Chapter 11
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1Open 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.
“And 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. And 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.”
Overview
Zechariah enacts a parable of shepherding, taking two staffs called Beauty (Grace) and Bands (Union) to shepherd the flock destined for slaughter. He breaks Beauty, annulling the covenant, and the people pay him thirty pieces of silver — the price of a slave — which God commands him to cast to the potter. Then he breaks Bands, symbolizing the breaking of brotherhood between Judah and Israel. A foolish, worthless shepherd will come who does not care for the flock.
Key Themes
Thirty Pieces of Silver
The good shepherd is valued at thirty pieces of silver — the insulting price of a gored slave — and the money is cast to the potter in the house of the Lord.
The Breaking of the Covenant
When Beauty is broken, God's gracious covenant protection is withdrawn; when Bands is broken, the unity of the people shatters — rejection of the shepherd brings devastating consequences.
The Foolish Shepherd
After the good shepherd is rejected and undervalued, a worthless shepherd arises who does not care for the perishing — the consequence of rejecting God's provision.
Study Questions
What do the two staffs, Beauty and Bands, represent (vv. 7, 14)?
How does the thirty pieces of silver (v. 12) connect to the betrayal of Christ (Matthew 26:15, 27:3-10)?
What does it mean that the silver was cast 'unto the potter in the house of the LORD' (v. 13)?
How does the rejection of the good shepherd lead to the rise of the foolish shepherd (vv. 15-17)?
What does this chapter teach about the consequences of undervaluing God's provision?
Connection to Christ
The thirty pieces of silver cast to the potter is one of the most specific Messianic prophecies, fulfilled precisely in the betrayal of Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15) and the purchase of the potter's field with that money (Matthew 27:9-10). Jesus is the Good Shepherd valued at a slave's price by His own people — rejected, yet ultimately vindicated.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Zechariah 11. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?