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Selected Verse: Zechariah 11:17 - Strong Concordance
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Zec 11:17 |
Strong Concordance |
Woe [01945] to the idol [0457] shepherd [07473] that leaveth [05800] the flock [06629]! the sword [02719] shall be upon his arm [02220], and upon his right [03225] eye [05869]: his arm [02220] shall be clean [03001] dried up [03001], and his right [03225] eye [05869] shall be utterly [03543] darkened [03543]. |
| |
King James |
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. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
| the idol--The Hebrew expresses both vanity and an idol. Compare Isa 14:13; Dan 11:36; Th2 2:4; Rev 13:5-6, as to the idolatrous and blasphemous claims of Antichrist. The "idol shepherd that leaveth the flock" cannot apply to Rome, but to some ruler among the Jews themselves, at first cajoling, then "leaving" them, nay, destroying them (Dan 9:27; Dan 11:30-38). God's sword shall descend on his "arm," the instrument of his tyranny towards the sheep (Th2 2:8); and on his "right eye," wherewith he ought to have watched the sheep (Joh 10:12-13). However, Antichrist shall destroy, rather than "leave the flock." Perhaps, therefore, the reference is to the shepherds who left the flock to Antichrist's rapacity, and who, in just retribution, shall feel his "sword" on their "arm," which ought to have protected the flock but did not, and on their "eye," which had failed duly to watch the sheep from hurt. The blinding of "the right eye" has attached to it the notion of ignominy (Sa1 11:2). |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
Woe to the idol shepherd - (A shepherd of nothingness, one who hath no quality of a shepherd ;) "who leaveth the flock." The condemnation of the evil shepherd is complete in the abandonment of the sheep; as our Lord says, "He that is an hireling and not the Shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling and careth not for the sheep" Joh 10:12-13.
Or it may equally be, "Shepherd, thou idol," including the original meaning of nothingness, such as antichrist will be, (Jerome), "while he calleth himself God, and willeth to be worshiped." Jerome: "This shepherd shall therefore arise in Israel, because the true Shepherd had said, 'I will not feed you.' He is prophesied of by another name in Daniel the prophet Dan. 9, and in the Gospel Mark 13, and in the Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians 2 Thes 2, as 'the abomination of desolation,' who shall sit in the temple of the Lord, and make himself as God. He cometh not to heal but to destroy the flock of Israel. This shepherd the Jews shall receive, whom the 'Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth; and destroy with the brightness of His coming?"'
The sword shall be upon - (against) his arm and right eye His boast shall be of intelligence, and might. The punishment and destruction shall be directed against the instrument of each, the eye and the arm. Jerome: "The eye, whereby he shall boast to behold acutely the mysteries of God, and to see more than all prophets heretofore, so that he shall call himself son of God. But the word of the Lord shall be upon his arm and upon his right eye, so that his strength and all his boast of might shall be dried up, and the knowledge which he promised himself falsely, shall be obscured in everlasting darkness." (Dionysius: "Above and against the power of antichrist, shall be the virtue and vengeance and sentence of Christ, who shall 'slay' him 'with the breath of His mouth.' The right arm, the symbol of might, and the right eye which was to direct its aim, should fail together, through the judgment of God against him. He, lately boastful and persecuting shall become blind and powerless, bereit alike of wisdom and strength.
The "right" in Holy Scripture being so often a symbol of what is good, the left of what is evil, it may be also imagined, that (Osorius), "the left eye, that is, the acumen and cunning to devise deadly frauds, will remain uninjured: while the 'right eye,' that is, counsel to guard against evil, will be sunk in thick darkness. And so, the more he employs his ability to evil, the more frantically will he bring to bear destruction upon himself:" |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| The idol shepherd - To them that are but the images of shepherds. That leaveth - Casts off the care of the flock. The sword - Of the enemy, shall break his strength and be - fool his counsels. Dried up - They that have gifts which qualify them to do good, if they do it not, they will be taken away. They that should have been workmen, but were slothful, and would do nothing, will justly have their arm dried up. And they that should have been watchmen, but were drowsy, will justly have their eye blinded. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
Wo to the idol shepherd - רעי האליל roi haelil, "the worthless," or "good for nothing shepherd." The shepherd in name and office, but not performing the work of one. See Joh 10:11.
The sword shall be upon his arm - Punishment shall be executed upon the wicked Jews, and especially their wicked kings and priests. See Zac 11:16.
Arm - the secular power; right eye - the ecclesiastical state.
His arm shall be clean dried up - The secular power shall be broken, and become utterly inefficient.
His right eye shall be utterly darkened - Prophecy shall be restrained; and the whole state, ecclesiastical and civil, shall be so completely eclipsed, that none of their functions shall be performed. This may refer to the worthless and wicked governor mentioned in the preceding verse.
There are several things in this chapter that are very obscure, and we can hardly say what opinion is right; nor is it at all clear whether they refer to a very early or late period of the Jewish history. |
2 And Nahash [05176] the Ammonite [05984] answered [0559] them, On this [02063] condition will I make [03772] a covenant with you, that I may thrust out [05365] all your right [03225] eyes [05869], and lay [07760] it for a reproach [02781] upon all Israel [03478].
12 But [1161] he that is [5607] an hireling [3411], and [2532] not [3756] the shepherd [4166], whose [3739] own [2398] the sheep [4263] are [1526] not [3756], seeth [2334] the wolf [3074] coming [2064], and [2532] leaveth [863] the sheep [4263], and [2532] fleeth [5343]: and [2532] the wolf [3074] catcheth [726] them [846], and [2532] scattereth [4650] the sheep [4263].
