Zechariah 13:7-9

FATE OF THE FOOLISH SHEPHERD AND HIS FLOCK, Zechariah 13:7-9.

These verses appear to stand by themselves; it is exceedingly difficult to establish a connection with Zechariah 13:1-6, or with chapter 14. Therefore most recent commentators believe that the verses have been accidentally transposed from their original context; they place them after Zechariah 11:17, and interpret them as an announcement of judgment upon the foolish shepherd (Zechariah 11:15) and his flock upon the latter because it rejected the good shepherd. The transposition is not supported by any external evidence, but even the English reader can see that Zechariah 13:7-9, is a more suitable continuation of Zechariah 11:17, than of Zechariah 13:6, and this conviction grows as one studies the attempts to justify the present position. A comparison of Zechariah 11:16 + Zechariah 13:7, with Ezekiel 34:4-5, leads to the same conclusion, which may be accepted as correct.