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Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Zechariah 11:15–17. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
God, having shown the misery of this people in their being justly abandoned by the good Shepherd, here shows their further misery in being shamefully abused by a foolish shepherd. The prophet is himself to personate and represent this pretended shepherd (Zac 11:15): Take unto thee the instruments or accoutrements of a foolish shepherd, that are no way fit for the business, such a shepherd's coat, and bag, and staff, as a foolish shepherd would appear in; for such a shepherd shall be set over them (Zac 11:16), who, instead of protecting them, shall oppress them and do them mischief. 1. They shall be under the inspection of unfaithful ministers. Their scribes, and priests, and doctors of their law, shall bind heavy burdens upon them, and grievous to be borne, and, with their traditions imposed, shall make the ceremonial law much more a yoke than God had made it. The description here given of the foolish shepherd suits very well with the character Christ gives of the scribes and Pharisees, Mat 23:2. They shall be under the tyranny of unmerciful princes, that shall rule them with rigour, and make their own land as much a house of bondage to them as ever Egypt or Babylon was. When they had rejected him by whom princes decree justice it was just that they should be turned over to those who decree unrighteous decrees. 3. They shall be imposed upon and deluded by false Christs and false prophets, as our Saviour foretold, Mat 24:5. Many such there were, who by their seditious practices provoked the Romans, and hastened the ruin of the Jewish nation; but it is observable that they were never cheated by a counterfeit Messiah till they had refused and rejected the true Messiah. Now observe,
I.What a curse this foolish shepherd should be to the people, Zac 11:16.
God will, for their punishment, raise up a foolish shepherd, who will not do the duty of a shepherd; he will not visit those that are cut off, nor go after those that go astray, nor seek those that are missing, to find them out and bring them home, as the good shepherd does, Mat 18:12, Mat 18:13. Their shepherds take no care of the young ones, that need their care and are well worthy of it, as Christ does, Isa 40:11. They do not heal that which was broken, which was worried and torn, but let it die of its bruises, when a little thing, in time, would have saved it. They do not feed those who, through weakness, stand still, and are ready to faint, and cannot get forward, but leave them behind, let who will take them up; they do not carry that which stands still (so some read it); they never do any thing to support the weak and comfort the feeble-minded; but, on the contrary,
1.They are luxurious themselves: They eat of the flesh of the fat; they will have of the best for themselves; and, like that wicked servant that said, My lord delays his coming, they eat and drink with the drunken, and serve their own bellies.
2.They are barbarous to the flock. Their passions are as ill-governed as their appetites, for, when they are in a rage against any of the flock, they tear their very claws in pieces by over-driving them; they beat their hoofs; they smite their fellow servants. Woe unto thee, O land! when thy king is such a child!
II.What a curse this foolish shepherd should bring upon himself (Zac 11:17):
Woe to the idol-shepherd, who, like an idol, has eyes and sees not, who, like an idol, receives abundance of respect and homage from the people and the chief of their offerings, but neither can nor will do them any kindness. He leaves the flock when they most need his care, leaves them destitute, and flees, because he is a hireling; his doom is that the sword of God's justice shall be upon his arm and his right eye, so that he shall quite lose the use of both. His arm shall wither and be dried up, so that he who would not help his friends when it was required shall not know how to help himself; his right eye shall be utterly darkened, that he shall not discern the danger that his flock is in, nor know which way to look for relief. This was fulfilled when Christ said to the Pharisees, I have come that those who see may be made blind, Joh 9:39. Those that have gifts which qualify them to do good, if they do not do good with them, shall be deprived of them; those that should have been workmen, but were slothful and would do nothing, will justly have their arm dried up; and those that should have been watchmen, but were sleepy and would never look about them, will justly have their eye blinded.
Historical interpretation
Fourteen Centuries of Reception
3 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Such is my defense; its reasonableness I have set forth. And may the God of peace, who made both one and has restored us to each other, who sets kings upon thrones and raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, who chose David his servant and took him away from the sheepfolds, though he was the least and youngest of the sons of Jesse, who gave the word to those who preach the gospel with great power for the perfection of the gospel—may he himself hold me by my right hand. [May he] guide me with his counsel and receive me with glory, who is a Shepherd to shepherds and Guide to guides. [May he guide us] that we may feed his flock with knowledge, not with the instruments of a foolish shepherd, according to the blessing, and not according to the curse pronounced against the men of former days. May he give strength and power to his people and himself present to himself his flock resplendent and spotless and worthy of the fold on high, in the habitation of them that rejoice, in the splendor of the saints, so that in his temple everyone, both flock and shepherds together may say, Glory in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be all glory forever and ever. Amen.
