Zechariah 11

Zechariah 11
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Book of Zechariah (6:15-13:9) in Latin in Codex Gigas, made around 13th century.
Book	Book of Zechariah
Category	Nevi'im
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	38

Zechariah 11 is the eleventh of the 14 chapters in the Book of Zechariah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.^[1][2][3] This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Zechariah, and is a part of the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets.^[4] This chapter is a part of a section (so-called "Second Zechariah") consisting of Zechariah 9–14.^[5]

Text

The original text was written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 17 verses.

• Continuation of the subject in the tenth chapter.^[6]

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Codex Cairensis (from year 895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (930), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).^[7][8] Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 4Q82 (4QXII^g; 50–25 BCE) with extant verses 1–2.^{[9][10][11][12]}

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^Q; 6th century).^[13]

Desolation of Israel (11:1–3)

These verses are forming a taunting song against the leadership of the people, or even the temple, alluding to

Prophecy of the Shepherds (11:4–17)

In this section verses 4–6 introduce a prophet who plays a "shepherd" and is strongly identified with YHWH, with the people of Israel as the "flock", and their leaders as "merchants".^[14] The passage alludes to Ezekiel 37:15–28, but controversially turning Ezekiel's image of unity into one of threefold disunity (verses 9, 10, 14).^[15] Verses 15–16 contain the image of an antitype to the good shepherd, echoing similar imagery found in Ezekiel 34:3–4; verse 17 counteracts verses 15–16 with an oracle of woe against the worthless shepherd.^[16]

Verse 12

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.^[17]

• "My price": that is, "my wages" for taking care of the "flock", which represents "people".^[18]
• "If ye think good": literally, "If it be good in your eyes." Christian writers connect this to the ministry of Jesus, who had given pastoral care to the people, speaking of himself as a "servant" to fulfill the Father's will (
  Philippians 2:7).^[6]
• "If not, forbear": recalls the passages in the
  Ezekiel 3:27; cf. Ezekiel 2:5, Ezekiel 2:7; Ezekiel 3:11). Elijah had also said, "If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him" (1 Kings 18:21) indicating that God will not force the free-will of men.^[19]
• "Thirty pieces of silver": is the price of a slave, gored to death by an ox (Exodus 21:32). This is connected to the bargain of Judas (Matthew 26:15), which the high priest, knowingly or unknowingly, fixed on the price of "thirty pieces of silver."^[19] Bereshit Rabba notes that this prophecy 'belongs to the Messiah'.^[20][21]

Verse 13

And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.^[22]

• "Thirty pieces of silver" (NRSV: "Thirty shekels of silver"): is the price of a slave in Exodus 21:32.^[23]

This saying is attributed to