Zechariah 11:2 - Exposition

Howl, fir tree. A species of cypress is intended, or, as some say, the Aleppo pine. It is the tree of which Solomon made floors, doom, and ceiling in his temple ( 1 Kings 6:15 , 1 Kings 6:34 ), and David harps ( 2 Samuel 6:5 ). The prophet dramatically calls on this tree to wail for the fate of the cedar, as being about to suffer the same destruction. The mighty; μεγιστᾶνες , "the chieftains". Trees are being spoken of, and so the primary sense is, "the goodly" ( Ezekiel 17:23 ) or "glorious trees." Metaphorically, the chiefs of Israel may be intended. Bashan , famous for its oaks, is next visited by the invading force, and its trees are felled for the use of the enemy. The forest of the vintage. The Authorized Version here follows, very inappropriately, the correction of the Keri. The original reading should be retained and translated, "the inaccessible forest"—an expression appropriate to Lebanon. If Lebanon is not spared, much less shall Bashan escape. LXX ; ὁ δρυμὸς ὁ σύμφυτος , "the close-planted wood;" Vulgate, saltus munitus, "defenced forest."