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

6Indeed, I will no longer have compassion on the people of the land,” says the Lord, “but instead I will turn every last person over to his neighbor and his king. They will devastate the land, and I will not deliver it from them.” 7So I began to shepherd the flock destined for slaughter, the most afflicted of all the flock. Then I took two staffs, calling one “Pleasantness” and the other “Binders,” and I tended the flock. Next I eradicated the three shepherds in one month, for I ran out of patience with them and, indeed, they detested me as well. 9I then said, “I will not shepherd you. What is to die, let it die, and what is to be eradicated, let it be eradicated. As for those who survive, let them eat each other’s flesh!” 10Then I took my staff “Pleasantness” and cut it in two to annul my covenant that I had made with all the people.

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 committed treason against the Lord, because they bore illegitimate children. Soon the new moon festival will devour them and their fields.
• Matthew 23:34“For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,
• Matthew 24:50then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee,
• Leviticus 26:11“‘I will put my tabernacle in your midst and I will not abhor you.
• Deuteronomy 32:19But the Lord took note and despised them because his sons and daughters enraged him.
• Psalms 5:5Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who behave wickedly.
• Psalms 78:9The Ephraimites were armed with bows, but they retreated in the day of battle.
• Psalms 106:40So the Lord was angry with his people and despised the people who belong to him.
• Jeremiah 12:8The people I call my own have turned on me like a lion in the forest. They have roared defiantly at me. So I will treat them as though I hate them.
• Jeremiah 14:21For the honor of your name, do not treat Jerusalem with contempt. Do not treat with disdain the place where your glorious throne sits. Be mindful of your covenant with us. Do not break it!
• Hosea 9:15Because of all their evil in Gilgal, I hate them there. On account of their evil deeds, I will drive them out of my land. I will no longer love them; all their rulers are rebels.
• Hebrews 10:38But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I take no pleasure in him.
• Isaiah 49:7This is what the Lord, the protector of Israel, their Holy One, says to the one who is despised and rejected by nations, a servant of rulers: “Kings will see and rise in respect, princes will bow down, because of the faithful Lord, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”
• Luke 12:50I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished!
• Luke 19:14But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to be king over us!’
• John 7:7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil.

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