The Meaning of Zechariah 11:6 Explained

Zechariah 11:6

KJV: For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.

YLT: For I have pity no more on inhabitants of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah, And lo, I am causing man to come forth, Each into the hand of his neighbour, And into the hand of his king, And they have beaten down the land, And I do not deliver out of their hand.'

Darby: For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah, and behold, I will deliver men, every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and I will not deliver out of their hand.

ASV: For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah; but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor's hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For I will no more pity  the inhabitants  of the land,  saith  the LORD:  but, lo, I will deliver  the men  every one  into his neighbour's  hand,  and into the hand  of his king:  and they shall smite  the land,  and out of their hand  I will not deliver  [them]. 

What does Zechariah 11:6 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord"s displeasure was the real reason for the Israelites" misery. He would no longer take pity on them. He would cause the men of Israel to become dependent on one another and on a human king, evidently a foreign despot. This king and his followers would strike the land, but Yahweh would not deliver His people from them.
"History demonstrates that these conditions did take place after Israel"s rejection of their Messiah." [1]
The ruler in view was Caesar, and the striking took place in A.D70.

Context Summary

Zechariah 11:1-17 - Beauty And Bands
The times were very dark when Zechariah felt called upon to act as shepherd to Jehovah's harried flock. Rulers and priests were actuated by selfish greed and mutual antagonism. Three shepherds had already failed. After a brief effort Zechariah renounced the attempt. He broke his staff of Beauty, or Grace, Zechariah 11:10, r.v. margin, as if God's tender love had withdrawn from its struggle with evil; and when he challenged the people to set a value on his services, they weighed him out thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave. Thereupon he broke the other staff, disrupting the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. In the following paragraph, Zechariah 11:15-17, there is an evident reference to the terrible reign of Antiochus whose cruelties led to the heroic uprising of the Maccabees. Five centuries afterwards Jesus was sent to gather the flock with the same result, Matthew 27:9-10. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zechariah 11

1  The destruction of Jerusalem
3  The elect being cared for, the rest are rejected
10  The staves of Beauty and Bands broken by the rejection of Christ
15  The type and curse of a foolish shepherd

What do the individual words in Zechariah 11:6 mean?

For no I will pity longer on the inhabitants of the land says Yahweh but indeed I will give - the men everyone into hand of his neighbor and into the hand of his king and they shall attack the land and not I will deliver [them] from their hand
כִּ֠י לֹ֣א אֶחְמ֥וֹל ע֛וֹד עַל־ יֹשְׁבֵ֥י הָאָ֖רֶץ נְאֻם־ יְהוָ֑ה וְהִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י מַמְצִ֣יא אֶת־ הָאָדָ֗ם אִ֤ישׁ בְּיַד־ רֵעֵ֙הוּ֙ וּבְיַ֣ד מַלְכּ֔וֹ וְכִתְּתוּ֙ הָאָ֔רֶץ וְלֹ֥א אַצִּ֖יל מִיָּדָֽם

לֹ֣א  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
אֶחְמ֥וֹל  I  will  pity 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: חָמַל 
Sense: (Qal) to spare, pity, have compassion on.
ע֛וֹד  longer 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
יֹשְׁבֵ֥י  the  inhabitants 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
הָאָ֖רֶץ  of  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָ֑ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְהִנֵּ֨ה  but  indeed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
מַמְצִ֣יא  will  give 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָאָדָ֗ם  the  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
אִ֤ישׁ  everyone 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
בְּיַד־  into  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
רֵעֵ֙הוּ֙  of  his  neighbor 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רֵעַ  
Sense: friend, companion, fellow, another person.
וּבְיַ֣ד  and  into  the  hand 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
מַלְכּ֔וֹ  of  his  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
וְכִתְּתוּ֙  and  they  shall  attack 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: כָּתַת  
Sense: to beat, crush by beating, crush to pieces, crush fine.
הָאָ֔רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְלֹ֥א  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
אַצִּ֖יל  I  will  deliver  [them] 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: נָצַל  
Sense: to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder.
מִיָּדָֽם  from  their  hand 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.