God’s Word Translation
Zechariah 11:15
15Then the Lord said to me, “Use the equipment of a foolish shepherd again.
Zechariah 11:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
- New International Version (NIV)Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then the Lord said to me, "Take once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord said to me, “Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd.
Context of Zechariah 11:15
13The Lord told me, “Give it to the potter.” So I took the 30 pieces of silver. Such a magnificent price was set by them! I gave the pieces of silver to the potter at the house of the Lord. 14Then I broke my second staff, called Unity, in pieces, to break off the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. Then the Lord said to me, “Use the equipment of a foolish shepherd again. 16I’m about to place a shepherd in the land. He will not take care of those that are dying. He will not search for the young. He will not heal those that have broken their legs or support those that can still stand. But he will eat the meat of the fat animals and tear off their hoofs. 17“How horrible it will be for the foolish shepherd who abandoned the sheep. A sword will strike his arm and his right eye. His arm will be completely withered. His right eye will be completely blind.”
Read all of Zechariah 11Zechariah 11:15 word by word
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוָ֖ה אֵלָ֑י ע֣וֹד קַח־לְךָ֔ כְּלִ֖י רֹעֶ֥ה אֱוִלִֽי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Zechariah 11:15
- Isaiah 6:10Make these people close-minded. Plug their ears. Shut their eyes. Otherwise, they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their minds, and return and be healed.”
- Jeremiah 2:26“As a thief feels ashamed when he’s caught, so the nation of Israel will feel ashamed. Their kings, princes, priests, and prophets will also feel ashamed.
- Lamentations 2:14Your prophets saw misleading visions about you. They painted a good picture of you. They didn’t expose your guilt in order to make things better again. They gave you false prophecies that misled you.
- Ezekiel 13:3“ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: How horrible it will be for the foolish prophets. They follow their own ideas, and they have seen nothing.
- Matthew 15:14Leave them alone! They are blind leaders. When one blind person leads another, both will fall into the same pit.”
- Matthew 23:17You blind fools! What is more important, the gold or the temple that made the gold holy?
- Luke 11:40You fools! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside too?
Commentaries on Zechariah 11:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15The instruments of a foolish shepherd - Such as a bag without bread, a scrip without measure, and a staff without a hook, etc., things that were needless or of no use; to point out to the Jewish pastors, who took no care of the flock, but devoured them, or ruled them with force and with cruelty.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Take to thee yet the instrument - o Of a foolish shepherd - Osorius: “Yet He had enacted one tragedy, in which he clearly set forth the future guilt of Judas; now another is set forth, the accumulated scoffing through antichrist. For as Paul said, because they receive not the Spirit of truth, the Allrighteous Judge shall send them a spirit of “delusion, that they should believe a lie” 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11. He calls him a foolish shepherd, for since the…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. 15The worthless shepherd represents corrupt leaders, in contrast to the good shepherd (compare Ezekiel 34:7–16).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. yet--"take again"; as in Zec 11:7 previously he had taken other implements. instruments--the accoutrements, namely, the shepherd's crook and staff, wallet, &c. Assume the character of a bad ("foolish" in Scripture is synonymous with wicked, Psa 14:1) shepherd, as before thou assumedst that of a good shepherd. Since the Jews would not have Messiah, "the Good Shepherd" (Joh 10:11), they were given up to Rome, heathen and papal, both alike their…Read the comment
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries