◄ Zechariah 11:12 ►
Then 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.
Study Bible
I told them
This phrase indicates a direct communication from the prophet Zechariah, who is speaking on behalf of God. The Hebrew root for "told" is "אָמַר" (amar), which means to say or declare. This highlights the authoritative nature of the message being delivered. In the context of Zechariah, a post-exilic prophet, this communication underscores the role of prophets as God's mouthpiece, conveying divine intentions and judgments to the people of Israel.

If it seems good to you
Here, Zechariah presents a conditional statement, which is somewhat unusual for prophetic declarations that are typically more absolute. The Hebrew word "טוֹב" (tov) for "good" implies a moral or ethical goodness, suggesting that the decision being offered is not merely a matter of preference but of righteousness. This phrase invites the hearers to reflect on their values and priorities, challenging them to align their actions with what is good in the sight of God.

give me my wages
The request for wages is symbolic, representing the value or worth that the people place on the prophetic ministry. In ancient Near Eastern culture, wages were a sign of respect and acknowledgment of service rendered. The Hebrew word "שָׂכָר" (sachar) for "wages" can also mean reward or recompense, indicating that Zechariah is asking for a tangible recognition of his role as a shepherd to the people, which is a metaphor for his prophetic leadership.

but if not, keep them
This phrase presents an alternative, emphasizing the freedom of choice given to the people. The Hebrew "חָדַל" (chadal) for "keep" means to refrain or cease, suggesting that if the people do not value the prophetic message, they are free to withhold their acknowledgment. This reflects the broader biblical theme of free will, where God allows individuals to choose their path, even if it leads away from His will.

So they weighed out
The act of weighing indicates a careful consideration and measurement, often associated with fairness and justice. In the ancient world, weighing silver or other commodities was a common practice to ensure accurate transactions. The Hebrew "שָׁקַל" (shaqal) for "weighed" implies a deliberate and thoughtful action, highlighting the seriousness of the decision being made by the people in response to Zechariah's request.

thirty pieces of silver as my wages
The specific amount of thirty pieces of silver is significant, as it was the price of a slave according to Exodus 21:32. This amount reflects the low value placed on Zechariah's prophetic ministry by the people. In the New Testament, this phrase gains further significance as it is the price for which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus (Matthew 26:15), drawing a parallel between the rejection of Zechariah and the rejection of Christ. The use of silver, a precious metal, contrasts with the meager amount, underscoring the theme of undervaluation and betrayal.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Zechariah
A prophet of the Old Testament, Zechariah is delivering a message from God to the people of Israel. In this chapter, he acts out a symbolic role as a shepherd.

2. The Shepherd
Represents a leader or prophet, possibly symbolizing Zechariah himself or a messianic figure. The shepherd's role is to guide and care for the flock, which in this context refers to the people of Israel.

3. The Flock
Symbolizes the people of Israel, who are under the care of the shepherd. The flock's response to the shepherd's leadership is indicative of their spiritual state.

4. Thirty Pieces of Silver
This amount is significant as it represents the price of betrayal, later connected to Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus in the New Testament.

5. The Leaders of Israel
Those who weigh out the thirty pieces of silver, representing the rejection of God's appointed leadership and ultimately, the rejection of Christ.
Teaching Points
The Value of Leadership
Reflect on how spiritual leaders are valued in your community. Are they appreciated and supported, or undervalued like the thirty pieces of silver?

Prophetic Fulfillment
Recognize the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies in the New Testament, strengthening the reliability and divine inspiration of Scripture.

Betrayal and Redemption
Consider how betrayal is a recurring theme in the Bible and how God uses even these painful events for His redemptive purposes.

Self-Examination
Examine your own life for areas where you might be undervaluing God's guidance or leadership in your life.

The Cost of Disobedience
Reflect on the consequences of rejecting God's appointed leaders and the ultimate rejection of Christ by the people of Israel.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the role of the shepherd in Zechariah 11:12 relate to the role of Jesus as the Good Shepherd in the New Testament?

2. What does the valuation of thirty pieces of silver reveal about the spiritual state of the people in Zechariah's time, and how does this apply to us today?

3. In what ways can we ensure that we are valuing and supporting our spiritual leaders appropriately?

4. How does understanding the prophetic connections between the Old and New Testaments strengthen your faith?

5. Reflect on a time when you felt undervalued or betrayed. How can the account of Zechariah and the fulfillment in Jesus' life provide comfort and perspective?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 21:32
This verse sets the precedent for the value of thirty pieces of silver, which was the price of a slave. This connection highlights the undervaluation of the shepherd's role and foreshadows the betrayal of Jesus.

Matthew 26:14-16
This passage describes Judas Iscariot agreeing to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, directly linking Zechariah's prophecy to the New Testament event.

Psalm 41:9
This verse speaks of betrayal by a close friend, which can be seen as a prophetic parallel to both Zechariah's experience and Jesus' betrayal by Judas.
Sermons
The True ShepherdW. Forsyth Zechariah 11:7-14
A Model Spiritual TeacherHomilistZechariah 11:10-14
Mean Treatment of an Old Prophet by His PeopleJ. Morlais Jones.Zechariah 11:10-14
The Goodly Price of JesusW. Hay Aitken, M. A.Zechariah 11:10-14
The Price of Our RedemptionJohn Nance, D. D.Zechariah 11:10-14
A Model Spiritual TeacherD. Thomas Zechariah 11:12-14
People
Zechariah
Places
Bashan, Jordan River, Lebanon
Topics
Best, Forbear, Hire, Mind, Paid, Pay, Payment, Pieces, Price, Seems, Shekels, Sight, Silver, Silverlings, Silver-pieces, Thirty, Wages, Weigh, Weighed, Weight
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Zechariah 11:7-17

     7130   flock, God's

Zechariah 11:10-14

     4512   staff

Zechariah 11:12-13

     1654   numbers, 11-99
     2366   Christ, prophecies concerning
     4363   silver
     5260   coinage
     5426   news
     5603   wages
     5974   value

Library
Inspiration of Scripture. --Gospel Difficulties. --The Word of God Infallible. --Other Sciences Subordinate to Theological Science.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. BUT that is not exactly what St. Paul says. The Greek for that, would be He graphe--not pasa graphe--theopneustos. St. Paul does not say that the whole of Scripture, collectively, is inspired. More than that: what he says is, that every writing,--every several book of those hiera grammata, or Holy Scriptures, in which Timothy had been instructed from his childhood,--is inspired by God [330] . It comes to very nearly the same thing but it is not quite …
John William Burgon—Inspiration and Interpretation

And Again David Says:...
And again David says: They looked upon me: they parted my garments among them, and upon any vesture they cast lots. For at His crucifixion the soldiers parted His garments as they were wont; and the garments they parted by tearing; but for the vesture, because it was woven from the top and was not sewn, they cast lots, that to whomsoever it should fall he should take it. And again Jeremiah the prophet says: And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was sold, whom they bought …
Irenæus—The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching

In the House of his Heavenly, and in the Home of his Earthly Father - the Temple of Jerusalem - the Retirement at Nazareth.
Once only is the great silence, which lies on the history of Christ's early life, broken. It is to record what took place on His first visit to the Temple. What this meant, even to an ordinary devout Jew, may easily be imagined. Where life and religion were so intertwined, and both in such organic connection with the Temple and the people of Israel, every thoughtful Israelite must have felt as if his real life were not in what was around, but ran up into the grand unity of the people of God, and …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Good Shepherd' and his one Flock' - Last Discourse at the Feast of Tabernacles.
The closing words which Jesus had spoken to those Pharisees who followed HIm breathe the sadness of expected near judgment, rather than the hopefulness of expostulation. And the Discourse which followed, ere He once more left Jerusalem, is of the same character. It seems, as if Jesus could not part from the City in holy anger, but ever, and only, with tears. All the topics of the former Discourses are now resumed and applied. They are not in any way softened or modified, but uttered in accents of …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Discourse on the Good Shepherd.
(Jerusalem, December, a.d. 29.) ^D John X. 1-21. ^d 1 Verily, verily, I say to you [unto the parties whom he was addressing in the last section], He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. [In this section Jesus proceeds to contrast his own care for humanity with that manifested by the Pharisees, who had just cast out the beggar. Old Testament prophecies were full of declarations that false shepherds would arise to …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The First Trumpet.
The first trumpet of the seventh seal begins from the final disturbance and overthrow of the Roman idolarchy at the close of the sixth seal; and as it was to bring the first plague on the empire, now beginning to fall, it lays waste the third part of the earth, with a horrible storm of hail mingled with fire and blood; that is, it depopulates the territory and people of the Roman world, (viz. the basis and ground of its universal polity) with a terrible and bloody irruption of the northern nations, …
Joseph Mede—A Key to the Apocalypse

