Zechariah 11:8

"And I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me."

"The three shepherds ..." We identify these with the three classes of evil shepherds which dominated the life of Israel during the ministry of Christ, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians. Lewis believed that, "No clue to the identity of these persons is available";[20] but Zechariah 11:5 seems definitely to be such a clue. See under that verse, above. It seems clear enough, as Keil affirmed, that, "The persons occurring in this vision are not individuals, but classes of men."[21] Despite the fact of commentators having identified the "three shepherds .... in at least forty different ways,"[22] we strongly feel that none of the identifications we have seen fills the bill so exactly as that we have accepted.

"In one month ..." Such an expression in any prophecy usually stands for "a little time"; and as Henry stated, after mentioning the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians as a possible identification, "All of them Christ silenced in dispute (Matthew 22) and soon after cut off, in a little time."[23] Mitchell's assertion that Zechariah representing Jehovah in this verse could not possibly have been the one seen, "destroying three other shepherds for the same offence he was instructed to commit,"[24] is merely a case of failure to distinguish between the false shepherds (those destroyed) and the Good Shepherd who "cut them off." Some theologians do not believe that God will ever "cut off" any one, no matter what they do. Evidently the ancient enemies of Jesus spoken of in this verse were of the same opinion. However, the tragic destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70 nevertheless occurred.