(vv. 15 seqq.) And the Lord said to me: Take for yourself the vessels of a foolish shepherd. For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not visit those who are abandoned, he will not seek the scattered, and he will not heal the broken. And what stands, he will not nourish, and he will eat the flesh of the fat ones, and he will dissolve their hoofs. O shepherd, forsaking the flock and the idol: a sword will be upon his arm and upon his right eye, his arm will be dried up with dryness, and his right eye will be darkened with darkness. LXX: And the Lord said to me: Take yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. For behold I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who shall not visit what is forsaken, nor seek what is scattered, nor heal what is broken, nor nourish that which standeth, and he shall eat the flesh of the fat ones, and break their hoofs. O shepherd, that feedest the sheep, woe to the idle shepherd that forsaketh the flock: the sword upon his arm and upon his right eye: his arm shall quite wither away, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened. When he says, 'Take for yourself the vessels of a foolish shepherd,' it signifies that he had taken for himself two staffs, one called Favor, and the other called Union. And because he had thrown them away due to his own fault and sin, and the unity between Judah and Israel had been broken, we have been grafted into the root of the good olive tree, and blindness has come upon the house of Israel in part, until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in (Rom. 11). Now it is said to the prophet, as a most weighty foolish shepherd, or unwise, to assume the prophecy. The foolish and ignorant shepherd is undoubtedly the Antichrist; who is said to come at the end of the world, and the manner in which he will come is indicated. So we must take the shepherd's vessels, his symbols and attire, a purse, a staff, a flute, and a whistle. Just as Isaiah, in order to demonstrate the captivity of the people, enters naked (Isa. 20); and Jeremiah goes to the house of the potter, to show the destruction of the vessel which was spinning on the wheel, and to demonstrate the destruction of Israel and the power of God (Jer. 18); and Ezekiel, in order to demonstrate the overthrow of Jerusalem and the escape of Zedekiah, and the burdens of the captives, not only speaks but also demonstrates through his attire, by digging through the wall and carrying it on his shoulders (Ezek. 12); so does Zechariah take on the attire of the foolish and ignorant shepherd, to proclaim the one who is to come (Zech. 11). This shepherd will rise in Israel, for the true shepherd had said: I will no longer feed you. He is also called by another name in the prophet Daniel (Ch. IX), and in the Gospel (Mark XIII), and in the letter of Paul to the Thessalonians (II Thess. II), the abomination of desolation, who will sit in the temple of the Lord and will make himself out to be God, the one who is also referred to as the great sense through Isaiah (Isa. XXXII). And he has come for this purpose, not to heal, but to destroy the flock of Israel. For the good shepherd visits the sick sheep, seeks out the scattered ones, brings back the ones that have been left behind, and sustains the tired ones. On the other hand, the bad shepherd acts against everything, devours the flesh of the fat ones, dissolves the hooves of the rams and sheep, and perverts them so that they do not enter with a straight foot. The Jews received this shepherd, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and render useless by the brightness of his coming, so that those who did not believe the truth may not be saved but believe in falsehood and be judged because they consented to wickedness. But describing the worst, foolish, and inexperienced shepherd, the prophetic discourse is directed to him, saying: O shepherd, and idol. So wicked is the shepherd that he is not called a worshiper of idols, but he himself is named an idol, while he calls himself God, and desires to be worshiped by all. He has abandoned the flock to be devoured by beasts, which the Lord had kept for so long. A sword is upon his arm, and strength, and upon his right eye, with which he proudly claimed to see the sacraments of God sharply, and to see more than all the prophets who came before, to the extent that he called himself the Son of God. But that sword, of which we have spoken above, and of which we will now speak in part, is the one about which Isaiah also speaks: My sword has become intoxicated in the heavens (Isa. XXXIV, 5). Therefore, the sword of the Lord will be upon his arm and upon his right eye, so that its strength and all the boasting of his power may be dried up by aridity, and the knowledge which he falsely promised to himself may be obscured by eternal darkness.
A foolish shepherd: This was to represent the foolish, that is, the wicked princes and priests that should rule the people, before their utter desolation.