13 [1161] The hireling [3411] fleeth [5343], because [3754] he is [2076] an hireling [3411], and [2532] [846] careth [3199] not [3756] for [4012] the sheep [4263].
8 And [2532] then [5119] shall [601] that Wicked [459] be revealed [601], whom [3739] the Lord [2962] shall consume [355] with the spirit [4151] of his [846] mouth [4750], and [2532] shall destroy [2673] with the brightness [2015] of his [846] coming [3952]:
30 For the ships [06716] of Chittim [03794] shall come [0935] against him: therefore he shall be grieved [03512], and return [07725], and have indignation [02194] against the holy [06944] covenant [01285]: so shall he do [06213]; he shall even return [07725], and have intelligence [0995] with them that forsake [05800] the holy [06944] covenant [01285].
31 And arms [02220] shall stand [05975] on his part, and they shall pollute [02490] the sanctuary [04720] of strength [04581], and shall take away [05493] the daily [08548] sacrifice, and they shall place [05414] the abomination [08251] that maketh desolate [08074].
32 And such as do wickedly [07561] against the covenant [01285] shall he corrupt [02610] by flatteries [02514]: but the people [05971] that do know [03045] their God [0430] shall be strong [02388], and do [06213] exploits.
33 And they that understand [07919] among the people [05971] shall instruct [0995] many [07227]: yet they shall fall [03782] by the sword [02719], and by flame [03852], by captivity [07628], and by spoil [0961], many days [03117].
34 Now when they shall fall [03782], they shall be holpen [05826] with a little [04592] help [05828]: but many [07227] shall cleave [03867] to them with flatteries [02519].
35 And some of them of understanding [07919] shall fall [03782], to try [06884] them, and to purge [01305], and to make them white [03835], even to the time [06256] of the end [07093]: because it is yet for a time appointed [04150].
36 And the king [04428] shall do [06213] according to his will [07522]; and he shall exalt [07311] himself, and magnify [01431] himself above every god [0410], and shall speak [01696] marvellous things [06381] against the God [0410] of gods [0410], and shall prosper [06743] till the indignation [02195] be accomplished [03615]: for that that is determined [02782] shall be done [06213].
37 Neither shall he regard [0995] the God [0430] of his fathers [01], nor the desire [02532] of women [0802], nor regard [0995] any god [0433]: for he shall magnify [01431] himself above all.
38 But in his estate [03653] shall he honour [03513] the God [0433] of forces [04581]: and a god [0433] whom his fathers [01] knew [03045] not shall he honour [03513] with gold [02091], and silver [03701], and with precious [03368] stones [068], and pleasant things [02532].
27 And he shall confirm [01396] the covenant [01285] with many [07227] for one [0259] week [07620]: and in the midst [02677] of the week [07620] he shall cause the sacrifice [02077] and the oblation [04503] to cease [07673], and for the overspreading [03671] of abominations [08251] he shall make it desolate [08074], even until the consummation [03617], and that determined [02782] shall be poured [05413] upon the desolate [08074].
5 And [2532] there was given [1325] unto him [846] a mouth [4750] speaking [2980] great things [3173] and [2532] blasphemies [988]; and [2532] power [1849] was given [1325] unto him [846] to continue [4160] forty [5062] and two [1417] months [3376].
6 And [2532] he opened [455] his [846] mouth [4750] in [1519] blasphemy [988] against [4314] God [2316], to blaspheme [987] his [846] name [3686], and [2532] his [846] tabernacle [4633], and [2532] them that dwell [4637] in [1722] heaven [3772].
4 Who [3588] opposeth [480] and [2532] exalteth [5229] himself above [1909] all [3956] that is called [3004] God [2316], or [2228] that is worshipped [4574]; so [5620] that he [846] as [5613] God [2316] sitteth [2523] in [1519] the temple [3485] of God [2316], shewing [584] himself [1438] that [3754] he is [2076] God [2316].
36 And the king [04428] shall do [06213] according to his will [07522]; and he shall exalt [07311] himself, and magnify [01431] himself above every god [0410], and shall speak [01696] marvellous things [06381] against the God [0410] of gods [0410], and shall prosper [06743] till the indignation [02195] be accomplished [03615]: for that that is determined [02782] shall be done [06213].
13 For thou hast said [0559] in thine heart [03824], I will ascend [05927] into heaven [08064], I will exalt [07311] my throne [03678] above [04605] the stars [03556] of God [0410]: I will sit [03427] also upon the mount [02022] of the congregation [04150], in the sides [03411] of the north [06828]:
12 But [1161] he that is [5607] an hireling [3411], and [2532] not [3756] the shepherd [4166], whose [3739] own [2398] the sheep [4263] are [1526] not [3756], seeth [2334] the wolf [3074] coming [2064], and [2532] leaveth [863] the sheep [4263], and [2532] fleeth [5343]: and [2532] the wolf [3074] catcheth [726] them [846], and [2532] scattereth [4650] the sheep [4263].
13 [1161] The hireling [3411] fleeth [5343], because [3754] he is [2076] an hireling [3411], and [2532] [846] careth [3199] not [3756] for [4012] the sheep [4263].
16 For, lo, I will raise up [06965] a shepherd [07462] in the land [0776], which shall not visit [06485] those that be cut off [03582], neither shall seek [01245] the young one [05289], nor heal [07495] that that is broken [07665], nor feed [03557] that that standeth [05324] still: but he shall eat [0398] the flesh [01320] of the fat [01277], and tear [06561] their claws [06541] in pieces [06561].
11 I [1473] am [1510] the good [2570] shepherd [4166]: the good [2570] shepherd [4166] giveth [5087] his [846] life [5590] for [5228] the sheep [4263].