God’s Word Translation
Zechariah 11:3
3Listen! The shepherds are crying, because their rich pastures are destroyed. Listen! The young lions are roaring, because the lush banks of the Jordan are destroyed.
Zechariah 11:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.
- New International Version (NIV)Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed! Listen to the roar of the lions; the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!
- English Standard Version (ESV)The sound of the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is ruined! The sound of the roar of the lions, for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined!
- New King James Version (NKJV)There is the sound of wailing shepherds! For their glory is in ruins. There is the sound of roaring lions! For the pride of the Jordan is in ruins.
Context of Zechariah 11:3
1Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire will be able to burn down your cedars. 2Cry, cypress trees, because the cedars have fallen and the stately trees have been destroyed. Cry, oak trees of Bashan, because your dense forest has fallen down. Listen! The shepherds are crying, because their rich pastures are destroyed. Listen! The young lions are roaring, because the lush banks of the Jordan are destroyed. 4This is what the Lord my God says: Take care of the sheep that are about to be slaughtered. 5Those who buy them will kill them and go unpunished. Those who sell them will say, “Praise the Lord! I’ve become rich!” Even their own shepherds will have no pity on them.
Read all of Zechariah 11Zechariah 11:3 word by word
ק֚וֹל יִֽלְלַ֣ת הָרֹעִ֔ים כִּ֥י שֻׁדְּדָ֖ה אַדַּרְתָּ֑ם ק֚וֹל שַׁאֲגַ֣ת כְּפִירִ֔ים כִּ֥י שֻׁדַּ֖ד גְּא֥וֹן הַיַּרְדֵּֽן׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- a voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voice: soundH6963
- of the howlingיְלָלָהyelâlâh · wailingH3215
- of the shepherdsרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
- for their gloryאַדֶּ֫רֶת'addereth · clothingH155
- is spoiledשָׁדַדshâdad · to ruinH7703
- of the roaringשְׁאָגָהshe'âgâh · roaringH7581
- of young lionsכְּפִירkephîyr · lionH3715
- for the prideגָּאוֹןgâ'ôn · prideH1347
- of Jordanיַרְדֵּןyardên · JordanH3383
Cross-references for Zechariah 11:3
- Zechariah 11:8I got rid of three shepherds in one month. I became impatient with the sheep, and they also became disgusted with me.
- Jeremiah 25:34Mourn, you shepherds, and cry. Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. The time has come for you to be slaughtered. The time has come for you to be scattered, and you will break like fine pottery.
- Joel 1:13Put on your sackcloth and mourn, you priests. Cry loudly, you servants of the altar. Spend the night in sackcloth, you servants of my God. Grain offerings and wine offerings are withheld from your God’s temple.
- Amos 8:8The land will tremble because of this. Everyone who lives in it will mourn. The entire land will rise like the Nile, be tossed about, and then sink like Egypt’s river.
- Zephaniah 1:10On that day a loud cry will come from Fish Gate, a howling from the Second Part of the city, and a loud crashing sound from the hills,” declares the Lord.
- Matthew 15:14Leave them alone! They are blind leaders. When one blind person leads another, both will fall into the same pit.”
- Matthew 23:13“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You don’t enter it yourselves, and you don’t permit others to enter when they try.
- James 5:1Pay attention to this if you’re rich. Cry and moan about the misery that is coming to you.
- 1 Samuel 4:21She called the boy Ichabod [No Glory], saying, “Israel’s glory is gone,” because the ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and her husband ⌞died⌟.
- Isaiah 65:15Your name will be used as a curse by my chosen ones. The Almighty Lord will kill you and call his servants by another name.
- Jeremiah 7:4Do not trust the words of this saying, “This is the Lord’s temple, the Lord’s temple, the Lord’s temple!” It’s a lie.
- Jeremiah 26:6Then I will do to this temple what I did to Shiloh. I will turn this city into something that will be cursed by all the nations on earth.’ ”
- Ezekiel 24:21‘Tell the nation of Israel, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: I’m going to dishonor my holy place. You brag that my holy place gives you strength. It’s the thing you love the most. It’s your hearts’ desire. So the sons and daughters that you left behind will die in battle.
- Hosea 1:9The Lord said, “Name him Lo Ammi [Not My People]. You are no longer my people, and I am no longer your God.
- Hosea 10:5Those who live in Samaria fear the calf-shaped idol at Beth Aven. The people will mourn over it. The priests will cry loudly because its glory will be taken away into captivity.
- Zephaniah 3:11On that day you will no longer be ashamed of all your rebellious acts against me. Then I will remove your arrogance and never again will you act proud on my holy mountain.
Commentaries on Zechariah 11:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Young lions - Princes and rulers. By shepherds, kings or priests may be intended.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3A voice of the howling of the shepherds, for their glory is spoiled - It echoes on from Jeremiah before the captivity, “Howl, ye shepherds - A voice of the cry of the shepherds. and an howling of the principal of the flock; for the Lord hath spoiled their pasture” Jeremiah 25:34, Jeremiah 25:36. There is one chorus of desolation, the mighty and the lowly; the shepherds and the young lions; what is at other times opposed is joined in one wailing. “The…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Shepherds and lions symbolically represent the leaders of Lebanon and Bashan. They mourn the loss of their forested slopes, pride, and livelihood (see Zechariah 11:1–2).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. shepherds--the Jewish rulers. their glory--their wealth and magnificence; or that of the temple, "their glory" (Mr 13:1; Lu 21:5). young lions--the princes, so described on account of their cruel rapacity. pride of Jordan--its thickly wooded banks, the lair of "lions" (Jr 12:5; 49:19). Image for Judea "spoiled" of the magnificence of its rulers ("the young lions"). The valley of the Jordan forms a deeper gash than any on the earth. The land at Lake…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