In the whole of ScriptureThe prophets often condemn shepherds who feed themselves and do not seek the scattered. God promises instead to shepherd his flock himself. Jesus also warns of a servant who beats those in his care and indulges himself, and who will be judged when his lord comes. Ezekiel 34:2Ezekiel 34:6Jeremiah 23:2Ezekiel 34:16Luke 12:45Luke 12:46
For readersScripture measures a leader by how he treats the weak: the cut off, the young and the broken. A leader who takes from the flock instead of caring for it stands under God's woe. Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17Ezekiel 34:2Genesis 31:38
Christians read this differently
The text does not name this foolish shepherd, and no cited Scripture identifies him. Some read him as the harmful rulers who led the people after they rejected the good shepherd. Others read him as a single future false leader who opposes God's true shepherd. Zechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:15Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17
- shepherdרָעָה
The word means to pasture or tend a flock, and is also used figuratively of a ruler or teacher. So the passage is about leaders of God's people, pictured as shepherds. Strong's H7462BEzekiel 34:2
- young oneנַ֫עַר
The word here is read as "the young one" or newborn of the flock. The foolish shepherd will not seek it, though a true shepherd goes after the scattered and weak (Ezekiel 34:4, 34:6). Strong's H5289Ezekiel 34:6Ezekiel 34:4
- brokenשָׁבַר
This form means to be broken, maimed or crippled. It names the injured sheep that God promises to bind up in Ezekiel 34:16 and that this shepherd will not heal. Strong's H7665Ezekiel 34:16Zechariah 11:16
- clawsפַּרְסָה
The word means hoof, as of sheep and other animals. Tearing the hooves in pieces pictures violent harm done to the very animals the shepherd should protect. Strong's H6541Zechariah 11:16
Takeaway
Zechariah 11:16 describes the kind of shepherd a people gets after rejecting the good one: a leader who neglects the weak and feeds on the strong. It stands against everything God says a shepherd should be, and verse 17 pronounces woe on him. Zechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17Ezekiel 34:16
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| for | כִּ֣י | ki | H3588A | forכִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore |
| here! | הִנֵּֽה־ | hi-neh- | H2009 | beholdהִנֵּה (hin.neh) behold, lo, see, if |
| I | אָנֹכִי֩ | 'a-no-KHI | H0595 | Iאָֽנֹכִ֫י (a.no.khi) I (first pers. sing.) Another spelling of a.ni (אֲנִי, אָֽנֹכִ֫י "I" H0589) |
| [am] about to raise up | מֵקִ֨ים | me-KIM | H6965H | No entry |
| a shepherd | רֹעֶ֜ה | 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) |
| in the land | בָּאָ֗רֶץ | ba-'A-retz | H0776G | land: country/planetאֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) : country/field 1) land, earth 1a) earth 1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part) 1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven) 1a3) earth (inhabitants) 1b) land 1b1) country, territory 1b2) district, region 1b3) tribal territory 1b4) piece of ground 1b5) land of Canaan, Israel 1b6) inhabitants of land 1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world 1b8) city (-state) 1c) ground, surface of the earth 1c1) ground 1c2) soil 1d) (in phrases) 1d1) people of the land 1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance) 1d3) level or plain country 1d4) land of the living 1d5) end(s) of the earth … |
| those [which] are being destroyed | הַנִּכְחָד֤וֹת | ha-nikh-cha-DOT | H3582 | to hideכָּחַד (ka.chad) 1) to hide, conceal, cut off, cut down, make desolate, kick 1a) (Niphal) 1a1) to be hidden 1a2) to be effaced, be destroyed, be cut off 1b) (Piel) to cover, hide 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to hide 1c2) to efface, annihilate |
| not | לֹֽא־ | lo'- | H3808 | notלֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809) |
