View Zechariah 11 in the note window.
A prediction of the final destruction of the Jews, ver. 1 - 6.
The Messiah will rule them, ver. 7, 8.
But at length, provoked by their contempt of him, give them up,
ver. 9 - 17.
1: Open thy doors - That destruction of the Jewish church and
nation, is here foretold in dark and figurative expressions, which
our Lord, when the time was at hand, prophesied of very plainly.
Lebanon - Lebanon, a great mountain boundary between Judea and its
neighbours on the north, is here commanded to open its gates, its
fortifications raised to secure the passages, which lead into Judea.
That the fire - Fire kindled by the enemy in the houses and buildings
in Judea, and in Lebanon itself. The cedars - Palaces built
with cedars.
2: Fir - tree - Houses and towns built with firs. The cedar - Much
less shall ye escape. Ye Oaks - Used in that country for building
palaces, cities, towns, and fortresses. The forest - Jerusalem,
compared to a forest, in regard of the many and tall houses in it.
In short, all are called to cry, for the miseries that will come
upon all. Come down - Is laid desolate.
3: Of the shepherds - The enemy having driven away their flocks
and herds. Their glory - What was their honour. Of Jordan - The great
forests on the banks of Jordan, where the young lions were wont to
range.
4: My God - God the father speaks to Christ.
Of the slaughter - Appointed to the slaughter. The Jews, during four
hundred and fifty years, were a flock of slaughter to the Egyptians,
Chaldeans, and afterwards the Romans.
5: Whose possessors - Governors. Not guilty - Think they do no ill.
That sell them - For slaves. For l am rich - Profanely give God
thanks, that they thrive by cruelty and oppression.
6: I will deliver - To rob, imprison, banish, or kill each other.
Of his king - The Roman Caesar, whom the Jews had chosen to be so.
The land - Their king and his armies shall destroy the land.
7: Bands - The beauty of grace and glory, the bands of love and peace.
9: Then - After that time of his patient feeding the flock, and
cutting off the unfaithful shepherds. Cut off - By the sword or famine.
The flesh - Either live to be besieged, 'till hunger makes the living
eat the dead, or by seditions and bloody intestine quarrels, destroy
each other.
10: Even beauty - Which was the beauty and glory of them,
the covenant of God, with all the blessings of it.
That I might break - Declare it null. Christ calls it his covenant,
for he was the mediator of it.
11: Broken - The covenant was disannulled. That waited - Believed
in him, and obeyed him. Knew - Saw, and owned God in all this.
12: And I said - Upon parting, Christ seems after the manner of men,
to mind them of his claims for them, and desire them to reckon with him.
If ye think good - He puts it to them, whether they thought he deserved
ought at their hands? So they - The rulers of the Jews, the high
priest, chief priests, and pharisees. Weighed - Which was the manner of
paying money in those days. Thirty pieces - Which amounts to thirty - seven
shillings and six - pence, the value of the life of a slave, (Ex 21:32).
This was fulfilled when they paid Judas Iscariot so much to betray
Christ.
13: The Lord - God the Father. Cast it - As being so little, it
would hardly purchase any thing but what was the cheapest among them.
A goodly price - God upbraids the shepherds of his people, who prized
the great Shepherd no higher. Cast them to the potter - Or rather, cast
them into the house of the Lord for the potter; all which the Jewish
rulers acted over.
14: Then - So soon as I saw what value they put upon me.
I cut asunder - Christ did it really, the prophet did it in the type.
Break - Declare it broken. The brother - hood - That friendship which had
been among them. Judah - The two tribes, and the remnant of the ten
tribes.
15: Take unto thee - O Zechariah, personate a shepherd quite
different from him thou hast represented.
16: Who shall not visit - Who seeks not out those that are lost.
The young one - Which are aptest to perish through weakness.
Nor heal - But leaves it to die of its wounds. That stand still - Not
able to go forward. Will eat - Feast on the fattest of the flock.
Tear their claws - Tear off their skin unto the very nails; in brief,
a sluggish, negligent, covetous, riotous, oppressive, and cruel
government, is shadowed out by a foolish shepherd.
17: The idol shepherd - To them that are but the images of
shepherds. That leaveth - Casts off the care of the flock.
The sword - Of the enemy, shall break his strength and be - fool his
counsels. Dried up - They that have gifts which qualify them to do
good, if they do it not, they will be taken away. They that should
have been workmen, but were slothful, and would do nothing, will
justly have their arm dried up. And they that should have been
watchmen, but were drowsy, will justly have their eye blinded.