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Summary
Zechariah 11:15 marks a pivotal and somber turn in the prophetic drama, where the LORD commands Zechariah to abandon his role as the "good shepherd" and instead assume the symbolic "instruments of a foolish shepherd." This divine directive serves as a stark prophetic sign, illustrating God's impending judgment upon Israel for their rejection of His true, compassionate leadership, foreshadowing a period where they would be subjected to destructive, self-serving, and morally corrupt leaders as a consequence of their unfaithfulness.
Context
Literary Context
Zechariah 11 unfolds as a powerful allegorical narrative, depicting God's relationship with His people through the metaphor of a shepherd and his flock. The preceding verses (Zechariah 11:4-14) describe Zechariah acting as a "good shepherd" tending a flock destined for slaughter, symbolizing Israel's impending judgment. He carries two staffs, "Beauty" (or "Graciousness"), representing God's covenant protection, and "Bands" (or "Union"), signifying the brotherhood among Judah and Israel. The breaking of "Beauty" in Zechariah 11:10 symbolizes the dissolution of God's covenant with His people, while the breaking of "Bands" in Zechariah 11:14 signifies the rupture of unity among them. Verse 15 introduces a dramatic shift, where the LORD commands Zechariah to take on the persona of a "foolish shepherd," indicating that the consequences of Israel's rejection of the true shepherd would be the imposition of a destructive, oppressive leadership.
Historical & Cultural Context
The prophecy of Zechariah was delivered to the Jewish community in Jerusalem during the post-exilic period, roughly 520-518 BC, as they were rebuilding the Temple. At this time, Israel was under foreign dominion, and the people often struggled with spiritual apathy, failing to fully embrace God's covenant. The metaphor of a "shepherd" was deeply ingrained in ancient Near Eastern culture, commonly used to describe kings, leaders, and even deities who were responsible for the care and protection of their people. In Israel, this metaphor was frequently applied to God Himself and to those He appointed to lead His flock (e.g., Moses, David, prophets, priests). The "foolish shepherd" would have immediately conjured images of corrupt, self-serving rulers who exploited rather than protected their people, a reality Israel often faced, both from foreign powers and from within their own ranks, particularly in the centuries leading up to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Key Themes
Zechariah 11:15 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book and broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it underscores the theme of divine judgment and consequences, illustrating that God's people, by rejecting His gracious and true leadership, would be given over to the natural and destructive results of their choices. Secondly, it highlights the stark contrast between good and bad shepherding, setting the stage for the ultimate revelation of the Good Shepherd in the New Testament. Thirdly, the passage speaks to the theme of spiritual blindness and apostasy, showing how Israel's inability to recognize and embrace God's true shepherd led them to embrace ruinous alternatives. This rejection of divine wisdom and guidance, as seen throughout the prophetic books, is consistently portrayed as leading to national calamity and internal strife.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This term refers to the self-Existent or Eternal God, the covenant name of God in Israel. Its presence here emphasizes that the command to take the instruments of a foolish shepherd is not a random event but a deliberate, sovereign act initiated by God Himself as part of His righteous judgment and prophetic revelation.
Derived from a root meaning "something prepared," this word denotes any apparatus, implement, utensil, or equipment. In this context, it refers to the tools, gear, or characteristics typical of such a shepherd. It suggests the means by which this destructive leader would operate, indicating actions that are exploitative, harmful, and contrary to the welfare of the flock, rather than protective or nurturing.
From the root ʼĕvil, this term signifies more than mere intellectual deficiency. It implies moral and spiritual foolishness, someone who is senseless, perverse, impious, and acts against wisdom and righteousness. It describes a leader who is not simply inept but is actively destructive, driven by self-interest, folly, and a disregard for God's ways, leading to the ruin of those under their charge.
Verse Breakdown
"And the LORD said unto me"
This opening phrase establishes the divine origin and authority of the command. Zechariah is not acting on his own initiative but is receiving a direct prophetic instruction from Yahweh, underscoring that the subsequent symbolic action is part of God's sovereign plan and judgment.
"Take unto thee yet the instruments"
This is a direct command to Zechariah to perform a symbolic action. The word "yet" (עוֹד, ʿôḏ) suggests a continuation or a new phase in the prophetic drama, following the breaking of the staffs. Zechariah is to adopt the tools or characteristics that define the leadership style of the shepherd described next, indicating a performative prophecy where the prophet embodies the very judgment God is bringing.
