Zechariah 11 (KJV) is the burden of the flock and the acted prophecy of the two staves. The LORD is taken as Jesus Christ, and Lebanon, Bashan, and the Jordan are the northern and eastern regions adjoining the land (Lebanon, the Golan/Bashan highlands, and the Jordan valley). The thirty pieces of silver are cited by Matthew 27:9–10 of the betrayal price.

1 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.

Lebanon is told to open its doors so that fire may devour its cedars. The great trees of Lebanon are the first object of the judgment.

2 Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.

The fir tree is told to howl because the cedar has fallen and the mighty are spoiled. The oaks of Bashan are told to howl because the inaccessible forest has come down. Judgment moves from Lebanon to Bashan.

3 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.

Shepherds howl because their glory is ruined. Young lions roar because the pride of the Jordan thicket is ruined. The leaders and the strong are both stripped.

4 Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;

The LORD (Jesus Christ) says, “Feed the flock of the slaughter.” The flock is destined for killing, yet it is still to be pastured.

5 Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.

Their owners kill them and do not hold themselves guilty. Those who sell them say, “Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich.” Their own shepherds do not pity them. Profit is treated as divine blessing while the flock is destroyed.

6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour’s hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.

The LORD will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land. He will deliver each man into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They will strike the land, and He will not deliver them out of their hand.

7 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.

The speaker feeds the flock of slaughter, especially the poor of the flock. He takes two staves: one named Beauty (favor) and the other Bands (union), and he pastures the flock with them.

8 Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

Three shepherds are cut off in one month. The speaker’s soul loathes them, and their soul abhors him. The text does not name the three.

9 Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.

He then says he will not feed them. What is dying, let it die; what is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat one another’s flesh. The pastoral care is withdrawn.

10 And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.

He takes the staff Beauty and cuts it apart, in order to break the covenant he had made with all the peoples. The favor that restrained the nations is ended.

11 And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.

It is broken that day. The poor of the flock who were watching him know that this was the word of the LORD.

12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

He says, “If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear.” They weigh out thirty pieces of silver as his price. Matthew 27:9–10 applies this weighing of thirty pieces of silver to the price set on Jesus and to the purchase of the potter’s field.

13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

The LORD says to cast it to the potter—“a goodly price that I was prized at of them.” He takes the thirty pieces of silver and casts them to the potter in the house of the LORD. Matthew 27:5–7 records the silver cast down in the temple and used to buy the potter’s field.

14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

He cuts apart the other staff, Bands, in order to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. The union of the two houses is broken.

15 And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.

The LORD tells him to take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd.

16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.

He will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not visit the cut-off, seek the young, heal the broken, or feed what stands still. Instead he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hoofs in pieces. This is a predatory shepherd, the opposite of the feeder of the poor in verse 7. Revelation 13 describes a beast and a second beast who exercise oppressive power and deceive; the shared feature is destructive rule over people.

17 Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

Woe is pronounced on the worthless shepherd who abandons the flock. The sword will be on his arm and on his right eye; his arm will wither and his right eye will be totally darkened. The judgment falls on the arm that should have defended and the eye that should have watched.

Chapter 11 therefore devours the cedars and the pride of the Jordan, feeds and then abandons the flock of slaughter, breaks the staves Beauty and Bands, prices the shepherd at thirty pieces of silver cast to the potter in the house of the LORD, and raises a foolish shepherd whose arm and eye are destroyed.

The thirty pieces of silver are the verse the Gospel of Matthew cites of the betrayal. The worthless shepherd is the chapter’s figure of destructive rule, the antichrist.