§ 8. Restoration to their own land and material prosperity do not free the Israelites from probation or trouble. The prophet, therefore, darkens his late picture with some gloomy shadows. The Holy Land is threatened with judgment ( Zechariah 11:1-3 ). read more
The Lord said unto me. The Lord takes the insult as offered to himself in the person of his representative. Cast it unto the potter; κάθες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ χωνευ τήριον , "Lay them in the foundry, and I will see if it is approved;" Vulgate; Projice illud ad statuarium; the Syriac and Targum have, "Put it into the treasury" ( Malachi 3:10 ). This involves an alteration of the text, and is in itself an improbable reading, as God could not be made to tell the prophet to throw... read more
I eat asunder mine other staff. As the flock, by their contemptuous payment, showed their alienation from the Shepherd, so he now, by his symbolical action, shows his rejection of them, and his surrender of them to anarchy, confusion, and ruin. The breaking of the first staff indicated that God withdrew his defensive care; the breaking of the staff called "Bands" signifies the utter dissolution of all the bends that held the nation together, the civil and social disunion that paved the way... read more
And the Lord said unto me, Cast it - As a thing vile and rejected, as torn flesh was to be cast to dogs Exodus 22:31, or a corpse was cast unburied Isaiah 14:19; Isaiah 34:3; Jeremiah 14:16; Jeremiah 22:19; Jeremiah 26:23; Jeremiah 36:30, or the dead body of Absalom was cast into the pit 2 Samuel 18:17, or the dust of the idolaltars into the brook Kedron by Josiah 2 Kings 23:12, or the idols to the moles and the bats (Isaiah 2:20, add Ezekiel 20:8); or Judah and Israel from the face of God 2... read more
And I cut asunder mine other staff, Bands, to dissolve the brotherhood between Judah and Israel - Hitherto prophecy had spoken of the healing of the great breach between Israel and Judah, in Christ. “The Lord,” Isaiah said, “shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim” Isaiah... read more
Zechariah 11:12-13. And I said unto them Namely, upon parting. The prophet, still personating Christ, or acting as a type of him, reminds the Jews of his concern for their welfare, the care he had taken of them, and the labour he had bestowed on instructing them; and refers it to them whether his services had not deserved some reward, and, if they had, what that reward ought to be; saying, If ye think good, give me my price Or rather, my wages or hire of service, as the word שׂכר... read more
Zechariah 11:14. Then As soon as I saw what little value they put upon me, and my pastoral care over them, and services for them; I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands The prophet did this in type, and Christ in reality; that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel That I might declare, or foreshow, that the friendship and union which had existed between the two tribes and the remnant of the ten tribes, was broken. “From the time that the people returned from... read more
Two short plays about leadership (11:4-17)After announcing God’s judgment on Israel’s bad leaders (see 11:1-3), Zechariah demonstrates that judgment in two short plays. In these plays he acts the part of a shepherd, representing the leaders of God’s people.In the first play God told Zechariah to act the part of a good shepherd. Zechariah was to look after a people oppressed and exploited by bad shepherds, whose sole aim was to enrich themselves. They cared nothing for the flock. God showed... read more
Cast it. As in Genesis 21:15 . 2 Chronicles 24:10 . unto the potter. The Syriac reads "into the treasury". potter = fashioner. The material cast to, so as to be used by, the fashioner determines the meaning of the word (Hebrew. yazar) . If clay, then a potter (Jeremiah 18:4 ; Jeremiah 19:1 ). If stone, then a jeweller, or mason (Ex. Zec 28:11 , 2 Samuel 5:11 ; 1 Chronicles 22:15 ). If wood, then a carpenter (1 Samuel 5:11 . 2Ki 12:11 . 1 Chronicles 14:1 .Isaiah 44:13; Isaiah 44:13 ). If ... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 11:12-14
A model spiritual teacher. "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." Why these words should have been referred to by the Evangelist Matthew ( Matthew 27:9 , Matthew 27:10 ), and applied to Christ and Judas,... read more