Zechariah 11:16

Zechariah 11:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
• New International Version (NIV)For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.

Context of Zechariah 11:16

14Then I broke the second stick called ‘Together’. I made the kingdom of Judah separate from the kingdom of Israel. 15Then the Lord said to me, Zechariah, ‘Take again the tools of a useless shepherd. I have chosen a man to watch the sheep. He will not help the sheep that are dying. He will not look for the sheep that have gone away. He will not help the sick sheep or feed the strong sheep. He will eat the meat of the fat sheep. He will tear off their feet to get all the meat. 17Bad things will happen to the bad shepherd who leaves his sheep. His enemy's knife will cut his arm and his right eye. His arm will become like a dry stick. And his right eye will no longer be able to see anything.’

Zechariah 11:16 word by word

כִּ֣י הִנֵּֽה־אָנֹכִי֩ מֵקִ֨ים רֹעֶ֜ה בָּאָ֗רֶץ הַנִּכְחָד֤וֹת לֹֽא־יִפְקֹד֙ הַנַּ֣עַר לֹֽא־יְבַקֵּ֔שׁ וְהַנִּשְׁבֶּ֖רֶת לֹ֣א יְרַפֵּ֑א הַנִּצָּבָה֙ לֹ֣א יְכַלְכֵּ֔ל וּבְשַׂ֤ר הַבְּרִיאָה֙ יֹאכַ֔ל וּפַרְסֵיהֶ֖ן יְפָרֵֽק׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For, lo, I will raise upקוּםqûm · to arise: raiseH6965
• a shepherdרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
• in the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• shall not visitפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: visitH6485
• those that be cut offכָּחַדkâchad · to hideH3582
• neither shall seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• the young oneנַ֫עַרna‛ar · young oneH5289
• nor healרָפָאrâphâ' râphâh · to healH7495
• that that is brokenשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
• nor feedכּוּלkûl · to sustainH3557
• that that standethנָצַבnâtsab · to standH5324
• still: but he shall eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• the fleshבָּשָׂרbâώâr · fleshH1320
• of the fatבָּרִיאbârîy' · fatH1277
• and tearפָּרַקpâraq · to tearH6561
• their clawsפַּרְסָהparsâh · hoofH6541

Cross-references for Zechariah 11:16

• Jeremiah 23:2So the Lord, Israel's God, says to the leaders who rule over his people, ‘You have not taken care of my people. You have chased them away to other places. So now I will come and punish you, because of the evil things that you have done. I, the Lord, tell you that!
• Ezekiel 34:2‘Son of man, you must speak my message to the shepherds of Israel to warn them. Tell them, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: Terrible trouble will come to you shepherds of Israel who only think about yourselves. Shepherds should take care of the sheep and feed them.
• Matthew 23:2He said, ‘The teachers of God's Law and the Pharisees have authority to explain the Law of Moses.
• Luke 12:45But another servant might say to himself, “My master is very late. He will not come yet.” Then he begins to hit the other servants, both the men and the women. He eats too much, and he drinks too much. He even becomes drunk.
• John 10:12Another man may take care of sheep so that he gets money. But the sheep do not belong to him. A man like that is not the shepherd. If a wolf comes, a man like that runs away when he sees it. He leaves the sheep in danger. Then the wolf attacks the sheep. It causes them to run away in all directions.
• Genesis 33:13But Jacob said, ‘My lord, the children are not very strong. Many of the animals have young babies. If we go too far in one day, then all the animals will die.
• 1 Samuel 17:34But David said to Saul, ‘Sir, I have been a shepherd who takes care of his father's sheep. Sometimes a lion or a bear would come to take a lamb from among the sheep.
• Isaiah 40:11He takes care of his people, like a shepherd who takes care of his sheep. He picks up the young lambs and he carries them near to his heart. He carefully leads the mother sheep that have lambs.
• Genesis 31:38Jacob continued to say to Laban, ‘I have worked for you for 20 years. Your female sheep and goats have all safely given birth to young ones. I have not taken any of your male animals as food for myself.
• Ezekiel 34:10The Almighty Lord says this: I have become the shepherds' enemy. I will take my sheep away from them. I will no longer allow them to be shepherds. They will not be able to kill my sheep to feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep, so that the shepherds cannot eat them.
• John 10:1Jesus then said, ‘I tell you this: A shepherd keeps his sheep in a safe place with a wall round it. There is a gate into that safe place. Anyone who gets into that place by another way, not through the gate, is not the shepherd. That person is a robber. He comes to take away the sheep for himself.

Commentaries on Zechariah 11:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16I will raise up a shepherd in the land - Some wicked king; and Newcome supposes Hoshea may be meant. See 2 Kings 17:1, 2 Kings 17:2, and to such an abominable sovereign the prophecy may well apply.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16I will raise up - God supplies the strength or wisdom which people abuse to sin. He, in His Providence, disposeth the circumstances, of which the ambitious avail themselves. antichrist, whom the Jews look for, will be as much an instrument of God for the perfecting the elect, as the Chaldees Habakkuk 1:6 or the Assyrians Amos 6:14 whom God raised up, for the chastisement of His former people, or the Medes against Babylon Isaiah 13:17. Which shall not…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-17Verses 15-17 God, having showed the misery of this people in their being justly left by the Good Shepherd, shows their further misery in being abused by foolish shepherds. The description suits the character Christ gives of the scribes and Pharisees. They never do any thing to support the weak, or comfort the feeble-minded; but seek their own ease, while they are barbarous to the flock. The idol shepherd has the garb and appearance of a shepherd, receives…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16tear off their hooves: This is a Hebrew saying. It means searching greedily for the last bit of meat on an animal carcass (see Micah 3:3).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. in the land--Antichrist will probably he a Jew, or at least one in Judea. not visit ... neither ... seek ... heal ... broken, nor feed ... but ... eat ... flesh ... tear--Compare similar language as to the unfaithful shepherds of Israel in Eze 34:2-4. This implies, they shall be paid in kind. Such a shepherd in the worst type shall "tear" them for a limited time. those ... cut off--"those perishing" [Septuagint], that is, those sick unto death, as if…Read the comment

Topics related to Zechariah 11:16

• Children
• Minister, Christian

In the dictionaries

• Pekah
• Weigh
• Bible, the
• Claw
• Salvation
• Zechariah, Book of

Commentaries on Zechariah 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings