TEXT [Commentary]

black diamond   3.   The Lord will restore his people (10:1–11:3)

1 Ask the LORD for rain in the spring,

for he makes the storm clouds.

And he will send showers of rain

so every field becomes a lush pasture.

2 Household gods give worthless advice,

fortune-tellers predict only lies,

and interpreters of dreams pronounce

falsehoods that give no comfort.

So my people are wandering like lost sheep;

they are attacked because they have no shepherd.

3 “My anger burns against your shepherds,

and I will punish these leaders.[*]

For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has arrived

to look after Judah, his flock.

He will make them strong and glorious,

like a proud warhorse in battle.

4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,

the tent peg,

the bow for battle,

and all the rulers.

5 They will be like mighty warriors in battle,

trampling their enemies in the mud under their feet.

Since the LORD is with them as they fight,

they will overthrow even the enemy’s horsemen.

6 “I will strengthen Judah and save Israel[*];

I will restore them because of my compassion.

It will be as though I had never rejected them,

for I am the LORD their God, who will hear their cries.

7 The people of Israel[*] will become like mighty warriors,

and their hearts will be made happy as if by wine.

Their children, too, will see it and be glad;

their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.

8 When I whistle to them, they will come running,

for I have redeemed them.

From the few who are left,

they will grow as numerous as they were before.

9 Though I have scattered them like seeds among the nations,

they will still remember me in distant lands.

They and their children will survive

and return again to Israel.

10 I will bring them back from Egypt

and gather them from Assyria.

I will resettle them in Gilead and Lebanon

until there is no more room for them all.

11 They will pass safely through the sea of distress,[*]

for the waves of the sea will be held back,

and the waters of the Nile will dry up.

The pride of Assyria will be crushed,

and the rule of Egypt will end.

12 By my power[*] I will make my people strong,

and by my authority they will go wherever they wish.

I, the LORD, have spoken!”

CHAPTER 11

1 Open your doors, Lebanon,

so that fire may devour your cedar forests.

2 Weep, you cypress trees, for all the ruined cedars;

the most majestic ones have fallen.

Weep, you oaks of Bashan,

for the thick forests have been cut down.

3 Listen to the wailing of the shepherds,

for their rich pastures are destroyed.

Hear the young lions roaring,

for their thickets in the Jordan Valley are ruined.

NOTES

10:1 rain in the spring. The rainy season in Israel begins in the fall (October) with the “early rain” and ends in the spring with the “latter rain” (March–May, cf. Deut 11:14). The early rain fostered new growth, and the latter rain brought the crops to maturity. The OT prophets viewed rain as a sign of divine blessing (cf. Joel 2:23).

10:2 Household gods. The word terapim [TH8655, ZH9572] may refer to cultic idols of some sort or even ancestor statues used in necromancy rituals, since consultation with the dead was a widespread practice in the biblical world. The association of the household gods with fortune-tellers and interpreters of dreams in the immediate context might suggest that Zechariah has “ancestor figures” in mind, rather than idols (see the discussion in Meyers and Meyers 1993:185-187). Necromancy or consulting the dead for advice was forbidden for the Hebrews according to the Mosaic law (Deut 18:10-11).

fortune-tellers. The term (based on the root qasam [TH7080, ZH7876]) refers in general to those who practice forms of divination or soothsaying. The means of fortune-telling are not specified (whether mechanical manipulation such as mixing oil and water or observation of natural events and signs), but according to Mosaic law all such practices were forbidden (cf. Lev 20:27; Deut 18:10-11).

10:3 My anger burns. The idiom (kharah [TH2734, ZH3013] + ’ap [TH639, ZH678]) signifies an intense wrath that burns like a raging and uncontrolled fire (cf. Exod 22:22-24). The object of this divine wrath is most often Israel, incited by their disobedience to covenant stipulations or lapses into idolatry (cf. Deut 6:14-15; Josh 7:1; Judg 2:20). The NT still warns the faithful against breaking God’s covenant because it is “a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31). (Cf. the discussion of God’s anger in the commentary on 1:1-6.)

leaders. Lit., “he-goats” (‘attudim [TH6260, ZH6966]), a figure of speech for princes and leaders in prophetic literature since male goats typically lead the goat herds (cf. Isa 14:9; 34:6; Jer 51:40; Ezek 34:17).

10:4 cornerstone. The first-laid foundation stone upon which a building’s superstructure rests (pinnah [TH6438, ZH7157]; cf. Exod 27:2; 1 Kgs 7:30). At times the word designates the cornerstone of a foundation, which sets the right angle for a wall or a building (cf. Job 38:6; Ps 118:22; Isa 28:16). The NT identifies Jesus Christ as the “cornerstone” of the house of God’s family, the church (Eph 2:20). Cf. the note on 3:9, “single stone.”

tent peg. The word yathed [TH3489, ZH3845] is a technical term for the wooden stake that fastens the tent ropes securely to the ground (cf. Exod 27:19; 35:18) or a peg driven into a wall on which a vessel or valuable object can be securely hung and displayed (cf. Ezra 9:8, “security”). Just as the tent peg anchors the tent to ground, so future leadership will come from Judah that will provide the mooring needed to stabilize the Hebrew nation. The tent peg had even served as a weapon at times, as Jael used a tent peg to kill the Canaanite general Sisera (Judg 4:21-22). Delilah used a yathed to braid the locks of Samson’s hair (Judg 16:14,“loom shuttle”). Such a peg also symbolized the permanence of Eliakim’s appointment as palace administrator in the court of King Hezekiah (Isa 22:20-23).

bow for battle. The battle bow (qesheth milkhamah [TH7198/4421, ZH8008/4878]) was mentioned previously among the implements of war that God would destroy in the day of his visitation (9:10, NLT “weapons”). The shift from architectural images to one of warfare extends the scope of the leadership provided by Judah from political stability to military power (cf. 9:13). Following the Aramaic Targum, some Christian interpreters understand the metaphors of cornerstone, tent peg, and battle bow as messianic titles and apply them to Jesus Christ (e.g., Unger 1963:177-179).

10:6 save. The same word (yasha‘ [TH3467, ZH3828], “to deliver, save”) is applied to the Israelite Exodus from Egypt, the “salvation-event” of the OT (cf. Exod 14:15; 15:2). Salvation or “victory” belongs to the Lord (Ps 3:8); only the God of Israel “has the power to save” (Isa 63:1).

my compassion. God saves and restores his people Israel because of his “compassion” (rakham [TH7355, ZH8163]). According to Meyers and Meyers (1993:209), the word embodied female attributes of caring and nurturing and of maternal concern for one’s children. Compassion is an attribute of God (Ps 111:4), but it is also a divine prerogative, as he will show compassion or “mercy” to anyone he chooses (Exod 33:19). God’s compassion extends to all those who fear him (Ps 103:13) and is bounded only by the greatness of his unfailing love (Lam 3:32).

10:8 whistle. Typically the word has a negative, even derisive meaning in the OT (see Meyers and Meyers 1993:213). Here the term is used in a positive sense as a signal that God’s intentions to restore Israel are under way. The expression continues the pastoral imagery of the passage because shepherds in biblical times herded their flocks by whistling or piping to them (cf. Judg 5:16).

redeemed. The word (padah [TH6299, ZH7009]) can also mean “to ransom” as a legal act of redemption (e.g., buying slaves out of their servitude or indentured status). The term has associations with the Exodus, when the Lord redeemed Israel from their slavery in Egypt (Deut 15:15; 24:18). God’s gracious redemption extends to all those who serve him; “No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned” (Ps 34:22).

they will grow as numerous as they were before. This is probably an allusion to the rapid population growth of the Hebrews during their sojourn as slaves in Egypt (Exod 1:7, 20). The propagation of the Hebrew nation was one of the promises associated with the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 12:1-3; cf. Gen 22:17; 32:12).

10:9 remember me. Remember (zakar [TH2142, ZH2349]) is perhaps a wordplay on the prophet’s name, Zechariah (“the Lord remembers”). God always remembers his covenant (Ps 111:5) and his covenant people (Ps 115:12). God will sustain his people’s memory of him despite their dispersion among the nations. Remembering God transforms the believer and the believing community because “recalling God’s past saving work becomes a bridge from a grim present to a blessed future” (NIDOTTE 1.1102).

10:10 Egypt . . . Assyria. According to Isaiah, the Lord would “whistle” for the armies of Egypt and Assyria to come against King Ahaz and Judah as punishment for his unbelief (Isa 7:18). The two nations were traditional enemies of Israel and represented all nations, east and west, who were opposed to God and his people. Specifically, Egypt and Assyria were symbolic of the slavery and exile endured by the dispersed Hebrew people.

Gilead and Lebanon. Gilead is the fertile region east of the Jordan River and south of the Sea of Galilee suitable for grain-growing and pasturing settled by the tribes of Manasseh and Gad. Lebanon, a mountainous region north of Israel, was famed for its cedar forests and sometimes defined the northern reaches of the Promised Land for the biblical writers (cf. Deut 11:24; Josh 1:4). God’s restoration and resettlement of the Hebrews will be so complete that even the fringe areas of Israelite territory will teem with people.

10:11 sea of distress. An allusion to the Exodus and the crossing of the Red Sea (or Sea of Reeds; Exod 14:22). The Hebrews’ return to the land of Israel from exile in Babylonia (and their necessary fording of the Euphrates River) is likened to a “second exodus” experience (cf. Isa 43:2-6, 16-17).

10:12 I will make my people strong. The verse repeats the earlier promise that God himself would strengthen his people (10:6) and alludes to Isaiah’s declaration that God would strengthen and help his people after calling them back from the ends of the earth (Isa 41:8-10). The psalmist recognized that true strength is found only in the Lord (Pss 18:1; 22:19; 28:8; 29:11).

