Zechariah 11:14
New International Version
Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel.

New Living Translation
Then I took my other staff, Union, and cut it in two, showing that the bond of unity between Judah and Israel was broken.

English Standard Version
Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Berean Standard Bible
Then I cut in two my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

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

New King James Version
Then I cut in two my other staff, Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

New American Standard Bible
Then I cut in pieces my second staff Union, to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

NASB 1995
Then I cut in pieces my second staff Union, to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

NASB 1977
Then I cut my second staff, Union, in pieces, to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then I cut in pieces my second staff Union, to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Amplified Bible
Then I broke my second staff, Union, into pieces to break the brotherhood between Judah (the Southern Kingdom) and Israel (the Northern Kingdom).

Christian Standard Bible
Then I cut in two my second staff, Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then I cut in two my second staff, Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

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

Contemporary English Version
Then I broke the stick named "Unity" and canceled the ties between Judah and Israel.

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

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then I broke my second staff, called Unity, in pieces, to break off the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Good News Translation
Then I broke the second stick, the one called "Unity," and the unity of Judah and Israel was shattered.

International Standard Version
Then I broke my second staff—the one I had named "Union"—breaking the union between the house of Judah and the house of Israel.

Majority Standard Bible
Then I cut in two my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

NET Bible
Then I cut the second staff "Binders" in two in order to annul the covenant of brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

New Heart English Bible
Then I cut apart my other staff, even Union, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then I cut asunder my other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

World English Bible
Then I cut apart my other staff, Union, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And I cut apart my second staff, Bands, "" To break the unity between Judah and Israel.

Young's Literal Translation
And I cut asunder my second staff, Bands, to break the unity between Judah and Israel.

Smith's Literal Translation
And I shall cut off my second rod, Cords, to break the brotherhood between Judah and between Israel.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I cut off my second rod that was called a Cord, that I might break the brotherhood between Juda and Israel.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And I cut short my second staff, which was called Rope, so that I might dissolve the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

New American Bible
Then I snapped in two my second staff, Union, breaking the kinship between Judah and Israel.

New Revised Standard Version
Then I broke my second staff Unity, annulling the family ties between Judah and Israel.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then I broke my other staff, even Measuring-line, that I might nullify the agreements between Judah and Israel.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I broke Agony, my other staff, that I would nullify the agreement that was between Yehuda and Israel
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Binders, that the brotherhood between Judah and Israel might be broken.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I cast away my second rod, even Line, that I might break the possession between Juda and Israel.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
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.…

Cross References
Matthew 27:9-10
Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on Him by the people of Israel, / and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord had commanded me.”

Jeremiah 19:10-11
Then you are to shatter the jar in the presence of the men who accompany you, / and you are to proclaim to them that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I will shatter this nation and this city, like one shatters a potter’s jar that can never again be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room to bury them.

Ezekiel 37:15-22
Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, / “And you, son of man, take a single stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Judah and to the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and to all the house of Israel associated with him.’ / Then join them together into one stick, so that they become one in your hand. ...

Hosea 1:11
Then the people of Judah and of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and will go up out of the land. For great will be the day of Jezreel.

Isaiah 11:13
Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will no longer envy Judah, nor will Judah harass Ephraim.

John 10:16
I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Ephesians 2:14-16
For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility / by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace / and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility.

Micah 5:3
Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel.

Psalm 2:1-3
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? / The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: / “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.”

Acts 4:25-28
You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? / The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’ / In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed. ...

Isaiah 9:21
Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

Ezekiel 37:22
I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. Then they will no longer be two nations and will never again be divided into two kingdoms.

John 11:51-52
Caiaphas did not say this on his own. Instead, as high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation, / and not only for the nation, but also for the scattered children of God, to gather them together into one.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13
The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ. / For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink.

Isaiah 49:6
He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”


Treasury of Scripture

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

I cut.

Zechariah 11:9
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.

Isaiah 9:21
Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Isaiah 11:13
The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

Bands.

Zechariah 11:7
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.

Jump to Previous
Annulling Apart Asunder Bands Binders Break Breaking Broke Broken Brotherhood Cut Cutting Israel Judah Pieces Relation Rod Second Staff Union Unity
Jump to Next
Annulling Apart Asunder Bands Binders Break Breaking Broke Broken Brotherhood Cut Cutting Israel Judah Pieces Relation Rod Second Staff Union Unity
Zechariah 11
1. The destruction of Jerusalem.
3. The elect being cared for, the rest are rejected.
10. The staves of Beauty and Bands broken by the rejection of Christ.
15. The type and curse of a foolish shepherd.














