Zechariah 11:17
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered and his right eye utterly blinded!” | Woe to the worthless 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. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedAfter the true shepherd is rejected and valued at thirty pieces of silver, the LORD tells Zechariah to act out the part of a foolish shepherd. God warns that he will raise up a shepherd who neglects and devours the flock. This verse closes the chapter with a woe on that worthless shepherd: the sword will strike his arm and right eye, so his strength withers and his sight goes dark. Zechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:13Zechariah 11:15Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17
SpeakingThe LORD speaks through the prophet Zechariah, who has been acting out the role of a shepherd at God's command. Zechariah 11:4Zechariah 11:15Zechariah overview
ToThe message was given to the people of Judah who had returned from exile in Babylon. Zechariah overview
Also involvedThe worthless shepherd, a leader God raises up who will not care for the flock, is the one under the woe. The flock, God's people, suffers under him. Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17
This is a pronounced woe, a cry of coming judgment, on a shepherd who abandons the flock. His arm, a picture of strength, will dry up. His right eye, a picture of sight and judgment, will be darkened. Zechariah 11:17Strong's H1945Strong's H2220Strong's H5869A
The judgment falls on a shepherd raised up "in the land" of God's people. The prophet spoke among the returned exiles in Jerusalem and Judah. Zechariah 11:16Zechariah overview
The eventsThe verse ends a sign-act in which Zechariah plays first a rejected good shepherd and then a foolish one. It points to a shepherd God says he will raise up. The chapter gives no date for this. Zechariah 11:7Zechariah 11:15Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:8Zechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:13
WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the book, with dated messages from about 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly: most agree chapters 1-8 come from Zechariah then, but chapters 9-14 carry no dates, and many assign them to a later writer or writers, while others hold that Zechariah wrote the whole book. Zechariah overview
HereThe verse shows that God will not let a leader who preys on and deserts his people go unpunished. The shepherd who would not heal, seek, or feed the flock loses the very strength and sight he misused. Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17
In the whole of ScriptureThis woe ends the first burden of the book, about the coming king and the rejected shepherd. It matches other prophets' woes on shepherds who scatter and feed only themselves (Jeremiah 23:1; Ezekiel 34:2). Later in the book the LORD says, "smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered" (13:7), words quoted in Matthew 26:31. Zechariah overviewJeremiah 23:1Ezekiel 34:2
For readersScripture holds those who lead God's people to account for how they care for them. Jesus spoke the same kind of woe against "blind guides" (Matthew 23:16). Ezekiel 34:2Matthew 23:16Zechariah 11:17
Christians read this differently
The text does not name this worthless shepherd, and no cited Scripture identifies him. Some read him as the corrupt rulers who misled Israel after the true shepherd was rejected. Others read him as a single future false ruler who stands opposed to God's true shepherd. Zechariah 11:13Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17
- idolאֱלִיל
The word means "of nought, good for nothing, worthless." It is used of false gods, but also of worthless physicians and shepherds. So the "idol shepherd" is a worthless shepherd, as empty as an idol, which "is nothing in the world" (1 Corinthians 8:4). Strong's H04571 Corinthians 8:4
- leavethעָזַב
The word means to leave, abandon, forsake, or neglect. His sin is deserting the flock he was meant to tend, as verse 16 describes. Strong's H5800AZechariah 11:16
- armאֶדְרַע
The word can mean arm, strength, force, or power. The drying up of his arm pictures the loss of the power he used against the flock. Strong's H2220Strong's H3001Zechariah 11:16
