The people of God who had returned to Judea from exile were being oppressed by neighboring nations. As a result, they were discouraged, and they let their Temple lie in ruins. Zechariah encouraged them with a vision of things to come. God continued to love Jerusalem and the land of Judah, and his unwavering plan was to live there again with his people and establish his rule over all the earth. …
1Oh Líbano, abre tus puertas, y consuma el fuego tus cedros.
2Aúlla, oh ciprés, porque el cedro cayó, porque los árboles magníficos son derribados. Aullad, encinas de Basán, porque el bosque espeso es derribado.
3Voz de aullido de pastores, porque su magnificencia es asolada; estruendo de rugidos de cachorros de leones, porque la gloria del Jordán es destruida.
4Así ha dicho Jehová mi Dios: Apacienta las ovejas de la matanza,
5a las cuales matan sus compradores, y no se tienen por culpables; y el que las vende, dice: Bendito sea Jehová, porque he enriquecido; ni sus pastores tienen piedad de ellas.
6Por tanto, no tendré ya más piedad de los moradores de la tierra, dice Jehová; porque he aquí, yo entregaré los hombres cada cual en mano de su compañero y en mano de su rey; y asolarán la tierra, y yo no los libraré de sus manos.
7Apacenté, pues, las ovejas de la matanza, esto es, a los pobres del rebaño. Y tomé para mí dos cayados: al uno puse por nombre Gracia, y al otro Ataduras; y apacenté las ovejas.
8Y destruí a tres pastores en un mes; pues mi alma se impacientó contra ellos, y también el alma de ellos me aborreció a mí.
9Y dije: No os apacentaré; la que muriere, que muera; y la que se perdiere, que se pierda; y las que quedaren, que cada una coma la carne de su compañera.
10Tomé luego mi cayado Gracia, y lo quebré, para romper mi pacto que concerté con todos los pueblos.
11Y fue deshecho en ese día, y así conocieron los pobres del rebaño que miraban a mí, que era palabra de Jehová.
12Y les dije: Si os parece bien, dadme mi salario; y si no, dejadlo. Y pesaron por mi salario treinta piezas de plata.
13Y me dijo Jehová: Échalo al tesoro; ¡hermoso precio con que me han apreciado! Y tomé las treinta piezas de plata, y las eché en la casa de Jehová al tesoro.
14Quebré luego el otro cayado, Ataduras, para romper la hermandad entre Judá e Israel.
15Y me dijo Jehová: Toma aún los aperos de un pastor insensato;
16porque he aquí, yo levanto en la tierra a un pastor que no visitará las perdidas, ni buscará la pequeña, ni curará la perniquebrada, ni llevará la cansada a cuestas, sino que comerá la carne de la gorda, y romperá sus pezuñas.
17¡Ay del pastor inútil que abandona el ganado! Hiera la espada su brazo, y su ojo derecho; del todo se secará su brazo, y su ojo derecho será enteramente oscurecido.
TYNDALE OPEN STUDY NOTES
I
Versículo 1
I. 11:1-3 This taunt song against Lebanon and Bashan concludes the preceding message of deliverance …
11:1-3 This taunt song against Lebanon and Bashan concludes the preceding message of deliverance and restoration for Israel (10:1-12); it could also introduce the following message about good and evil shepherds (11:4-17).
11:1 Lebanon, boasting snow-covered mountains and fruitful valleys, was a symbol of strength and fertility.
II
Versículo 2
II. 11:2 Like Lebanon, Bashan had superb stands of timber. Lebanon and Bashan are often paired (Isa 2…
11:2 Like Lebanon, Bashan had superb stands of timber. Lebanon and Bashan are often paired (Isa 2:13; Jer 22:20-22; Ezek 27:5-6) in representing nations that God would judge when he would regather and restore the people of Israel (see Zech 10:11).
III
Versículo 3
III. 11:3 Shepherds and lions figuratively represent the leaders of Lebanon and Bashan, lamenting the …
11:3 Shepherds and lions figuratively represent the leaders of Lebanon and Bashan, lamenting the destruction of their forested slopes, their pride, and their livelihood (see 11:1-2).
IV
Versículo 4
IV. 11:4-17 The metaphor of the Hebrew leaders as shepherds binds together the last three messages (9…
11:4-17 The metaphor of the Hebrew leaders as shepherds binds together the last three messages (9:9–11:17) of Zechariah’s first oracle (chs 9–11). This message combines allegory with symbolic action on Zechariah’s part to dramatize the wickedness of Israel’s shepherds. The prophet acts out a parable of a “good shepherd” called by God to lead and unite his people, but the people reject this shepherd along with the promise of protection from the nations (11:10) and unity between Judah and Israel (11:14). Zechariah’s symbolic actions foreshadow the ministry of Jesus the Messiah as the Good Shepherd (see John 10:1-21).
