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Bible in Basic English

Zechariah 11:4

This is what the Lord my God has said: Take care of the flock of death;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Minister, Christian;  

Dictionaries:

- Fausset Bible Dictionary - Zechariah, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Zechariah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Apocalyptic Literature;   Ekron;   Micah, Book of;   Prophecy, Prophets;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Zechariah, Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord my God says this: “Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter.
Hebrew Names Version
Thus says the LORD my God: "Feed the flock of slaughter.
King James Version (1611)
Thus saith the Lord my God; Feede the flocke of the slaughter;
King James Version
Thus saith the Lord my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;
English Standard Version
Thus said the Lord my God: "Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.
New American Standard Bible
This is what the LORD my God says: "Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter.
New Century Version
This is what the Lord my God says: "Feed the flock that are about to be killed.
Amplified Bible
Thus says the LORD my God, "Pasture the flock doomed for slaughter,
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thus sayeth the Lorde my God, Feede the sheepe of the slaughter.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Thus says the LORD my God, "Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter.
Legacy Standard Bible
Thus says Yahweh my God, "Shepherd the flock doomed to slaughter.
Berean Standard Bible
This is what the LORD my God says: "Pasture the flock marked for slaughter,
Contemporary English Version
The Lord my God said to me: Tend those sheep doomed for slaughter!
Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai my God says this: "Shepherd the flock for slaughter.
Darby Translation
Thus saith Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter,
Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord my God says, "Care for the sheep that have been raised to be killed.
George Lamsa Translation
Thus says the LORD my God: Feed the lean flock
Good News Translation
The Lord my God said to me, "Act the part of the shepherd of a flock of sheep that are going to be butchered.
Lexham English Bible
Thus says Yahweh my God: "Shepherd the flock doomed to slaughter.
Literal Translation
For so says Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of the slaughter.
American Standard Version
Thus said Jehovah my God: Feed the flock of slaughter;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thus said the LORD my God: 'Feed the flock of slaughter;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thus saith the Lorde my God: Feede the sheepe of the slaughter,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thus saith the Lord Almighty, Feed the sheep of the slaughter;
English Revised Version
Thus said the LORD my God: Feed the flock of slaughter;
World English Bible
Thus says Yahweh my God: "Feed the flock of slaughter.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
My Lord God seith these thingis, Fede thou beestis of slauyter,
Update Bible Version
Thus Yahweh my God said: Feed the flock of slaughter;
Webster's Bible Translation
Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;
New English Translation
The Lord my God says this: "Shepherd the flock set aside for slaughter.
New King James Version
Thus says the LORD my God, "Feed the flock for slaughter,
New Living Translation
This is what the Lord my God says: "Go and care for the flock that is intended for slaughter.
New Life Bible
The Lord my God said, "Take care of the flock that is to be killed.
New Revised Standard
Thus said the Lord my God: Be a shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thus, saith Yahweh my God, - Tend thou the flock doomed to slaughter:
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thus saith the Lord my God: Feed the flock of the slaughter,
Revised Standard Version
Thus said the LORD my God: "Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.
Young's Literal Translation
Thus said Jehovah my God: `Feed the flock of the slaughter,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thus sayeth the LORDE my God: Fede the shepe of ye slaughter,

Contextual Overview

4 This is what the Lord my God has said: Take care of the flock of death; 5 Whose owners put them to death and have no sense of sin; and those who get a price for them say, May the Lord be praised for I have much wealth: and the keepers of the flock have no pity for them. 6 For I will have no more pity for the people of the land, says the Lord; but I will give up everyone into his neighbour's hand and into the hand of his king: and they will make the land waste, and I will not keep them safe from their hands. 7 So I took care of the flock of death, for those who made profit out of the flock; and I took for myself two rods, naming one Beautiful, and the other Bands; and I took care of the flock. 8 And in one month I put an end to the three keepers of the flock; for my soul was tired of them, and their souls were disgusted with me. 9 And I said, I will not take care of you: If death comes to any, let death be its fate; if any is cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest take one another's flesh for food. 10 And I took my rod Beautiful, cutting it in two, so that the Lord's agreement, which he had made with all the peoples, might be broken. 11 And it was broken on that day: and the sheep-traders, who were watching me, were certain that it was the word of the Lord. 12 And I said to them, If it seems good to you, give me my payment; and if not, do not give it. So they gave me my payment by weight, thirty shekels of silver. 13 And the Lord said to me, Put it into the store-house, the price at which I was valued by them. And I took the thirty shekels of silver and put them into the store-house in the house of the Lord.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Lord: Zechariah 14:5, Isaiah 49:4, Isaiah 49:5, John 20:17, Ephesians 1:3

Feed: Zechariah 11:7, Isaiah 40:9-11, Ezekiel 34:23, Ezekiel 34:24, Micah 5:4, Matthew 15:24, Matthew 23:37, Luke 19:41-44, John 21:15-17, Romans 15:8

Reciprocal: Psalms 78:71 - feed Jeremiah 50:6 - their shepherds Micah 3:2 - pluck Zechariah 13:7 - my shepherd John 10:1 - the same John 10:8 - came Acts 20:28 - to feed

