Zechariah 11:4-17

(4-17) The great difficulty of this passage, which is metaphorical and symbolical throughout, consists in the fact that hardly any clue to the interpretation is given to us. Thus commentators are quite unable to agree as to whether the shepherds spoken of are heathen or native rulers. And on this point the whole nature of the interpretation turns. Guided by the language of Zechariah 11:6; Zechariah 11:10, we conclude that the shepherds represent foreign oppressors. Our prophet seems to have had Ezekiel 37:16 in his mind when he, probably in a vision, performed the symbolical acts of the two shepherds; but he had also Ezekiel 34 in view. In feeding the flock, he actually, though, no doubt, unconsciously, represents not only God, who Himself would feed the flock (Ezekiel 34:11; Ezekiel 34:15), but also that ideal shepherd, “my servant David,” whom He would set up as “one shepherd over them” (Ezekiel 34:23). At the same time, he retains his old imagery of Zechariah 10:3, and speaks of the foreign oppressors as shepherds. The prophet’s historical starting-point seems to be the same here as in Zechariah 9:10, though his goal is more distant.