What is the meaning of Zechariah 11:5? Setting the scene Zechariah 11 opens with the LORD instructing the prophet to act out a drama of shepherding a flock “doomed to slaughter” (Zechariah 11:4-6). The verse in question describes three groups abusing the flock—buyers, sellers, and shepherds. The flock pictures God’s covenant people in a season of discipline for rejecting their true Shepherd (cf. Jeremiah 23:1-2; Matthew 23:37-38). Whose buyers slaughter them without remorse • “Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished” (Zechariah 11:5a). • The buyers represent outside powers—political occupiers, profiteers, or any force that treats the people as expendable property. • In Zechariah’s day this pointed to foreign rulers who would eventually devastate Israel (e.g., Rome in A.D. 70, Luke 19:41-44). • Scripture echoes this heartless exploitation: – Jeremiah laments, “Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard” (Jeremiah 12:10). – Jesus warns, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). • God sees every injustice; though the buyers “go unpunished” for a season, divine judgment is certain (Psalm 94:3-7). Those who sell them say, “Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich!” • “Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich!’” (Zechariah 11:5b). • These sellers are middle-men—corrupt elites within the nation who hand God’s people over for profit yet cloak their greed with pious language. • Comparable sins appear throughout Scripture: – Amos 2:6: “They sell the righteous for silver.” – Matthew 26:14-16: Judas agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, fulfilling Zechariah 11:12-13. • The irony is chilling: they invoke God’s name to legitimize their gain (cf. Micah 3:11), revealing a heart that prizes wealth over covenant loyalty. Even their own shepherds have no compassion on them • “Even their own shepherds do not spare them” (Zechariah 11:5c). • Shepherds symbolize kings, priests, prophets, or any leaders charged to protect the flock (Numbers 27:17). • Ezekiel 34:2-4 lays the charge bluntly: “Woe to the shepherds… you eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, but you do not feed the flock.” • Jesus contrasts such hirelings with Himself: “The hired hand… sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep” (John 10:12-13). • Lack of compassion from inside the community compounds the external oppression, leaving the flock doubly vulnerable. Prophetic fulfillment and ongoing relevance • Historically, the prophecy foreshadows the nation’s rejection of Christ and the devastation that followed (Zechariah 11:10-14; Matthew 27:3-10). • Spiritually, it warns every generation: – External forces may exploit God’s people. – Religious and civil leaders can mask greed with god-talk. – Indifference among shepherds invites ruin (Acts 20:29-30). • The Good Shepherd ultimately judges false shepherds and gathers a remnant who listen to His voice (John 10:14-16; Revelation 7:17). Summary Zechariah 11:5 paints a sober scene: foreign buyers kill the flock without fear, internal sellers profit while praising God, and appointed shepherds look on unfeelingly. The verse exposes greed, hypocrisy, and failed leadership, predicting the national catastrophe that follows Israel’s rejection of her Messiah. It also stands as a timeless warning—wherever God’s people are commodified, exploited, or poorly led, the LORD sees, grieves, and will act. Safety lies only under the care of the true Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. |