Remorse and Suicide of Judas.
(in the Temple and Outside the Wall of Jerusalem. Friday Morning.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 3-10; ^E Acts I. 18, 19. ^a 3 Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned [Judas, having no reason to fear the enemies of Jesus, probably stood in their midst and witnessed the entire trial], repented himself, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood. [There are two Greek words which are translated "repented," …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Questions.
LESSON I. 1. In what state was the Earth when first created? 2. To what trial was man subjected? 3. What punishment did the Fall bring on man? 4. How alone could his guilt be atoned for? A. By his punishment being borne by one who was innocent. 5. What was the first promise that there should be such an atonement?--Gen. iii. 15. 6. What were the sacrifices to foreshow? 7. Why was Abel's offering the more acceptable? 8. From which son of Adam was the Seed of the woman to spring? 9. How did Seth's …
Charlotte Mary Yonge—The Chosen People

The Shepherd of Our Souls.
"I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep."--John x. 11. Our Lord here appropriates to Himself the title under which He had been foretold by the Prophets. "David My servant shall be king over them," says Almighty God by the mouth of Ezekiel: "and they all shall have one Shepherd." And in the book of Zechariah, "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts; smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Fulfilled Prophecies of the Bible Bespeak the Omniscience of Its Author
In Isaiah 41:21-23 we have what is probably the most remarkable challenge to be found in the Bible. "Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen; let them show the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods." This Scripture has both a negative …
Arthur W. Pink—The Divine Inspiration of the Bible

A Discourse of the House and Forest of Lebanon
OF THE HOUSE OF THE FOREST OF LEBANON. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. That part of Palestine in which the celebrated mountains of Lebanon are situated, is the border country adjoining Syria, having Sidon for its seaport, and Land, nearly adjoining the city of Damascus, on the north. This metropolitan city of Syria, and capital of the kingdom of Damascus, was strongly fortified; and during the border conflicts it served as a cover to the Assyrian army. Bunyan, with great reason, supposes that, to keep …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Of the Incapacity of an Unregenerate Person for Relishing the Enjoyments of the Heavenly World.
John iii. 3. John iii. 3. --Except a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of God. IN order to demonstrate the necessity of regeneration, of which I would fain convince not only your understandings, but your consciences, I am now proving to you, that without it, it is impossible to enter into the kingdom of God; and how weighty a consideration that is I am afterwards to represent. That it is thus impossible, the words in the text do indeed sufficiently prove: but for the further illustration …
Philip Doddridge—Practical Discourses on Regeneration

Fifthly, as this Revelation, to the Judgment of Right and Sober Reason,
appears of itself highly credible and probable, and abundantly recommends itself in its native simplicity, merely by its own intrinsic goodness and excellency, to the practice of the most rational and considering men, who are desirous in all their actions to have satisfaction and comfort and good hope within themselves, from the conscience of what they do: So it is moreover positively and directly proved to be actually and immediately sent to us from God, by the many infallible signs and miracles …
Samuel Clarke—A Discourse Concerning the Being and Attributes of God

The Covenant of Works
Q-12: I proceed to the next question, WHAT SPECIAL ACT OF PROVIDENCE DID GOD EXERCISE TOWARDS MAN IN THE ESTATE WHEREIN HE WAS CREATED? A: When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience, forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge upon pain of death. For this, consult with Gen 2:16, 17: And the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Seasonable Counsel: Or, Advice to Sufferers.
BY JOHN BUNYAN. London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1684. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. THIS valuable treatise was first published in a pocket volume in 1684, and has only been reprinted in Whitfield's edition of Bunyan's works, 2 vols. folio, 1767. No man could have been better qualified to give advice to sufferers for righteousness' sake, than John Bunyan: and this work is exclusively devoted to that object. Shut up in a noisome jail, under the iron hand of …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Covenanting Predicted in Prophecy.
The fact of Covenanting, under the Old Testament dispensations, being approved of God, gives a proof that it was proper then, which is accompanied by the voice of prophecy, affording evidence that even in periods then future it should no less be proper. The argument for the service that is afforded by prophecy is peculiar, and, though corresponding with evidence from other sources, is independent. Because that God willed to make known truth through his servants the prophets, we should receive it …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Zechariah
CHAPTERS I-VIII Two months after Haggai had delivered his first address to the people in 520 B.C., and a little over a month after the building of the temple had begun (Hag. i. 15), Zechariah appeared with another message of encouragement. How much it was needed we see from the popular despondency reflected in Hag. ii. 3, Jerusalem is still disconsolate (Zech. i. 17), there has been fasting and mourning, vii. 5, the city is without walls, ii. 5, the population scanty, ii. 4, and most of the people …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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