- eyeעַ֫יִן
Besides the physical eye, the word is used figuratively of mental and spiritual faculties. His darkened eye fits the woe Jesus later spoke against "blind guides" (Matthew 23:16). Strong's H5869AStrong's H3543AMatthew 23:16
Takeaway
God pronounces woe on any shepherd who uses his people and then abandons them. Such a leader is worthless in God's sight, and the strength and sight he abused will fail him. Zechariah 11:16Zechariah 11:17Ezekiel 34:2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| woe to! | ה֣וֹי | Ho | H1945 | woe!הוֹי (hoy) ah!, alas!, ha!, ho!, O!, woe! |
| shepherd of my | רֹעִ֤י | ro-'I | 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) |
| the worthlessness | הָֽאֱלִיל֙ | ha-'e-LIL | H0457 | idolאֱלִיל (e.lil) 1) of nought, good for nothing, worthless 1a) of physicians, a shepherd, a divination 1b) of false gods |
| [who] abandons | עֹזְבִ֣י | 'o-ze-VI | H5800A | to leave: forsakeעָזַב (a.zav) 1) to leave, loose, forsake 1a) (Qal) to leave 1a1) to depart from, leave behind, leave, let alone 1a2) to leave, abandon, forsake, neglect, apostatise 1a3) to let loose, set free, let go, free 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be left to 1b2) to be forsaken 1c) (Pual) to be deserted |
| of the flock | הַצֹּ֔אן | ha-TZON | H6629G | flockצֹאן (tson) 1) small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks 1a) small cattle (usually of sheep and goats) 1b) of multitude (simile) 1c) of multitude (metaphor) |
| a sword | חֶ֥רֶב | CHE-rev | H2719 | swordחֶ֫רֶב (che.rev) 1) sword, knife 1a) sword 1b) knife 1c) tools for cutting stone |
| [will be] on | עַל־ | 'al- | H5921A | uponעַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) … |
| arm his | זְרוֹע֖וֹ | ze-ro-'O | H2220 | forceאֶדְרַע (ed.ra) strong, force, arm, power Aramaic of ze.ro.a (זְרוֹעַ "arm" H2220) |
| and on | וְעַל־ | ve-'al- | H5921A | uponעַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) … |
| [the] eye of | עֵ֣ין | 'ein | H5869A | eyeעַ֫יִן (a.yin) : eye 1) eye 1a) eye 1a1) of physical eye 1a2) as showing mental qualities 1a3) of mental and spiritual faculties (fig.) |
| right [side] his | יְמִינ֑וֹ | ye-mi-NO | H3225G | rightיָמִין (ya.min) 1) right, right hand, right side 1a) right hand 1b) right (of direction) 1c) south (the direction of the right hand when facing East) Also means: ya.min (יָמִין ": south" H3225H) |
| arm his | זְרֹעוֹ֙ | ze-ro-'O | H2220 | forceאֶדְרַע (ed.ra) strong, force, arm, power Aramaic of ze.ro.a (זְרוֹעַ "arm" H2220) |
| totally wither | יָב֣וֹשׁ | ya-VO-osh | H3001 | to witherיָבֵשׁ (ya.vesh) 1) to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be dry, be dried up, be without moisture 1a2) to be dried up 1b) (Piel) to make dry, dry up 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to dry up, make dry 1c1a) to dry up (water) 1c1b) to make dry, wither 1c1c) to exhibit dryness |
| it will wither | תִּיבָ֔שׁ | ti-VASH | H3001 | to witherיָבֵשׁ (ya.vesh) 1) to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be dry, be dried up, be without moisture 1a2) to be dried up 1b) (Piel) to make dry, dry up 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to dry up, make dry 1c1a) to dry up (water) 1c1b) to make dry, wither 1c1c) to exhibit dryness |
| and [the] eye of | וְעֵ֥ין | ve-'EIN | H5869A | eyeעַ֫יִן (a.yin) : eye 1) eye 1a) eye 1a1) of physical eye 1a2) as showing mental qualities 1a3) of mental and spiritual faculties (fig.) |
| right [side] his | יְמִינ֖וֹ | ye-mi-NO | H3225G | rightיָמִין (ya.min) 1) right, right hand, right side 1a) right hand 1b) right (of direction) 1c) south (the direction of the right hand when facing East) Also means: ya.min (יָמִין ": south" H3225H) |
| certainly to dim | כָּהֹ֥ה | ka-HOH | H3543A | to grow dimכָּהָה (ka.hah) 1) to grow weak, grow dim, grow faint, falter, be weak, be dim, be darkened, be restrained, be faint, fail 1a) (Qal) to grow dim 1b) (Piel) to faint, grow weak, grow faint |
| it will grow dim | תִכְהֶֽה׃ ס | tikh-HEH | H3543A | to grow dimכָּהָה (ka.hah) 1) to grow weak, grow dim, grow faint, falter, be weak, be dim, be darkened, be restrained, be faint, fail 1a) (Qal) to grow dim 1b) (Piel) to faint, grow weak, grow faint |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.