Zechariah 11:12-13
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The shepherd doesn't demand a sum; he offers a choice: "Give me my wages; but if not, keep them." This isn't about needing payment, but about highlighting the flock's utter disregard, as they respond with the contemptible price of a slave, revealing their true valuation of his care.
Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. Then the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD, to the potter.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Zechariah, acting as a symbolic shepherd, is commanded by God to feed a flock destined for slaughter, representing the unfaithful people of Israel. After the people reject his true shepherding, he asks them to pay his wages, signifying the severing of their relationship and the abandonment of his role. The leaders, representing the corrupt religious authorities, contemptuously weigh out thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave, for his service.
Have you ever felt undervalued or that your efforts were dismissed? In this passage, the prophet Zechariah, acting as a divine representative, asks for his 'wages.' What does this demand reveal about God's relationship with His people?
Zechariah, acting as a stand-in for God or even the Messiah himself, makes a profound request. He asks his 'flock'—the people of Israel—to pay him for his service as their shepherd. This isn't about God needing our resources; it's about acknowledging His care and seeking a response of faith and love.
A Choice Offered, Not Forced
He puts it to them: 'If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.' This highlights God's respect for human free will. He doesn't coerce service or affection. He offers blessings and asks for a return of devotion, but ultimately leaves the choice to us. The offer is open-ended, allowing them to decide what His care is worth to them.
The response to the prophet's request is shockingly low. Thirty pieces of silver. What was the significance of this amount, and why is it so loaded with divine irony and judgment?
The people's answer is to 'weigh out... thirty pieces of silver.' This sum wasn't just a random number; it was the exact price for a slave who had been gored to death by an animal, as outlined in Exodus 21:32. By offering this amount, they were essentially valuing their shepherd—who represents God's care and the Messiah's sacrifice—at the level of cheap, expendable property.
Contempt and Foreshadowing
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This act is dripping with contempt. It wasn't just a refusal of wages; it was an insult, a declaration that the shepherd's life and service were worth less than a living person. This deeply symbolic act was a foreshadowing of the ultimate betrayal by Judas, who would sell Jesus for the exact same amount, fulfilling this prophecy in a devastating way.
Understand the original words
keseph · Hebrew Noun
The standard unit of currency used in ancient Israel for commercial exchange, often used in legal contexts and occasionally symbolizing value, redemption price, or, ironically, the price of a slave.
yatsar · Hebrew Noun
A person who molds clay, functioning in the Old Testament both as a common artisan and as a powerful metaphor for God’s sovereignty in shaping humanity and nations according to His will.
This prophecy was given centuries after the exile, during the rebuilding of Jewish life under Persian rule. The prophet Zechariah, acting as a symbolic shepherd, is contemptuously 'paid' thirty pieces of silver. This act foreshadows the ultimate rejection and betrayal of the Messiah by the Jewish rulers, who would value His life at the price of a slave.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation of Jewish Exiles
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon begins deporting Jewish elites, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the start of the Babylonian exile.
587/586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and the First Temple, followed by a final deportation of Jews. This event shatters the Judean kingdom and its national identity.
c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus Allows Return
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon and issues a decree allowing exiled peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands.
c. 516 BC
Dedication of the Second Temple
Exiled Jews return to Jerusalem and complete the rebuilding of the Temple. This marks a significant point in the restoration of Jewish religious life.
c. 458 BC
Ezra's Reforms
Ezra the scribe leads another group of exiles back to Jerusalem, leading a religious revival and enforcing strict adherence to the Law.
c. 445 BC
Nehemiah Rebuilds Jerusalem's Walls
Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem and oversees the rebuilding of the city walls, facing significant opposition from surrounding peoples. This strengthens the physical and political boundaries of Judea.
c. 400 BC— this verse
Writing of Zechariah's Prophecies
Zechariah delivers his prophecies, including the poignant depiction of the shepherd being valued at thirty pieces of silver, likely during the post-exilic period.
This passage sets the precedent for the value of thirty pieces of silver, establishing it as the price for a slave, highlighting the immense insult and devaluation of the shepherd's worth in Zechariah's vision.
Matthew 26:15This New Testament passage directly fulfills Zechariah's prophecy, showing Judas Iscariot receiving thirty pieces of silver from the chief priests to betray Jesus, demonstrating how the Messiah was valued even less than a slave.
Hosea 3:2This passage describes a similar act of valuing the prophet at thirty pieces of silver, further emphasizing the theme of a prophet being contemptuously valued by the people he serves.
Matthew 27:3-10This passage details the aftermath of Judas's betrayal, showing the thirty pieces of silver being returned to the temple and used to purchase the potter's field, a fulfillment that echoes the prophet's action of casting the silver to the potter.
wesleyZechariah 11:12: "And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver."
11:12 And I said - Upon parting, Christ seems after the manner of men, to mind them of his claims for them, and desire them to reckon with him. If ye think good - He puts it to them, whether they thought he deserved ought at their hands? So they - The rulers of the Jews, the high priest, chief priests, and pharisees. Weighed - Which was the mann…
clarkeZechariah 11:12: "And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver."
If ye think good, give me my price - "Give me my hire." And we find they rated it contemptuously; thirty pieces of silver being the price of a slave, Exodus 21:32 .
The shepherd doesn't demand a sum; he offers a choice: "Give me my wages; but if not, keep them." This isn't about needing payment, but about highlighting the flock's utter disregard, as they respond with the contemptible price of a slave, revealing their true valuation of his care.
The prophet Zechariah, acting as a symbolic shepherd, is commanded by God to feed a flock destined for slaughter, representing the unfaithful people of Israel. After the people reject his true shepherding, he asks them to pay his wages, signifying the severing of their relationship and the abandonment of his role. The leaders, representing the corrupt religious authorities, contemptuously weigh out thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave, for his service.
The prophet Zechariah, acting as a symbolic shepherd, is commanded by God to feed a flock destined for slaughter, representing the unfaithful people of Israel. After the people reject his true shepherding, he asks them to pay his wages, signifying the severing of their relationship and the abandonment of his role. The leaders, representing the corrupt religious authorities, contemptuously weigh out thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave, for his service.
"Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. Then the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by…" — The shepherd doesn't demand a sum; he offers a choice: "Give me my wages; but if not, keep them." This isn't about needing payment, but about highlighting the flock's utter disregard, as they respond…
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Last reviewed October 2026