11:4 The people of Israel are God’s flock (see Isa 40:11; Mic 5:4). The relative helplessness of sheep places a premium on their careful shepherding. • intended for slaughter: Like sheep fattened for butchering, the people are being treated as disposable goods in a corrupt economy.
V
Versículo 5
V. 11:5 The sheep (the Hebrew people) were being sold as slaves to buyers—occupying foreign powers, …
11:5 The sheep (the Hebrew people) were being sold as slaves to buyers—occupying foreign powers, foreign allies, or domestic slave-traders (see Amos 2:6). • The sellers were the shepherds, leaders of the people who were more concerned with getting rich than with the well-being of the sheep.
VI
Versículo 7
VI. 11:7 Shepherd’s staffs symbolize leadership and authority. • Favor: This staff symbolized God’s c…
11:7 Shepherd’s staffs symbolize leadership and authority. • Favor: This staff symbolized God’s choice of Israel as his people (see Gen 12:1-3) and the promise of a leader like King David (see 2 Sam 7:12-16). • Union: Ezekiel’s staff (Ezek 37:16-17) represented the unity of the Hebrew tribes as a single nation during King David’s reign (2 Sam 5:1-3).
VII
Versículo 8
VII. 11:8 The enigmatic historical reference to three evil shepherds has prompted more than forty diff…
11:8 The enigmatic historical reference to three evil shepherds has prompted more than forty different attempts to identify them. None of these explanations is effective. Three symbolizes completeness. God raises up good shepherds to remove evil shepherds for the well-being of his people.
VIII
Versículo 9
VIII. 11:9 devour each other! This might refer literally to the cannibalism that resulted from famine d…
11:9 devour each other! This might refer literally to the cannibalism that resulted from famine during the siege of Jerusalem in 588–586 BC (see Lam 4:10) and later in AD 70 (see Josephus, War 7.4.4). The expression may also be a metaphor for various forms of exploitation and oppression (see Mic 3:3; Gal 5:15).
IX
Versículo 10
IX. 11:10 Unlike Ezekiel, who dramatized the reunification of the Hebrew kingdoms (Ezek 37:15-19), Ze…
11:10 Unlike Ezekiel, who dramatized the reunification of the Hebrew kingdoms (Ezek 37:15-19), Zechariah dramatized the division by cutting the staffs in two (see also Zech 11:14). The cutting of the staffs indicated the broken covenant bond between God and his people (11:11) and the broken bond of unity between the kingdoms of Judah and Israel (11:14). • A covenant between the Lord and all the nations is otherwise unknown. Zechariah might actually have been proclaiming the dissolution of the covenant binding Israel to God as his people (cp. Hos 1:6-9; see study note on Zech 13:9).
X
Versículo 12
X. 11:12 Thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave (see Exod 21:32). In the allegory, the sil…
11:12 Thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave (see Exod 21:32). In the allegory, the silver was severance pay for the shepherd (Zech 11:9). The Gospel writers find the fulfillment of this passage in the betrayal of Jesus for thirty silver coins by Judas (see Matt 26:15; 27:9-10).
XI
Versículo 13
XI. 11:13 to the potter: Some scholars speculate that a guild of potters might have been minor Temple…
11:13 to the potter: Some scholars speculate that a guild of potters might have been minor Temple officials due to the continual need for sacred vessels (see Lev 6:28). Others, noting the similarity between potter (Hebrew yotser) and treasury (’otsar), follow the Syriac version, which reads into the treasury (see Matt 27:6, 10; cp. Jer 32:6-9). The Greek Old Testament translates this sentence as “throw it into the furnace,” suggesting that the silver was melted down and recast into a silver vessel for use in Temple rituals. • Thirty coins (or pieces of silver) was a magnificent sum of money (nearly two years’ wages for the average laborer).
XII
Versículo 15
XII. 11:15 The worthless shepherd represents corrupt leaders, in contrast with the good shepherd (cp. …
11:15 The worthless shepherd represents corrupt leaders, in contrast with the good shepherd (cp. Ezek 34:7-16).
XIII
Versículo 16
XIII. 11:16 Tear off their hooves is a Hebrew idiom for a wanton and ravenous search for the last morse…
11:16 Tear off their hooves is a Hebrew idiom for a wanton and ravenous search for the last morsel of edible meat on an animal carcass (see Mic 3:3).
XIV
Versículo 17
XIV. 11:17 This oracle of woe is a poetic curse against the worthless shepherd for abandoning the floc…
11:17 This oracle of woe is a poetic curse against the worthless shepherd for abandoning the flock. The arm and right eye represent the physical and mental abilities of the shepherd. The maimed arm and blind eye make the worthless shepherd powerless and end his selfish, opportunistic rule.
