Zechariah 11:7-17
Favor and Union
7So I pastured the flock marked for slaughter, especially the afflicted of the flock. Then I took for myself two staffs, calling one Favor and the other Union, and I pastured the flock.
8And in one month I dismissed three shepherds. My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their souls also detested me.
9Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish; and let those who remain devour one another’s flesh.”
10Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations.
11It was revoked on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the LORD.
12Then I told them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver.
13And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent price at which they valued me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
14Then I cut in two my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15And the LORD said to me: “Take up once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd.
16For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will neither care for the lost, nor seek the young, nor heal the broken, nor sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the choice sheep and tear off their hooves.
17Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered and his right eye utterly blinded!”
Berean Standard Bible
Zechariah pastures the flock already being destroyed, especially the afflicted among them. He takes two shepherd's rods and names them Favor and Union. The names announce what a shepherd should provide: goodwill toward the flock and the bond that holds a people together.
The prophet dismisses three shepherds in one month. The text does not identify them, so we should not invent their names or offices. Zechariah's soul grows impatient with the flock, and the flock detests him. The relationship between shepherd and people has become mutually hostile.
He says he will no longer shepherd them. The dying may die, the perishing may perish, and those who remain may devour one another. Then he cuts the staff called Favor in two, revoking the covenant he had made with all the nations. The broken staff makes the loss of protection visible.
The afflicted of the flock who are watching know that it is the word of the LORD. They are not described as powerful or comfortable. They are the ones paying attention while the shepherding arrangement collapses.
Zechariah asks for his wages, and the people weigh out thirty pieces of silver. The LORD calls it a magnificent price at which they valued him and tells Zechariah to throw it to the potter in the house of the LORD. The amount and the LORD's bitter description show contempt for the shepherd's service.
The second staff, Union, is cut in two, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. Then the prophet is told to take up the equipment of a foolish shepherd, one who will not care for the lost, seek the young, heal the broken, or sustain the healthy. He will devour the flesh of the choice sheep. The closing woe condemns the worthless shepherd who deserts the flock.
How We Know
Zechariah's acted parable ends with the shepherd valued at thirty pieces of silver and the money thrown to the potter in the house of the LORD. Matthew connects the betrayal money, its return, and the field bought with it to this prophetic pattern, while acknowledging the wording through the prophetic tradition he is citing. The precise correspondence is one reason Christians have read the scene as anticipating the rejection and valuation of Jesus, though the passage must still be understood first as judgment on Israel's worthless shepherding.
Questions
1 What names does Zechariah give the shepherd's rods?
AnswerOne is called Favor and the other Union. Their names represent goodwill toward the flock and the bond among the people.
2 What happens to the first staff?
AnswerZechariah cuts Favor in two, revoking the covenant he had made with the nations and showing that protection has been withdrawn.
3 How much do the people weigh out as wages?
AnswerThey weigh out thirty pieces of silver, a price the LORD calls magnificent with bitter irony.
4 What does the foolish shepherd fail to do?
AnswerHe does not care for the lost, seek the young, heal the broken, or sustain the healthy. He devours the flock instead.
What This Means for Us
Leadership is measured by the people it protects, especially those who cannot reward it. A shepherd who loves prestige but abandons the lost has failed the flock.
If others depend on your decisions, ask who is being overlooked. Repair one neglected responsibility, and make sure the afflicted person has a voice before comfort becomes the only standard.
Prayer
Lord, expose worthless shepherding in every place of responsibility. Make us attentive to the lost, young, broken, and weak, and keep our leadership from consuming the people it should serve. Amen.