Zechariah 11

Zechariah · Chapter 11

Zechariah 11:5

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
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.whose buyers slaughter them without remorse. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich!’ Even their own shepherds have no compassion on them.whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be Jehovah, for I am rich; and their own shepherds pity them not.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

The LORD tells the prophet to feed a flock marked for slaughter (v.4). This verse explains why: their buyers kill them without guilt, their sellers thank God for the profit, and their own shepherds have no pity. The next verse says the LORD himself will no longer pity the land (v.6). Zechariah 11:4Zechariah 11:5Zechariah 11:6

SpeakingThe prophet passes on what "the LORD my God" said to him. The book names the prophet as Zechariah, son of Berechiah. Zechariah 11:4Zechariah overview

ToThe command is given to the prophet, who is told to feed the flock. The book as a whole was given to the people of Judah who had come back from exile in Babylon. Zechariah 11:4Zechariah 11:7Zechariah overview

Also involvedThe "flock of the slaughter" suffers. This is the people, whom v.6 calls "the inhabitants of the land" and v.7 calls "the poor of the flock." Zechariah 11:4Zechariah 11:6Zechariah 11:7

Three groups abuse the flock. Buyers kill them and feel no guilt. Sellers praise the LORD for making them rich. Their own shepherds, a picture of rulers, do not spare them. The text does not name who these buyers, sellers and shepherds were. Zechariah 11:5Strong's H7462BStrong's H0816

The scene is "the land" of God's people, Judah and Israel (v.6, v.14). The book was written in Jerusalem, among the returned exiles. Zechariah 11:6Zechariah 11:14Zechariah overview

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThe passage gives no date for these events. Chapters 9-14 carry no dates. Zechariah overview

WrittenTraditional: Zechariah wrote the whole book; his dated messages run from about 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly: most agree that chapters 1-8 come from Zechariah, but many assign the undated chapters 9-14 to a later writer or writers. Zechariah overview

HereThe verse exposes leaders and traders who profit from the people and care nothing for them. It explains why judgment falls on the land in v.6. Jeremiah brings the same charge against shepherds who scatter God's flock and do not visit them. Zechariah 11:5Zechariah 11:6Jeremiah 23:1Jeremiah 23:2

In the whole of ScriptureThis opens the story of the rejected shepherd. In that story the flock values the true shepherd at thirty pieces of silver (v.12-13), and a foolish shepherd is raised up (v.15-17). The book later says "smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered," which Matthew 26:31 quotes. Zechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:13Zechariah 11:16Zechariah overview

For readersCalling wealth a blessing from God does not excuse getting it by harming others. Hosea shows Ephraim saying "I am become rich" and claiming no sin. Paul warns against those "supposing that gain is godliness" and says "the love of money is the root of all evil." Zechariah 11:5Hosea 12:81 Timothy 6:51 Timothy 6:10

  • Hebrew · a.sham · H0816

    The word means to offend or be guilty, and it can also mean to be held guilty. The buyers kill and feel no guilt. Jeremiah 50:7 has the same attitude: "We offend not." Strong's H0816Jeremiah 50:7

  • Blessed beבָּרַךְ
    Hebrew · ba.rakh · H1288

    This is the ordinary word for blessing and praise. The sellers use God's name to thank him for wealth gained from slaughter. Deuteronomy 29:19 describes the same kind of person, who will "bless himself in his heart" while walking in sin. Strong's H1288Deuteronomy 29:19

  • shepherdsרָעָה
    Hebrew · ra.ah · H7462B

    The word means to tend or pasture a flock. It is also used as a picture of a ruler, with the people as the flock. That makes this a charge against the people's own leaders. Strong's H7462BJeremiah 23:2

  • pityחָמַל
    Hebrew · cha.mal · H2550

    The word means to spare or have compassion. The shepherds do not pity the flock (v.5), and the LORD answers, "I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land" (v.6). Strong's H2550Zechariah 11:5Zechariah 11:6

Takeaway

God sees leaders and traders who exploit people and then thank him for their profit. He counts it as guilt and judges it. Wealth gained this way is no proof of his blessing. Zechariah 11:5Zechariah 11:6Jeremiah 23:21 Timothy 6:5

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.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
whichאֲשֶׁ֨ר'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

[those who] buy themקֹנֵיהֶ֤ןko-nei-HENH7069
to buy

קְנָא (qe.na) (P'al) to acquire, buy, purchase Aramaic of qa.nah (קָנָה "to buy" H7069)

they will kill themיַֽהֲרְגֻן֙ya-har-GUNH2026
to kill

הָרַג (ha.rag) 1) to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to kill, slay 1a2) to destroy, ruin 1b) (Niphal) to be killed 1c) (Pual) to be killed, be slain

and notוְלֹ֣אve-LO'H3808
not

לֹא (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)

they will be held guiltyיֶאְשָׁ֔מוּye'-SHA-muH0816
be guilty

אָשַׁם (a.sham) 1) to offend, be guilty, trespass 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to do wrong, offend, trespass, commit an offense, do injury 1a2) to be or become guilty 1a3) to be held guilty 1a4) to be incriminated 1b) (Niphal) to suffer punishment 1c) (Hiphil) to declare guilty 2) (TWOT) to be desolate, acknowledge offense

and [those who] sell themוּמֹכְרֵיהֶ֣ןu-mo-khe-rei-HENH4376
to sell

מָכַר (ma.khar) 1) to sell 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to sell 1a2) seller (participle) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be sold 1b2) to sell oneself 1b3) to be given over to death 1c) (Hithpael) to sell oneself

he will sayיֹאמַ֔רyo-MARH0559
to say

אָמַר (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)

[be] blessedבָּר֥וּךְba-RUKHH1288
to bless

בָּרַךְ (ba.rakh) 1) to bless, kneel 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to kneel 1a2) to bless 1b) (Niphal) to be blessed, bless oneself 1c) (Piel) to bless 1d) (Pual) to be blessed, be adored 1e) (Hiphil) to cause to kneel 1f) (Hithpael) to bless oneself 2) (TWOT) to praise, salute, curse Aramaic equivalent: be.rakh (בְּרַךְ "to bless" H1289)

Yahwehיְהוָ֖הYAH-wehH3068G
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (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)

so I may gain richesוַאעְשִׁ֑רva'-SHIRH6238
to enrich

עָשַׁר (a.shar) 1) to be or become rich or wealthy, enrich, pretend to be rich 1a) (Qal) to be or become rich 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to make rich 1b2) to gain riches 1c) (Hithpael) to enrich oneself, pretend to be rich

and shepherds theirוְרֹ֣עֵיהֶ֔םve-RO-'ei-HEMH7462B
to pasture

רָעָה (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)

notלֹ֥אlo'H3808
not

לֹא (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 have compassionיַחְמ֖וֹלyach-MOLH2550
to spare

חָמַל (cha.mal) (Qal) to spare, pity, have compassion on

on themעֲלֵיהֶֽן׃'a-lei-HENH5921A
upon

עַל (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) …

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