And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, {k} O poor of the flock. And I took to me {l} two staffs; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

(k) That is, the small remnant, whom he though worthy to show mercy to.

(l) God shows his great benefits toward his people to convince them of greater ingratitude, who would neither be ruled by his most beautiful order of government, neither continue in the bands of brotherly unity, and therefore he breaks both the one and the other. Some read Destroyers instead of Bands, but in Zec 11:14 the second reading is confirmed.

Wesley's Notes

11:7 Bands - The beauty of grace and glory, the bands of love and peace.

King James Translators' Notes

even...: or, verily the poor

Bands: or, Binders

Scofield Reference Notes

[1] two staves

The scene belongs to the first advent. Beauty and Bands--literally "graciousness and union"; the first signifying God's attitude toward His people Israel, in sending His Son Mt 21:37 the second, His purpose to reunite Judah and Ephraim Ezek 37:15-22. Christ, at His first advent, came with grace Jn 1:17 to offer union Mt 4:17 and was sold for thirty pieces of silver Zech 11:12,13. "Beauty" (i.e. graciousness) was "cut in sunder" (Zech 8:10,11), signifying that Judah was abandoned to the destruction foretold in Zech 11:1-6 and fulfilled A.D. 70. After the betrayal of the Lord for thirty pieces of silver (Zech 11:12,13) "Bands" (i.e. union) was broken (Zech 11:14), signifying the abandonment, for the time, of the purpose to reunite Judah and Israel. The order of Zech. 11. is,

(1) the wrath against the land (Zech 11:1-6), fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem after the rejection of Christ Lk 19:41-44.

(2) the cause of that wrath in the sale and rejection of Christ vs. (Zech 11:7-14);

(3) the rise of the "idol shepherd," the Beast Dan 7:8 Rev 19:20 and his destruction (Zech 11:15-17).

[2] the one

The O.T. Parables: Summary. A parable is a similitude used to teach or enforce a truth. The O.T. parables fall into three classes:

(1) The story-parable, of which Jud 9:7-15 is an instance;

(2) parabolic discourses; e.g. Isa 5:1-7

(3) parabolic actions; e.g. Ezek 37:16-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

7. And-rather, "Accordingly": implying the motive cause which led Messiah to assume the office, namely, the will of the Father (Zec 11:4, 5), who pitied the sheep without any true shepherd.

I will feed-"I fed" [Calvin], which comes to the same thing, as the past tense must in Zechariah's time have referred to the event of Messiah's advent then future: the prophets often speaking of the future in vision as already present. It was not My fault, Jehovah implies, that these sheep were not fed; the fault rests solely with you, because ye rejected the grace of God [Calvin].

even you, O poor of the flock-rather, "in order that (I might feed, that is, save) the poor (humble; compare Zec 11:11; Zep 3:12; Mt 5:3) of the flock"; literally, not you, but, "therefore (I will feed)" [Moore]. See Margin, "Verily the poor." It is for the sake of the believing remnant that Messiah took charge of the flock, though He would have saved all, if they would have come to Him. They would not come; therefore, as a nation, they are "the flock of (that is, doomed to) slaughter."

I took . two staves-that is, shepherds' staves or rods (Ps 23:4). Symbolizing His assumption of the pastor's office.

Beauty-The Jews' peculiar excellency above other nations (De 4:7), God's special manifestation to them (Ps 147:19, 20), the glory of the temple ("the beauty of holiness," Ps 29:2; compare Ps 27:4; 90:17; 2Ch 20:21), the "pleasantness" of their land (Ge 49:15; Da 8:9; 11:16), "the glorious land."

Bands-implying the bond of "brotherhood" between Judah and Israel. "Bands," in Ps 119:61, Margin, is used for confederate companies: The Easterns in making a confederacy often tie a cord or band as a symbol of it, and untie it when they dissolve the confederacy [Ludovicus De Dieu]. Messiah would have joined Judah and Israel in the bonds of a common faith and common laws (Zec 11:14), but they would not; therefore in just retribution He broke "His covenant which He had made with all the people." Alexander, Antiochus Epiphanes, and Pompey were all kept from marring utterly the distinctive "beauty" and "brotherhood" of Judah and Israel, which subsisted more or less so long as the temple stood. But when Jehovah brake the staves, not even Titus could save the temple from his own Roman soldiery, nor was Jurian able to restore it.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

11:4-14 Christ came into this world for judgment to the Jewish church and nation, which were wretchedly corrupt and degenerate. Those have their minds wofully blinded, who do ill, and justify themselves in it; but God will not hold those guiltless who hold themselves so. How can we go to God to beg a blessing on unlawful methods of getting wealth, or to return thanks for success in them? There was a general decay of religion among them, and they regarded it not. The Good Shepherd would feed his flock, but his attention would chiefly be directed to the poor. As an emblem, the prophet seems to have taken two staves; Beauty, denoted the privileges of the Jewish nation, in their national covenant; the other he called Bands, denoting the harmony which hitherto united them as the flock of God. But they chose to cleave to false teachers. The carnal mind and the friendship of the world are enmity to God; and God hates all the workers of iniquity: it is easy to foresee what this will end in. The prophet demanded wages, or a reward, and received thirty pieces of silver. By Divine direction he cast it to the potter, as in disdain for the smallness of the sum. This shadowed forth the bargain of Judas to betray Christ, and the final method of applying it. Nothing ruins a people so certainly, as weakening the brotherhood among them. This follows the dissolving of the covenant between God and them: when sin abounds, love waxes cold, and civil contests follow. No wonder if those fall out among themselves, who have provoked God to fall out with them. Wilful contempt of Christ is the great cause of men's ruin. And if professors rightly valued Christ, they would not contend about little matters.