Antiguo Testamento
Zechariah — Capítulo 11
The people of God who had returned to Judea from exile were being oppressed by neighboring nations. As a result, they were discouraged, and they let their Temple lie in ruins. Zechariah encouraged them with a vision of things to come. God continued to love Jerusalem and the land of Judah, and his unwavering plan was to live there again with his people and establish his rule over all the earth. …
Texto — Reina-Valera 1960
1Oh Líbano, abre tus puertas, y consuma el fuego tus cedros.
2Aúlla, oh ciprés, porque el cedro cayó, porque los árboles magníficos son derribados. Aullad, encinas de Basán, porque el bosque espeso es derribado.
3Voz de aullido de pastores, porque su magnificencia es asolada; estruendo de rugidos de cachorros de leones, porque la gloria del Jordán es destruida.
4Así ha dicho Jehová mi Dios: Apacienta las ovejas de la matanza,
5a las cuales matan sus compradores, y no se tienen por culpables; y el que las vende, dice: Bendito sea Jehová, porque he enriquecido; ni sus pastores tienen piedad de ellas.
6Por tanto, no tendré ya más piedad de los moradores de la tierra, dice Jehová; porque he aquí, yo entregaré los hombres cada cual en mano de su compañero y en mano de su rey; y asolarán la tierra, y yo no los libraré de sus manos.
7Apacenté, pues, las ovejas de la matanza, esto es, a los pobres del rebaño. Y tomé para mí dos cayados: al uno puse por nombre Gracia, y al otro Ataduras; y apacenté las ovejas.
8Y destruí a tres pastores en un mes; pues mi alma se impacientó contra ellos, y también el alma de ellos me aborreció a mí.
9Y dije: No os apacentaré; la que muriere, que muera; y la que se perdiere, que se pierda; y las que quedaren, que cada una coma la carne de su compañera.
10Tomé luego mi cayado Gracia, y lo quebré, para romper mi pacto que concerté con todos los pueblos.
11Y fue deshecho en ese día, y así conocieron los pobres del rebaño que miraban a mí, que era palabra de Jehová.
12Y les dije: Si os parece bien, dadme mi salario; y si no, dejadlo. Y pesaron por mi salario treinta piezas de plata.
13Y me dijo Jehová: Échalo al tesoro; ¡hermoso precio con que me han apreciado! Y tomé las treinta piezas de plata, y las eché en la casa de Jehová al tesoro.
14Quebré luego el otro cayado, Ataduras, para romper la hermandad entre Judá e Israel.
15Y me dijo Jehová: Toma aún los aperos de un pastor insensato;
16porque he aquí, yo levanto en la tierra a un pastor que no visitará las perdidas, ni buscará la pequeña, ni curará la perniquebrada, ni llevará la cansada a cuestas, sino que comerá la carne de la gorda, y romperá sus pezuñas.
17¡Ay del pastor inútil que abandona el ganado! Hiera la espada su brazo, y su ojo derecho; del todo se secará su brazo, y su ojo derecho será enteramente oscurecido.
TYNDALE OPEN STUDY NOTES
Versículo 1
I. 11:1-3 This taunt song against Lebanon and Bashan concludes the preceding message of deliverance …
Versículo 2
II. 11:2 Like Lebanon, Bashan had superb stands of timber. Lebanon and Bashan are often paired (Isa 2…
Versículo 3
III. 11:3 Shepherds and lions figuratively represent the leaders of Lebanon and Bashan, lamenting the …
Versículo 4
IV. 11:4-17 The metaphor of the Hebrew leaders as shepherds binds together the last three messages (9…
Versículo 5
V. 11:5 The sheep (the Hebrew people) were being sold as slaves to buyers—occupying foreign powers, …
Versículo 7
VI. 11:7 Shepherd’s staffs symbolize leadership and authority. • Favor: This staff symbolized God’s c…
Versículo 8
VII. 11:8 The enigmatic historical reference to three evil shepherds has prompted more than forty diff…
Versículo 9
VIII. 11:9 devour each other! This might refer literally to the cannibalism that resulted from famine d…
Versículo 10
IX. 11:10 Unlike Ezekiel, who dramatized the reunification of the Hebrew kingdoms (Ezek 37:15-19), Ze…
Versículo 12
X. 11:12 Thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave (see Exod 21:32). In the allegory, the sil…
Versículo 13
XI. 11:13 to the potter: Some scholars speculate that a guild of potters might have been minor Temple…
Versículo 15
XII. 11:15 The worthless shepherd represents corrupt leaders, in contrast with the good shepherd (cp. …
Versículo 16
XIII. 11:16 Tear off their hooves is a Hebrew idiom for a wanton and ravenous search for the last morse…
Versículo 17
XIV. 11:17 This oracle of woe is a poetic curse against the worthless shepherd for abandoning the floc…