The Meaning of Zechariah 11:16 Explained

Zechariah 11:16

KJV: For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.

YLT: For lo, I am raising up a shepherd in the land, The cut off he doth not inspect, The shaken off he doth not seek, And the broken he doth not heal, The standing he doth not sustain, And the flesh of the fat he doth eat, And their hoofs he doth break off.

Darby: For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who shall not visit those that are about to perish, neither shall seek that which is strayed away, nor heal that which is wounded, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their hoofs in pieces.

ASV: For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those that are cut off, neither will seek those that are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat'sheep , and will tear their hoofs in pieces.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For, lo, I will raise up  a shepherd  in the land,  [which] shall not visit  those that be cut off,  neither shall seek  the young one,  nor heal  that that is broken,  nor feed  that that standeth  still: but he shall eat  the flesh  of the fat,  and tear  their claws  in pieces. 

What does Zechariah 11:16 Mean?

Verse Meaning

In his new role Zechariah represented one who would fail to do for the sheep all that a good shepherd would do. Instead he would be self-serving. Israel"s preference for Barabbas over Jesus showed her willingness in the past to accept a bad individual in place of a good one.
"When one removes "not" from the sentence, he has an enlightening description of a truly effective pastoral ministry in the church today. (1) "care for the lost ..." or ... "care for those in the process of being ruined or destroyed"; (2) "seek the young ... [1] "the scattered"; (3) "heal the injured," and (4) "feed the healthy."" [2]
Tearing off the hoofs of the sheep probably represents the avaricious shepherd searching for the last edible morsel that he can extract from his charges whom he has consumed. [3]

Context Summary

Zechariah 11:1-17 - Beauty And Bands
The times were very dark when Zechariah felt called upon to act as shepherd to Jehovah's harried flock. Rulers and priests were actuated by selfish greed and mutual antagonism. Three shepherds had already failed. After a brief effort Zechariah renounced the attempt. He broke his staff of Beauty, or Grace, Zechariah 11:10, r.v. margin, as if God's tender love had withdrawn from its struggle with evil; and when he challenged the people to set a value on his services, they weighed him out thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave. Thereupon he broke the other staff, disrupting the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. In the following paragraph, Zechariah 11:15-17, there is an evident reference to the terrible reign of Antiochus whose cruelties led to the heroic uprising of the Maccabees. Five centuries afterwards Jesus was sent to gather the flock with the same result, Matthew 27:9-10. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Zechariah 11:16 mean?

For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land those who are cut off not [who] will care for the young nor seek and those that are broken nor heal those that stand still feed but the flesh of the fat he will eat and their hooves tear in pieces -
כִּ֣י הִנֵּֽה־ אָנֹכִי֩ מֵקִ֨ים רֹעֶ֜ה בָּאָ֗רֶץ הַנִּכְחָד֤וֹת לֹֽא־ יִפְקֹד֙ הַנַּ֣עַר לֹֽא־ יְבַקֵּ֔שׁ וְהַנִּשְׁבֶּ֖רֶת לֹ֣א יְרַפֵּ֑א הַנִּצָּבָה֙ יְכַלְכֵּ֔ל וּבְשַׂ֤ר הַבְּרִיאָה֙ יֹאכַ֔ל וּפַרְסֵיהֶ֖ן יְפָרֵֽק ס

הִנֵּֽה־  indeed 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
מֵקִ֨ים  will  raise  up 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
רֹעֶ֜ה  a  shepherd 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: רָעָה 
Sense: to pasture, tend, graze, feed.
בָּאָ֗רֶץ  in  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
הַנִּכְחָד֤וֹת  those  who  are  cut  off 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, feminine plural
Root: כָּחַד  
Sense: to hide, conceal, cut off, cut down, make desolate, kick.
יִפְקֹד֙  [who]  will  care  for 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
הַנַּ֣עַר  the  young 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
לֹֽא־  nor 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יְבַקֵּ֔שׁ  seek 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
וְהַנִּשְׁבֶּ֖רֶת  and  those  that  are  broken 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
לֹ֣א  nor 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יְרַפֵּ֑א  heal 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָפָא  
Sense: to heal, make healthful.
הַנִּצָּבָה֙  those  that  stand  still 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: הֻצַּב 
Sense: to stand, take one’s stand, stand upright, be set (over), establish.
יְכַלְכֵּ֔ל  feed 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כּוּל  
Sense: to seize, contain, measure.
וּבְשַׂ֤ר  but  the  flesh 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בָּשָׂר  
Sense: flesh.
הַבְּרִיאָה֙  of  the  fat 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: בָּרִיא  
Sense: fat.
יֹאכַ֔ל  he  will  eat 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וּפַרְסֵיהֶ֖ן  and  their  hooves 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person feminine plural
Root: פַּרְסָה  
Sense: hoof.
יְפָרֵֽק  tear  in  pieces 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּרַק  
Sense: to tear apart or away, tear off, break away.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation