The Meaning of Zechariah 11:7 Explained

Zechariah 11:7

KJV: And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

YLT: And I feed the flock of slaughter, even you, ye afflicted of the flock; and I take to me two staves, the one I have called Pleasantness, and the other I have called Bands, and I feed the flock.

Darby: So I fed the flock of slaughter, truly the poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

ASV: So I fed the flock of slaughter, verily the poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I will feed  the flock  of slaughter,  [even] you,  O poor  of the flock.  And I took  unto me two  staves;  the one  I called  Beauty,  and the other  I called  Bands;  and I fed  the flock. 

What does Zechariah 11:7 Mean?

Study Notes

the one
The O.T. Parables: Summary. A parable is a similitude used to teach or enforce a truth. The O.T. parables fall into three classes:
(1) The story-parable, of which Judges 9:7-15 is an instance;
(2) parabolic discourses; e.g. Isaiah 5:1-7
(3) parabolic actions; e.g. Ezekiel 37:16-22
two staves
The scene belongs to the first advent. Beauty and Bands--literally "graciousness and union"; the first signifying God's attitude toward His people Israel, in sending His Son Matthew 21:37 the second, His purpose to reunite Judah and Ephraim Ezekiel 37:15-22 . Christ, at His first advent, came with grace John 1:17 to offer union Matthew 4:17 and was sold for thirty pieces of silver Zechariah 11:12 ; Zechariah 11:13 . "Beauty" (i.e. graciousness) was "cut in sunder" ( Zechariah 8:10 ; Zechariah 8:11 ), signifying that Judah was abandoned to the destruction foretold in Zechariah 11:1-6 and fulfilled A.D. 70. After the betrayal of the Lord for thirty pieces of silver ( Zechariah 11:12 ; Zechariah 11:13 ) "Bands" (i.e. union) was broken ( Zechariah 11:14 ), signifying the abandonment, for the time, of the purpose to reunite Judah and Israel. The order of Zechariah 11. is,
(1) the wrath against the land ( Zechariah 11:1-6 ), fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem after the rejection of Christ Luke 19:41-44 .
(2) the cause of that wrath in the sale and rejection of Christ vs. ( Zechariah 11:7-14 );
(3) the rise of the "idol shepherd," the Beast Daniel 7:8 ; Revelation 19:20 and his destruction ( Zechariah 11:15-17 ).
the one
The O.T. Parables: Summary. A parable is a similitude used to teach or enforce a truth. The O.T. parables fall into three classes:
(1) The story-parable, of which Judges 9:7-15 is an instance;
(2) parabolic discourses; e.g. Isaiah 5:1-7
(3) parabolic actions; e.g. Ezekiel 37:16-22

Verse Meaning

Zechariah proceeded to carry out his assignment from the Lord ( Zechariah 11:4). He spoke as a shepherd of the sheep doomed to slaughter, the afflicted sheep, and so represented Israel"s Shepherd, Messiah. The two shepherd"s staffs that he named "Favor" (Heb. no"am, pleasantness, graciousness) and "Union" (Heb. hobhelim, binders, unifiers) represented God"s blessing and the unity of the flock (Israel; cf. Ezekiel 37:15-28).
"The Eastern shepherd carried a rod or stout club hewed from a tree to beat away wild beasts attacking the sheep and a crooked staff for retrieving the sheep from difficult places [1]." [2]

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 11:7 mean?

So I fed - the flock for slaughter in particular the poor of the flock And I took for myself two staffs one I called Beauty and one Bonds and I fed the flock
וָֽאֶרְעֶה֙ אֶת־ צֹ֣אן הַֽהֲרֵגָ֔ה לָכֵ֖ן עֲנִיֵּ֣י הַצֹּ֑אן וָאֶקַּֽח־ לִ֞י שְׁנֵ֣י מַקְל֗וֹת לְאַחַ֞ד קָרָ֤אתִי נֹ֙עַם֙ וּלְאַחַד֙ חֹֽבְלִ֔ים וָאֶרְעֶ֖ה הַצֹּֽאן

וָֽאֶרְעֶה֙  So  I  fed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: רָעָה 
Sense: to pasture, tend, graze, feed.
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.
צֹ֣אן  the  flock  for 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: צֹאן  
Sense: small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks.
הַֽהֲרֵגָ֔ה  slaughter 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: הֲרֵגָה  
Sense: a killing, slaughter.
לָכֵ֖ן  in  particular 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
עֲנִיֵּ֣י  the  poor 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: עָנִי  
Sense: poor, afflicted, humble, wretched.
הַצֹּ֑אן  of  the  flock 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: צֹאן  
Sense: small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks.
וָאֶקַּֽח־  And  I  took 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
לִ֞י  for  myself 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
שְׁנֵ֣י  two 
Parse: Number, mdc
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
מַקְל֗וֹת  staffs 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַקֵּל  
Sense: rod, staff.
לְאַחַ֞ד  one 
Parse: Preposition-l, Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
קָרָ֤אתִי  I  called 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
נֹ֙עַם֙  Beauty 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נׄעַם  
Sense: kindness, pleasantness, delightfulness, beauty, favour.
וּלְאַחַד֙  and  one 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
חֹֽבְלִ֔ים  Bonds 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חֶבֶל 
Sense: a cord, rope, territory, band, company.
וָאֶרְעֶ֖ה  and  I  fed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: רָעָה 
Sense: to pasture, tend, graze, feed.
הַצֹּֽאן  the  flock 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: צֹאן  
Sense: small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks.