12:11 The words of the sages are like prods, 1
and the collected sayings are like firmly fixed nails;
they are given by one shepherd.
40:11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock;
he gathers up the lambs with his arm;
he carries them close to his heart; 2
he leads the ewes along.
23:5 “I, the Lord, promise 6 that a new time will certainly come 7
when I will raise up for them a righteous branch, 8 a descendant of David.
He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding 9
and will do what is just and right in the land. 10
23:6 Under his rule 11 Judah will enjoy safety 12
and Israel will live in security. 13
This is the name he will go by:
‘The Lord has provided us with justice.’ 14
5:2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, 15
seemingly insignificant 16 among the clans of Judah –
from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, 17
one whose origins 18 are in the distant past. 19
5:3 So the Lord 20 will hand the people of Israel 21 over to their enemies 22
until the time when the woman in labor 23 gives birth. 24
Then the rest of the king’s 25 countrymen will return
to be reunited with the people of Israel. 26
5:4 He will assume his post 27 and shepherd the people 28 by the Lord’s strength,
by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. 29
They will live securely, 30 for at that time he will be honored 31
even in the distant regions of 32 the earth.
5:5 He will give us peace. 33
Should the Assyrians try to invade our land
and attempt to set foot in our fortresses, 34
we will send 35 against them seven 36 shepherd-rulers, 37
make that eight commanders. 38
13:7 “Awake, sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is my associate,”
says the Lord who rules over all.
Strike the shepherd that the flock may be scattered; 39
I will turn my hand against the insignificant ones.
10:11 “I am the good 40 shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life 41 for the sheep.
13:20 Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ,
13:1 Brotherly love must continue.
2:1 Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
1 tn Or “goads”; NCV “sharp sticks used to guide animals.” For further information see M. A. Fishbane, Biblical Interpretation, 29–32.
2 tn Heb “in his bosom” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV), an expression which reflects closeness and protective care.
3 tn Heb “shepherds.”
4 tn There are various nuances of the word פָּקַד (paqad) represented in vv. 2, 4. See Ps 8:4 (8:5 HT) and Zech 10:3 for “care for/take care of” (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.A.1.a). See Exod 20:5; Amos 3:2; Jer 9:24; 11:22 for “punish” (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.A.3). See 1 Kgs 20:39 and 2 Kgs 10:19 for “be missing” (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Niph.1).
5 tn Heb “Oracle of the
6 tn Heb “Oracle of the
7 tn Heb “Behold the days are coming.”
8 tn Heb “a righteous sprig to David” or “a righteous shoot” (NAB).
9 tn Heb “he will reign as king and act wisely.” This is another example of the use of two verbs joined by “and” where one becomes the adverbial modifier of the other (hendiadys). For the nuance of the verb “act wisely” rather than “prosper” see Amos 5:13; Ps 2:10 (cf. BDB 968 s.v. שָׂכַל Hiph.5).
10 sn This has been the constant emphasis in this section. See 22:3 for the demand, 22:15 for its fulfillment, and 22:13 for its abuse. The ideal king would follow in the footsteps of his illustrious ancestor David (2 Sam 8:15) who set this forth as an ideal for his dynasty (2 Sam 23:3) and prayed for it to be true of his son Solomon (Ps 72:1-2).
11 tn Heb “In his days [= during the time he rules].”
12 tn Parallelism and context (cf. v. 4) suggest this nuance for the word often translated “be saved.” For this nuance elsewhere see Ps 119:117; Prov 28:18 for the verb (יָשַׁע [yasha’] in the Niphal); and Ps 12:6; Job 5:4, 11 for the related noun (יֶשַׁע, yesha’).
13 sn It should be noted that this brief oracle of deliverance implies the reunification of Israel and Judah under the future Davidic ruler. Jeremiah has already spoken about this reunification earlier in 3:18 and will have more to say about it in 30:3; 31:27, 31. This same ideal was espoused in the prophecies of Hosea (1:10-11 [2:1-2 HT]), Isaiah (11:1-4, 10-12), and Ezekiel (37:15-28) all of which have messianic and eschatological significance.
14 tn Heb “his name will be called ‘The
15 sn Ephrathah is either an alternate name for Bethlehem or the name of the district in which Bethlehem was located. See Ruth 4:11.
16 tn Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.
17 tn Heb “from you for me one will go out to be a ruler over Israel.”
18 tn Heb “his goings out.” The term may refer to the ruler’s origins (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or to his activities.
19 tn Heb “from the past, from the days of antiquity.” Elsewhere both phrases refer to the early periods in the history of the world or of the nation of Israel. For מִקֶּדֶם (miqqedem, “from the past”) see Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10. For מִימֵי עוֹלָם (mimey ’olam, “from the days of antiquity”) see Isa 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mic 7:14; Mal 3:4. In Neh 12:46 and Amos 9:11 the Davidic era is in view.
20 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
21 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the people of Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn The words “to their enemies” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
23 sn The woman in labor. Personified, suffering Jerusalem is the referent. See 4:9-10.
24 sn Gives birth. The point of the figurative language is that Jerusalem finally finds relief from her suffering. See 4:10.
25 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 tn Heb “to the sons of Israel.” The words “be reunited with” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
27 tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”
28 tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
29 tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the
30 tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).
31 tn Heb “be great.”
32 tn Or “to the ends of.”
33 tn Heb “and this one will be peace”; ASV “and this man shall be our peace” (cf. Eph 2:14).
34 tc Some prefer to read “in our land,” emending the text to בְּאַדְמָתֵנוּ (bÿ’admatenu).
35 tn Heb “raise up.”
36 sn The numbers seven and eight here symbolize completeness and emphasize that Israel will have more than enough military leadership and strength to withstand the Assyrian advance.
37 tn Heb “shepherds.”
38 tn Heb “and eight leaders of men.”
39 sn Despite the NT use of this text to speak of the scattering of the disciples following Jesus’ crucifixion (Matt 26:31; Mark 14:27), the immediate context of Zechariah suggests that unfaithful shepherds (kings) will be punished by the
40 tn Or “model” (see R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:386, who argues that “model” is a more exact translation of καλός [kalos] here).
41 tn Or “The good shepherd dies willingly.”
42 sn Honor refers here to the honor of the high priesthood.
43 tn Grk “by himself, on his own.”
44 tn Grk “being called by God.”