11:1-3 This brief poem is a taunt song that anticipates the lament raised over the once proud and powerful nations justly destroyed by the Sovereign Lord (10:5, 11). The poem may be understood in one of two ways: either as the conclusion to Zechariah’s message of divine deliverance and restoration of Israel (10:1-12), or as the introduction to the following message (the good and evil shepherds, 11:4-17). One view from the latter perspective takes the taunt song as a reference to the destruction of the power and pride of the nations, represented by the various types of trees (11:2). Another view understands the passage more literally as the devastation of Syro-Palestine as a result of rejecting the Messiah and Good Shepherd, fulfilled in the Roman campaigns associated with the first Jewish war (AD 66–73; see Barker 1985:674). Petersen (1995:84) also reads the poem literally rather than allegorically, but concludes more generally that the point of the oracle is to encourage the restoration community to accept the status quo—since any destruction (symbolized in the hewn timber) will have far reaching effects for the people of God. The NLT paragraphing sets the poem as the conclusion to the message of God’s deliverance and restoration of Israel (10:1-12).

11:1 Lebanon. The region north of Israel (excluding the Phoenician coastal plain) boasted snow-covered mountains and fertile valleys. The land of Lebanon was a symbol of strength and fertility in biblical times. Baldwin (1972:178) rightly observes that the stress in Zechariah’s oracle is the “downfall of the arrogant.”

11:2 Bashan. The “cedars” of Lebanon and the “oaks” of Bashan are paired in other prophetic oracles (e.g., Isa 2:13; Ezek 27:5-6). The region of biblical Bashan was located east and northeast of the Sea of Galilee and, like Lebanon, its defining feature was superb stands of timber. Jeremiah identified Lebanon and Bashan as treacherous allies of the kingdom of Judah (Jer 22:20, 22). Like Egypt and Assyria, Lebanon and Bashan are representative of those nations that will experience divine judgment when God re-gathers and restores the people of Israel (see note on 10:11).

11:3 shepherds . . . lions. Figurative language for the leaders of Lebanon and Bashan lamenting the destruction of their forested slopes—the pride and livelihood of each region (cf. 10:11).

COMMENTARY [Text]

The prophet revisits the themes of Israel’s re-gathering and return to the ancestral homeland of Palestine, the land of covenant promise (cf. 9:11-17). The second unit of Zechariah’s first oracle (chs 9–11) consists of three messages: a rebuke of false shepherds (10:1-3), the promise of a true shepherd (10:4-12), and a taunt song of divine judgment against the regions of Lebanon and Bashan for their betrayal of Judah during the Babylonian crisis (11:1-3; cf. Jer 22:20, 22). The key idea of the section is found in the repeated phrases declaring that God would strengthen his people by his power and restore them because of his compassion (10:6, 12). The passage anticipates the allegory about the good and evil shepherds that follows (11:4-17).

The story of the Hebrew monarchies is one of failed leadership, a result of the rejection of God’s rule over the Israelites (cf. 1 Sam 8:7). King Solomon’s avarice and idolatry fractured David’s empire (1 Kgs 11:9-11). The divided monarchies of Israel and Judah created by the split of Solomon’s kingdom were ruled by a combined total of 39 kings and one queen. Only eight of those kings (all from the southern kingdom of Judah) were deemed “good” in the theological reviews posted by the writer of the royal annals found in the book of Kings. In large measure, Zechariah echoed the laments of the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel who decried the plight of a people scattered like lost sheep without a shepherd—victims of shepherds who fed themselves instead of their flocks (Jer 50:6-7; Ezek 34:1-6; but see Ollenburger [1996:814], who identifies the shepherds of 10:3 as the rulers of the nations who rule Judah and keep Israel in dispersion).

The eventual restoration of Israel forecast by Zechariah will witness the accompanying restoration of righteous leadership to the nation—responsible shepherds who will care for the flock of God’s people (11:4; cf. Jer 23:4). The futurist interpretation of Zechariah understands the prophet’s message as a projection of the rule of Messiah fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth (see Kaiser 1995:218-220, 232). This true shepherd would arise from the tribe of Judah, and he is called the “cornerstone” (10:4). The New Testament traces Jesus’ lineage to the tribe of Judah and the family of David (Matt 1:3, 6), and Paul identifies Jesus Christ as the “cornerstone” (Eph 2:20). Beyond this, the New Testament identifies the Hebrews or Jews as God’s lost sheep (Matt 10:6), and Jesus announced that he was indeed the “good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14). By an everlasting covenant signed with his blood, Jesus earned the title “the great Shepherd of the sheep” (Heb 13:20). His throne endures forever, and his royal power is expressed in righteousness (Heb 1:8), a righteousness made available by the ongoing work of the Counselor—the Holy Spirit in the church of Jesus Christ (John 16:7, 10; 1 Cor 6:11).

Preterist views understand the passage referencing the shepherds of Israel (10:3-12) as the priests and lay leaders of the postexilic Jewish community generally (so Redditt 1995:119-120, 123) or alternately to Yahweh himself (so Petersen 1995:70-78).