| he will visit | יִפְקֹד֙ | yif-KOD | H6485I | No entry |
| the young man | הַנַּ֣עַר | ha-NA-'ar | H5289 | newbornנַ֫עַר (na.ar) a shaking, scattering |
| not | לֹֽא־ | lo'- | H3808 | notלֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809) |
| he will seek | יְבַקֵּ֔שׁ | ye-va-KESH | H1245 | to seekבָּקַשׁ (ba.qash) 1) to seek, require, desire, exact, request 1a) (Piel) 1a1) to seek to find 1a2) to seek to secure 1a3) to seek the face 1a4) to desire, demand 1a5) to require, exact 1a6) to ask, request 1b) (Pual) to be sought |
| and the [one which] is maimed | וְהַנִּשְׁבֶּ֖רֶת | ve-ha-nish-BE-ret | H7665 | to breakשָׁבַר (sha.var) 1) to break, break in pieces 1a) (Qal) 1a1) break, break in or down, rend violently, wreck, crush, quench 1a2) to break, rupture (fig) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be broken, be maimed, be crippled, be wrecked 1b2) to be broken, be crushed (fig) 1c) (Piel) to shatter, break 1d) (Hiphil) to cause to break out, bring to the birth 1e) (Hophal) to be broken, be shattered Aramaic equivalent: te.var (תְּבַר "to break" H8406) |
| not | לֹ֣א | lo' | H3808 | notלֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809) |
| he will heal | יְרַפֵּ֑א | ye-ra-PE' | H7495 | to healרָפָא (ra.pah) 1) to heal, make healthful 1a) (Qal) to heal 1a1) of God 1a2) healer, physician (of men) 1a3) of hurts of nations involving restored favour (fig) 1a4) of individual distresses (fig) 1b) (Niphal) to be healed 1b1) literal (of persons) 1b2) of water, pottery 1b3) of national hurts (fig) 1b4) of personal distress (fig) 1c) (Piel) to heal 1c1) literal 1c2) of national defects or hurts (fig) 1d) (Hithpael) in order to get healed (infinitive) |
| the [one which] stands firm | הַנִּצָּבָה֙ | ha-ni-tza-VAH | H5324 | to standנָצַב (na.tsav) 1) to stand, take one's stand, stand upright, be set (over), establish 1a) (Niphal) 1a1) to station oneself, take one's stand 1a2) to stand, be stationed 1a3) to stand, take an upright position 1a4) to be stationed, be appointed 1a5) deputy, prefect, appointed, deputed (subst) 1a6) to stand firm 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to station, set 1b2) to set up, erect 1b3) to cause to stand erect 1b4) to fix, establish 1c) (Hophal) to be fixed, be determined, be stationary |
| not | לֹ֣א | lo' | H3808 | notלֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809) |
| he will sustain | יְכַלְכֵּ֔ל | ye-khal-KEL | H3557 | to sustainכּוּל (kul) 1) to seize, contain, measure 1a)(Qal) to measure, calculate 1b) (Pilpel) to sustain, maintain, contain 1b1) to sustain, support, nourish 1b2) to contain, hold in, restrain 1b3) to support, endure 1c) (Polpal) to be supplied 1d) (Hilpil) to contain, hold, hold in, endure 1d1) to contain 1d2) to sustain, endure |
| and [the] flesh of | וּבְשַׂ֤ר | u-ve-SAR | H1320 | fleshבָּשָׂר (ba.sar) 1) flesh 1a) of the body 1a1) of humans 1a2) of animals 1b) the body itself 1c) male organ of generation (euphemism) 1d) kindred, blood-relations 1e) flesh as frail or erring (man against God) 1f) all living things 1g) animals 1h) mankind Aramaic equivalent: be.shar (בְּשַׁר "flesh" H1321) |
| the fat [sheep] | הַבְּרִיאָה֙ | ha-be-ri-'AH | H1277 | fatבִּרְיָה (ber.yah) 1) fat 2) (TWOT) fat, fatter, fed, firm, plenteous, rank |
| he will eat | יֹאכַ֔ל | yo-KHAL | H0398 | to eatאָכַל (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) |
| and hooves their | וּפַרְסֵיהֶ֖ן | u-far-sei-HEN | H6541 | hoofפַּרְסָה (par.sah) 1) hoof 1a) of ruminants 1b) of horses (undivided hooves) |
| he will tear off | יְפָרֵֽק׃ ס | ye-fa-REK | H6561 | to tearפָּרַק (pa.raq) 1) to tear apart or away, tear off, break away 1a) (Qal) to tear away, snatch, rescue 1b) (Piel) to tear off 1c) (Hithpael) to tear off from oneself, be broken off, be broken in pieces Aramaic equivalent: pe.raq (פְּרַק "to break" H6562) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.