Then I cut in pieces
The phrase "cut in pieces" signifies a deliberate and decisive action. In the Hebrew context, the verb used here is "גָּדַע" (gada), which means to cut down or hew. This action symbolizes a complete and irreversible severance. Historically, this act represents a prophetic gesture by Zechariah, illustrating God's judgment and the breaking of a covenant or relationship. It is a vivid depiction of the seriousness of Israel's disobedience and the resulting consequences.

my second staff
The "second staff" refers to a symbolic tool used by shepherds, representing guidance and protection. In the context of Zechariah, the staff is a metaphor for God's leadership and care over His people. The use of a "second" staff indicates that there was a first, suggesting a sequence of actions or judgments. This staff, named "Union," highlights the intended unity and harmony among God's people, which is now being dismantled.

called Union
The name "Union" (in Hebrew, "חֹבְלִים" or "hoblim") signifies the bond or connection between the tribes of Israel. This term underscores the ideal of unity that God desired for His people. The breaking of this staff symbolizes the fracturing of this unity, a poignant reminder of the division that sin and disobedience bring. Historically, this foreshadows the eventual split of the united kingdom into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.

breaking the brotherhood
"Breaking the brotherhood" conveys the dissolution of familial and national ties. The Hebrew word for "brotherhood" is "אָחִים" (achim), which denotes kinship and close relationships. This phrase highlights the tragic outcome of internal strife and rebellion against God. It serves as a warning of the spiritual and social consequences of turning away from divine guidance.

between Judah and Israel
The division "between Judah and Israel" refers to the historical split between the two kingdoms after the reign of Solomon. Judah, representing the southern kingdom, and Israel, the northern kingdom, often found themselves at odds, both politically and spiritually. This division is emblematic of the broader disunity among God's people, a theme that resonates throughout the prophetic literature. It serves as a call to repentance and a return to the covenantal relationship with God, emphasizing the need for unity under His sovereign rule.

Verse 14. - I eat asunder mine other staff. As the flock, by their contemptuous payment, showed their alienation from the Shepherd, so he now, by his symbolical action, shows his rejection of them, and his surrender of them to anarchy, confusion, and ruin. The breaking of the first staff indicated that God withdrew his defensive care; the breaking of the staff called "Bands" signifies the utter dissolution of all the bends that held the nation together, the civil and social disunion that paved the way for the victory of the Romans, and issued in the final disruption which sent the Jews wandering through the world. This in the vision is represented as the breaking of the brotherhood between Judah and Israel, the component parts of the nation. Thus was hinted the ultimate rejection of the Jews in consequence of their treatment of Christ, the good Shepherd, who came unto his own, and his own received him not (comp. Matthew 23:36-38). This doom is declared more fully in the next section.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then I cut in pieces
וָֽאֶגְדַּע֙ (wā·’eḡ·da‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1438: To fell a, tree, to destroy anything

my second
הַשֵּׁנִ֔י (haš·šê·nî)
Article | Number - ordinal masculine singular
Strong's 8145: Second (an ordinal number)

staff
מַקְלִ֣י (maq·lî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 4731: A shoot, stick

[called] Union,
הַחֹֽבְלִ֑ים (ha·ḥō·ḇə·lîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2256: A rope, a measuring line, a district, inheritance, a noose, a company, a throe, ruin

breaking
לְהָפֵר֙ (lə·hā·p̄êr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 6565: To break up, to violate, frustrate

the brotherhood
הָֽאַחֲוָ֔ה (hā·’a·ḥă·wāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 264: Brotherhood

between
בֵּ֥ין (bên)
Preposition
Strong's 996: An interval, space between

Judah
יְהוּדָ֖ה (yə·hū·ḏāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3063: Judah -- 'praised', a son of Jacob, also the southern kingdom, also four Israelites

and Israel.
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc


Links
Zechariah 11:14 NIV
Zechariah 11:14 NLT
Zechariah 11:14 ESV
Zechariah 11:14 NASB
Zechariah 11:14 KJV

Zechariah 11:14 BibleApps.com
Zechariah 11:14 Biblia Paralela
Zechariah 11:14 Chinese Bible
Zechariah 11:14 French Bible
Zechariah 11:14 Catholic Bible

OT Prophets: Zechariah 11:14 Then I cut apart my other staff (Zech. Zec Zc)
Zechariah 11:13
Top of Page
Top of Page