Zechariah 11:8

Zechariah 11:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
• New International Version (NIV)In one month I got rid of the three shepherds. The flock detested me, and I grew weary of them
• English Standard Version (ESV)In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
• New King James Version (NKJV)I dismissed the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

Context of Zechariah 11:8

6The Lord says, ‘The people in this country were my people, but they are not my people now. I will not go on being kind to them. I myself will give them to their enemies and to foreign kings. The foreign kings will do very bad things to the country, but I will not come to help.’ 7So I was a good shepherd to the sheep that men would soon kill. I took special care of the weakest sheep. Then I took two sticks. And I called one stick ‘Grace’ and I called the other stick ‘Together’. I fed the sheep. In one month, I sent away three shepherds. They did not like me and I was not patient with them. 9I said to the sheep, ‘I will not be your shepherd and you will die. The sheep that do not die will eat each other.’ 10I took ‘Grace’ which was my first stick. I broke it into two pieces. The Lord's promise to his people finished.

Zechariah 11:8 word by word

וָאַכְחִ֛ד אֶת־שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת הָרֹעִ֖ים בְּיֶ֣רַח אֶחָ֑ד וַתִּקְצַ֤ר נַפְשִׁי֙ בָּהֶ֔ם וְגַם־נַפְשָׁ֖ם בָּחֲלָ֥ה בִֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
• shepherdsרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
• also I cut offכָּחַדkâchad · to hideH3582
• in oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• monthיֶ֫רַחyerach · monthH3391
• and my soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: myselfH5315
• lothedקָצֵרqâtsar · be shortH7114
• also abhorredבָּחֵלbâchal · feel loathingH973

Cross-references for Zechariah 11:8

• Hosea 5:7They have turned against the Lord. Their children do not belong to him. They enjoy the new moon feast. But that will soon destroy them and the crops in their fields.’
• Matthew 23:34So listen to this. God says, “I will send prophets to you. I will also send to you people who know many things. And I will send people to teach you what is true. But you will kill some of these people. You will kill some of them on a cross. In the places where you meet to pray, you will hit some of them with whips. They will run from one town to another town, but you will follow them.”
• Matthew 24:50Then the master of that servant will come home and he will surprise the servant. He did not think that his master would come home on that day or at that time.
• Leviticus 26:11I will have my home among you, my people. I will never turn away from them.
• Deuteronomy 32:19When the Lord saw this, he turned away from them. His sons and daughters had made him angry.
• Psalms 5:5Proud people cannot stand in front of you. God, you hate everyone who does evil things.
• Psalms 78:9The soldiers of Ephraim had bows and arrows, but they ran away when the battle started!
• Psalms 106:40So the Lord became angry with his people. They belonged to him but he turned away from them.
• Jeremiah 12:8The people that belong to me have turned against me. They are like a lion that hides in the forest. It roars and is ready to attack me. Because of that, I have turned against my people.
• Jeremiah 14:21But please do not refuse to help us. Show that you are a faithful God. Jerusalem is the place where you have your beautiful throne. So do not go away and leave us. Remember the covenant that you made with us. Please do what you promised to do for us.
• Hosea 9:15The Lord says, ‘They started to do evil things at Gilgal. It was there that I began to hate them. Because they do evil things, I will chase them out of my land. I will not love them any more. Their leaders have all turned against me.
• Hebrews 10:38The person that I have accepted as right will live. That person will live because he trusts me. But if anyone is afraid and he turns back, I will not be happy with that person.’
• Isaiah 49:7The Lord is Israel's Redeemer, their Holy God. Nations refuse to accept his servant. Their people hate him and their rulers have made him their slave. The Lord says to his servant, ‘Kings will see you and they will rise up to respect you. Princes will bend down low in front of you. They will see that the Lord is faithful. He is Israel's Holy God, who has chosen you to serve him.’
• Luke 12:50I have a baptism of pain to receive. I cannot rest until this has happened.
• Luke 19:14But the people who were living in his country did not like the man. So they sent some of their people to the foreign country with a message. They said, “We do not want this man to rule over us.”
• John 7:7People who belong to this world cannot hate you. But they hate me. The things that they do are very bad. And I tell them that those things are wrong. That is why they hate me.

Commentaries on Zechariah 11:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Three shepherds also I cut off in one month - Taking this literally, some think the three shepherds mean the three Maccabees, Judas, Jonathan, and Simon; others, the three wicked high priests, Jason, Alcimus, and Menelaus; others, the three last princes of the Asmonean race, Alexander, Hyrcanus, and Antigonus. Perhaps three orders may be intended: The priesthood. The dictatorship, including the Scribes, Pharisees, etc. The magistracy, the great sanhedrin…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8And I cut off three shepherds in one month - Jerome: “I have read in some one‘s commentary, that the shepherds, cut off in the indignation of the Lord, are to be understood of priests and false prophets and kings of the Jews, who, after the passion of Christ, were all cut off in one time, of whom Jeremiah speaketh, “The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew Me not; the pastors also transgressed against Me, and the prophets…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-14Verses 4-14 Christ came into this world for judgment to the Jewish church and nation, which were wretchedly corrupt and degenerate. Those have their minds wofully blinded, who do ill, and justify themselves in it; but God will not hold those guiltless who hold themselves so. How can we go to God to beg a blessing on unlawful methods of getting wealth, or to return thanks for success in them? There was a general decay of religion among them, and they…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8The mysterious historical mention of three evil shepherds has led to over 40 attempts to identify them. None of these explanations is effective. Three represents completeness. God appoints good shepherds to replace evil ones for the well-being of his people.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. Three shepherds ... I cut off--literally, "to cause to disappear," to destroy so as not to leave a vestige of them. The three shepherds whom Messiah removes are John, Simon, and Eleazar, three leaders of factions in the Jewish war [Drusius]. Or, as Messiah, the Antitype, was at once prophet, priest, and king, so He by the destruction of the Jewish polity destroyed these three orders for the unbelief of both the rulers and people [Moore]. If they had…Read the comment

Topics related to Zechariah 11:8

• Staves (Long Poles)

In the dictionaries

• Weigh
• Bible, the
• Psychology
• 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