Zechariah 11

Zechariah · Chapter 11

Zechariah 11:2

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
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.Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down!Wail, O fir-tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the goodly ones are destroyed: wail, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest is come down.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

Zechariah 11 opens with a short poem of ruin. Fire comes on Lebanon's cedars, and the fir trees and the oaks of Bashan are told to howl because the great trees have fallen. The next verse turns the picture toward the shepherds, whose glory is spoiled. Zechariah 11:1Zechariah 11:2Zechariah 11:3

SpeakingTraditional: the prophet Zechariah speaks this oracle, part of the book's first burden in chapters 9 to 11. Scholarly: these chapters carry no dates, and many scholars assign them to a later writer or writers, while others hold that Zechariah wrote them. Zechariah overview

ToThe book was given to the people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon. Within the poem, the trees themselves are called on to howl. Zechariah overviewZechariah 11:2

Also involvedThe verse names "the mighty" as the ones spoiled, and verse 3 names the shepherds whose glory is spoiled. The fallen trees picture these great ones. Zechariah 11:2Zechariah 11:3Strong's H0117

The lesser trees are told to mourn because the cedar has fallen and "the forest of the vintage is come down." The verse explains its own picture: "the mighty are spoiled." Other prophets also use tall trees for the proud: Ezekiel calls the Assyrian "a cedar in Lebanon," and Isaiah says the day of the LORD will bring low "every one that is proud and lofty." Zechariah 11:2Strong's H3293AStrong's H1210Ezekiel 31:3Isaiah 2:12Isaiah 2:17

The poem moves through Lebanon with its cedars, Bashan with its oaks, and on to "the pride of Jordan." Bashan was a fertile district east of the Jordan. The book was written in Jerusalem. Zechariah 11:1Zechariah 11:2Zechariah 11:3Strong's H1316BashanZechariah overview

JUDAHMediterranean SeaBASHANJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThe text does not name the time or the event of this fall. It stands just before the account of the shepherd who is rejected and valued at thirty pieces of silver. Zechariah 11:2Zechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:13Zechariah overview

WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the whole book; 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 them. Zechariah overview

HereThe verse announces judgment on the great and proud. It opens a chapter about faithless shepherds who do not pity the flock, and about the shepherd whom they reject and value at thirty pieces of silver. Zechariah 11:2Zechariah 11:5Zechariah 11:8Zechariah 11:12

In the whole of ScriptureAcross the prophets, God brings down what is lofty so that "the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day." Zechariah's book looks ahead to the day when "the LORD shall be king over all the earth." Isaiah 2:17Isaiah 2:12Zechariah overview

For readersHeight, strength and fame give no shelter when God judges; Amos warns, "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion." If even the cedar falls, the smaller trees have reason to mourn. Luke 23:31 uses a similar tree picture: "if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" Zechariah 11:2Amos 6:1Luke 23:31

  • mightyאַדִּיר
    Hebrew · ad.dir · H0117

    The word means great or majestic. It is used of trees and also of nobles and chieftains, so the line ties the fallen trees to fallen great ones. Strong's H0117Zechariah 11:2

  • spoiledשָׁדַד
    Hebrew · sha.dad · H7703

    The word means to deal violently with, devastate or ruin. The mighty are not just humbled; they are laid waste. Strong's H7703Zechariah 11:2

  • Bashanבָּשָׁן
    Hebrew · ba.shan · H1316

    The name means "fruitful." It was a fertile district east of the Jordan, so even the oaks of a rich land are pictured as mourning. Strong's H1316Bashan

  • howlיָלַל
    Hebrew · ya.lal · H3213

    The word means to howl or wail aloud. The same cry of loss is heard from the shepherds in the next verse. Strong's H3213Zechariah 11:3

Takeaway

Zechariah 11:2 is a lament over the fall of the mighty, pictured as great trees cut down. It opens a chapter that judges faithless shepherds. Other Scripture confirms the lesson: the lofty will be brought low, and the LORD alone exalted. Zechariah 11:2Zechariah 11:3Isaiah 2:12Isaiah 2:17

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
wailהֵילֵ֤לhei-LELH3213
to wail

יָלַל (ya.lal) (Hiphil) to howl, wail, make a howling

O cypressבְּרוֹשׁ֙be-ro-VOSHH1265
cypress

בְּרוֹשׁ (be.rosh) 1) cypress, fir, juniper, pine 1a) a noble tree (lit.) 1b) of stateliness (fig.) 1c) material for temple

forכִּֽי־ki-H3588A
for

כִּי (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

it has fallenנָ֣פַלNA-falH5307M
to fall: fall

נָפַל (na.phal) : fall/drop/fail 1) to fall, lie, be cast down, fail 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to fall 1a2) to fall (of violent death) 1a3) to fall prostrate, prostrate oneself before 1a4) to fall upon, attack, desert, fall away to, go away to, fall into the hand of 1a5) to fall short, fail, fall out, turn out, result 1a6) to settle, waste away, be offered, be inferior to 1a7) to lie, lie prostrate 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to cause to fall, fell, throw down, knock out, lay prostrate 1b2) to overthrow 1b3) to make the lot fall, assign by lot, apportion by lot 1b4) to let drop, cause to fail (fig.) 1b5) to cause to fall …

a cedarאֶ֔רֶז'E-rezH0730
cedar

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

thatאֲשֶׁ֥ר'a-SHERH0834A
which

אֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when

majestic [trees]אַדִּרִ֖ים'a-di-RIMH0117
great

אַדִּיר (ad.dir) 1) great, majestic 1a) of waters of sea 1b) of a tree 1c) of kings, nations, gods 2) great one, majestic one 2a) of nobles, chieftains, servants

they have been devastatedשֻׁדָּ֑דוּshu-DA-duH7703
to ruin

שָׁדַד (sha.dad) 1) to deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin, destroy, spoil 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to violently destroy, devastate, despoil, assail 1a2) devastator, despoiler (participle) (subst) 1b) (Niphal) to be utterly ruined 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to assault 1c2) to devastate 1d) (Pual) to be devastated 1e) (Poel) to violently destroy 1f) (Hophal) to be devastated Also means: shud (שׁוּד "to waste" H7736)

wailהֵילִ֙ילוּ֙hei-LI-luH3213
to wail

יָלַל (ya.lal) (Hiphil) to howl, wail, make a howling

O oaks ofאַלּוֹנֵ֣י'a-lo-NEIH0437
oak

אַלּוֹן (al.lon) oak, great tree

Bashanבָשָׁ֔ןva-SHANH1316
Bashan

בָּשָׁן (ba.shan) § Bashan = "fruitful" a district east of the Jordan known for its fertility which was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh

forכִּ֥יkiH3588A
for

כִּי (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

it has come downיָרַ֖דya-RADH3381
to go down

יָרַד (ya.rad) 1) to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go or come down 1a2) to sink 1a3) to be prostrated 1a4) to come down (of revelation) 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to bring down 1b2) to send down 1b3) to take down 1b4) to lay prostrate 1b5) to let down 1c) (Hophal) 1c1) to be brought down 1c2) to be taken down

[the] forestיַ֥עַרYA-'arH3293A
wood

יָעוֹר (ya.or) wood, forest, thicket, wooded height Another spelling of ya.ar (יַ֫עַר "wood" H3293A)

of the vintageהַבָּצִֽיר׃ha-ba-tzurH1210
vintage

בָּצִיר (ba.tsir) vintage

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