Zechariah 11:4-17
“And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock.”
King James Version
Zechariah's enacted prophecy of the good shepherd and the thirty pieces of silver, remarkably fulfilled in Judas's betrayal.
Fulfillment References
Matthew 27:9-10 Matthew 26:15 Zechariah 11:13
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalThe rejected Shepherd is priced at 'thirty pieces of silver' — the price of a slave — and the money cast 'to the potter in the house of the LORD' (11:12-13), fulfilled when Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus for thirty pieces and the silver bought the potter's field (Matt. 27:9-10). The Shepherd valued and sold is God Himself in flesh, come to feed the flock and rejected by His own.
JewishAn enacted prophecy of the rejected shepherd and the breaking of the covenant with the flock; the 'thirty pieces' a contemptuous wage. Read of failed leadership over Israel, not of Jesus.
CatholicThe Good Shepherd rejected and sold; the thirty pieces and the potter's field fulfilled in the Passion (Matt. 27).
ProtestantA detailed messianic prophecy of Christ's betrayal price; Matthew applies it to Judas's thirty pieces and the potter's field.
AcademicA difficult sign-act oracle; Matthew attributes the citation to Jeremiah while drawing on Zechariah 11:12-13 — a noted text-critical puzzle.
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Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.