Cross-References

Genesis 6:4
There were men of great strength and size on the earth in those days; and after that, when the sons of God had connection with the daughters of men, they gave birth to children: these were the great men of old days, the men of great name.
Genesis 11:8
So the Lord God sent them away into every part of the earth: and they gave up building their town.
Genesis 11:9
So it was named Babel, because there the Lord took away the sense of all languages and from there the Lord sent them away over all the face of the earth.
Genesis 11:11
And after the birth of Arpachshad, Shem went on living for five hundred years, and had sons and daughters:
Genesis 11:13
And after the birth of Shelah, Arpachshad went on living for four hundred and three years, and had sons and daughters:
Deuteronomy 1:28
Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts feeble with fear by saying, The people are greater and taller than we are, and the towns are great and walled up to heaven; and more than this, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.
Deuteronomy 4:27
And the Lord will send you wandering among the peoples; only a small band of you will be kept from death among the nations where the Lord will send you.
Deuteronomy 9:1
Give ear, O Israel: today you are to go over Jordan, to take the heritage of nations greater and stronger than yourselves, and towns of great size with walls as high as heaven;
2 Samuel 8:13
And David got great honour for himself, when he came back, by the destruction of Edom in the valley of Salt, to the number of eighteen thousand men.
Psalms 92:9
For see! your haters, O Lord, will be put to death; all the workers of evil will be put to flight;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thus saith the Lord my God,.... The Syriac version adds, "to me"; not the Prophet Zechariah, but the Messiah, who calls the Lord his God, as he was man and Mediator, John 20:17 for what follow are the words of God the Father to him, calling upon him, and giving him a commission to

Feed the flock of the slaughter; meaning the people of the Jews in general, to whom Christ was sent as a prophet, to teach and instruct them by the ministry of the word; so "feeding" is interpreted of prophesying, by the Targum and Jarchi: and these are called "the flock of slaughter", because of the cruel usage they met with from their shepherds and owners, mentioned in the next verse Zechariah 11:5; and because they were appointed and given up to ruin and destruction of God, on account of their sins and transgressions; though there was a remnant among them, a little flock, afterwards in this chapter called the poor of the flock Zechariah 11:7, who were the special care of Christ, and were fed by him in a spiritual manner; and may go by this name, because exposed to the cruelties of men, and are accounted as sheep for the slaughter, Romans 8:36 these Christ was called upon by his Father in the council of peace to take care of, which he did; and in the everlasting covenant of grace he agreed to feed them; and in the fulness of time he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, who were as sheep without a shepherd; and he fed them with knowledge and with understanding.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thus saith the Lord my God, Feed the flock of the slaughter - The fulfillment of the whole prophecy shows, that the person addressed is the prophet, not in, or for himself, but (as belongs to symbolic prophecy) as representing Another, our Lord. It is addressed, in the first instance, to Zechariah. For Zechariah is bidden, “take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd” Zechariah 11:15, in words addressed to himself, personally; “And the Lord said unto me.” But he who was to represent the foolish shepherd, had represented the True Shepherd, since it is said to him, “Take unto thee yet.” But He, the Shepherd addressed, who does the acts commanded, speaks with the authority of God. He says, “I cut off three shepherds in one month” Zechariah 11:8; “I broke My covenant which I had made with all the peoples” Zechariah 11:10; “the poor of the flock waited upon Me” Zechariah 11:11; “I cut asunder Mine other staff, Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel” Zechariah 11:14. But in Zechariah’s time, no three shepherds were cut off, the covenant made by God was not broken on His part, there was no such visible distinction between those who waited on God, and those who, outwardly too, rejected Him.

Feed the flock of the slaughter - Those who were, even before the end, slain by their evil shepherds whom they followed, and who in the end would be given to the slaughter, as the Psalmist says, “we are counted as sheep for the slaughter” Psalms 44:22, because they would not hear the voice of the True Shepherd, and were not His sheep. They were already, by God’s judgment, a prey to evil shepherds; and would be so yet more hereafter. As a whole then, they were “sheep of the slaughter.” It is a last Charge given to feed them. As our Lord says, “Last of all, He sent unto them His Son, saying, They will reverence My Son” Matthew 21:37. This failing, nothing remained but that the flock would be given up, as they themselves say, “He will miserably destroy those wicked people, and will let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render Him the fruits in their seasons” Matthew 21:41, that is, our Lord explains it, “The kingdom of heaven shall be taken from them, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. Yet a remnant should be saved” Matthew 21:43, for whose sake the larger flock was still to be fed: and, as our Lord, as Man, wept over Jerusalem, whose sentence He pronounced, so He still feeds those who would not turn to Him that they might be saved, and who would in the end be “a flock of slaughter,” “Death their shepherd” Psalms 49:14, since they chose death rather than Life.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Zechariah 11:4. Feed the flock of the slaughter — This people resemble a flock of sheep fattened for the shambles; feed, instruct, this people who are about to be slaughtered.


 
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