Zechariah 11

Zechariah · Chapter 11

Zechariah 11:9

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
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.Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish; and let those who remain devour one another’s flesh.”Then said I, I will not feed you: that which dieth, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let them that are left eat every one the flesh of another.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

The prophet, acting as a shepherd at the LORD's command, has fed the 'flock of slaughter' and cut off three shepherds, but the flock came to abhor him. Here he gives them up: the dying may die, the doomed may be cut off, and the survivors may devour one another. He then breaks his staff Beauty to break the covenant. Zechariah 11:4Zechariah 11:7Zechariah 11:8Zechariah 11:9Zechariah 11:10

SpeakingThe prophet speaks in the role of shepherd that the LORD gave him: 'Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter.' The book names the prophet as Zechariah son of Berechiah. Zechariah 11:4Zechariah 11:7Zechariah overview

ToHe speaks to the flock he had been feeding, the 'flock of slaughter,' meaning the people of the land under harsh owners and uncaring shepherds. Zechariah 11:4Zechariah 11:5Zechariah 11:6Zechariah 11:7

Also involvedThe whole flock is affected, the dying, the cut off, and 'the rest.' The 'poor of the flock that waited upon me' are singled out as those who recognized the word of the LORD. Zechariah 11:9Zechariah 11:11

The shepherd stops caring for a flock that rejected him and leaves them to what was coming: death, destruction, and people turning on each other. This acts out the LORD's word in 11:6: 'I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land... I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand.' Similar words of being handed over appear in Jeremiah 43:11, and Isaiah 9:19 says 'no man shall spare his brother.' Zechariah 11:8Zechariah 11:9Zechariah 11:6Jeremiah 43:11Isaiah 9:19

The message concerns 'the land' and its people, Judah and Israel. It was given among the returned exiles in Jerusalem. Zechariah 11:6Zechariah 11:14Zechariah overview

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThe chapter gives no date for this acted message. It sits in the first undated 'burden' of chapters 9-11. Zechariah overview

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

HereThe verse shows what follows when a people rejects the shepherd God sends. Without his care they are left to death and to devouring one another, just as 11:6 warned. Zechariah 11:8Zechariah 11:9Zechariah 11:6

In the whole of ScriptureThe chapter moves from the rejected shepherd, valued at thirty pieces of silver, to a 'foolish shepherd' who will not care for the flock. It belongs to the book's first burden about the coming king and the rejected shepherd. Other prophets describe the same horror of people consuming each other under judgment. Zechariah 11:12Zechariah 11:13Zechariah 11:15Zechariah 11:16Zechariah overviewJeremiah 19:9Isaiah 9:19

For readersGod's care can be refused, and refusing it leaves people exposed to ruin and to each other's cruelty. The 'poor of the flock' who waited on him still knew it was the word of the LORD. Zechariah 11:8Zechariah 11:9Zechariah 11:11Isaiah 9:19

  • feedרָעָה
    Hebrew · ra.ah · H7462B

    The word means to pasture or shepherd, and it is also used figuratively of a ruler or teacher caring for people as a flock. 'I will not feed you' means 'I will no longer be your shepherd.' Strong's H7462BZechariah 11:4Zechariah 11:7

  • the restשָׁאַר
    Hebrew · sha.ar · H7604

    The word means those left over or left alive, the survivors. Even those who live through the death and cutting off are not safe; they turn on one another. Strong's H7604Zechariah 11:9

  • eatאָכַל
    Hebrew · a.khal · H0398

    Its meanings include to eat, and to devour as beasts, the sword, or oppression do. That fits a 'flock of slaughter' left without a shepherd. Strong's H0398Zechariah 11:4

  • anotherרְעוּת
    Hebrew · re.ut · H7468

    The word means a female companion or neighbour woman. The flock devours its own companions, matching 11:6, where each is given 'into his neighbour's hand.' Strong's H7468Zechariah 11:6

Takeaway

When the flock rejected the shepherd God gave, he let them go to the ruin they chose, where they would destroy one another. Isaiah and Jeremiah describe the same judgment. Zechariah 11:8Zechariah 11:9Isaiah 9:19Jeremiah 19:9

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
and I saidוָאֹמַ֕רva-'o-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)

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)

I will shepherdאֶרְעֶ֖ה'er-'EHH7462B
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)

the [one which] diesהַמֵּתָ֣הha-me-TAHH4191
to die

מוּת (mut) 1) to die, kill, have one executed 1a)(Qal) 1a1) to die 1a2) to die (as penalty), be put to death 1a3) to die, perish (of a nation) 1a4) to die prematurely (by neglect of wise moral conduct) 1b) (Polel) to kill, put to death, dispatch 1c) (Hiphil) to kill, put to death 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be killed, be put to death 1d1a) to die prematurely

let it dieתָמ֗וּתta-MUTH4191
to die

מוּת (mut) 1) to die, kill, have one executed 1a)(Qal) 1a1) to die 1a2) to die (as penalty), be put to death 1a3) to die, perish (of a nation) 1a4) to die prematurely (by neglect of wise moral conduct) 1b) (Polel) to kill, put to death, dispatch 1c) (Hiphil) to kill, put to death 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be killed, be put to death 1d1a) to die prematurely

and the [one which] is being destroyedוְהַנִּכְחֶ֙דֶת֙ve-han-nikh-CHE-detH3582
to hide

כָּחַד (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

let it be destroyedתִּכָּחֵ֔דti-ka-CHEDH3582
to hide

כָּחַד (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

and those [which] surviveוְהַ֨נִּשְׁאָר֔וֹתve-HA-nish-'a-ROTH7604
to remain

שָׁאַר (sha.ar) 1) to remain, be left over, be left behind 1a) (Qal) to remain 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be left over, be left alive, survive 1b1a) remainder, remnant (participle) 1b2) to be left behind 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to leave over, spare 1c2) to leave or keep over 1c3) to have left 1c4) to leave (as a gift)

let them devourתֹּאכַ֕לְנָהto-KHAL-nahH0398
to eat

אָכַל (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)

eachאִשָּׁ֖ה'i-SHAHH0802I
woman

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) : woman 1) woman, wife, female 1a) woman (opposite of man) 1b) wife (woman married to a man) 1c) female (of animals) 1d) each, every (pronoun)

[the] flesh ofבְּשַׂ֥רbe-SARH1320
flesh

בָּשָׂר (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)

[female] neighbor itsרְעוּתָֽהּ׃re-'u-TAHH7468
neighbor

רְעוּת (re.ut) female companion, mate, neighbour woman

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