"of a foolish shepherd"
This phrase defines the nature of the leadership Zechariah is to embody. It is a leadership characterized by moral and spiritual folly, self-interest, and a destructive approach to the flock. This is a stark contrast to the divine shepherding and the "good shepherd" Zechariah previously represented, signifying the kind of corrupt and oppressive rule that would befall Israel as a consequence of their rejection of God's true guidance.
Literary Devices
The verse employs several significant literary devices. Symbolism is paramount, as the "instruments of a foolish shepherd" are not literal tools but represent the destructive methods and character of corrupt leadership. Zechariah's act of "taking" these instruments is a Prophetic Action or Performative Prophecy, where the prophet's physical embodiment of the message serves as a vivid, tangible sign of God's impending judgment. There is also a strong sense of Contrast, implicitly set against the earlier portrayal of the "good shepherd" (Zechariah 11:4-14) and ultimately against the true, divine Shepherd. This contrast highlights the dire consequences of rejecting divine care. Furthermore, a subtle Irony is present: God, the ultimate wise and good Shepherd, commands His prophet to portray a "foolish shepherd," thereby demonstrating His sovereign control even over the rise of destructive leaders as a means of judgment.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Zechariah 11:15 profoundly illustrates God's just response to the rejection of His divine authority and gracious leadership. When a people turn away from the true Shepherd, God, in His sovereignty, may allow them to experience the consequences of their choices by subjecting them to the very kind of oppressive and destructive leadership they implicitly choose by their spiritual rebellion. This passage serves as a powerful reminder that spiritual discernment is paramount, as the failure to recognize and embrace God's chosen leaders and, ultimately, His Messiah, can lead to falling prey to those who exploit and harm rather than protect and nourish. It underscores the biblical principle that a nation's leadership often reflects the spiritual condition of its people.
Reflection and Application
Zechariah 11:15 serves as a potent warning for all generations, urging us to critically evaluate the nature of leadership, both within the church and in broader society. It challenges us to discern whether those in positions of authority are truly serving the flock with wisdom, compassion, and selflessness, or if they are driven by self-interest, folly, and destructive motives. The passage reminds us that spiritual apathy and a rejection of God's truth can lead to severe consequences, as God may allow us to experience the very leadership that reflects our own spiritual state. It calls us to cultivate a deep spiritual discernment, to pray for godly leaders, and to actively support those who genuinely embody the characteristics of a good shepherd, while also recognizing our own responsibility to heed God's voice and not follow those who lead us astray. Ultimately, it directs us to the only true and perfect Shepherd, Jesus Christ, whose leadership is always for our ultimate good and salvation.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who is the "foolish shepherd" specifically referring to in Zechariah 11:15?
The "foolish shepherd" is primarily a symbolic figure, rather than a single historical individual. It represents the kind of corrupt, self-serving, and destructive leadership that God would allow to afflict Israel as a consequence of their rejection of His true, compassionate shepherd. Historically, this prophecy found fulfillment in the various oppressive rulers and internal Jewish factions that exploited the people, particularly leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. These leaders, whether Roman governors or corrupt high priests and religious authorities, were characterized by their moral and spiritual folly, prioritizing personal gain and power over the welfare of the flock, ultimately leading the nation to ruin. The figure serves as a type, illustrating the dire consequences of rejecting God's divine guidance and embracing human folly.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Zechariah 11:15 finds its ultimate and most profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the rejection of Jesus Christ, the true and ultimate Good Shepherd. While the "foolish shepherd" represents the corrupt leadership that would afflict Israel, it is precisely because Israel, as a nation, rejected the loving care and sacrificial leadership of God's Son that they were given over to such destructive forces. Jesus Himself contrasted His own shepherding with that of the false leaders of His day, declaring in John 10:11 that He is "the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep," a stark opposite to the "foolish shepherd" who exploits and harms. The very "smitten shepherd" prophesied in Zechariah 13:7 points to Christ's suffering and death, which was the antithesis of the self-serving nature of the foolish shepherd. Therefore, Zechariah 11:15 not only prophesies the judgment that befell Israel due to their spiritual blindness but also implicitly highlights the profound need for the redemptive work of the One who would truly gather His flock, offering eternal life and protection, as promised in John 10:27-28.