Zechariah 10 Study Notes

10:1-2 With a lack of leadership (referred to as shepherds, probably designating the leaders of the community), the Israelites had been turning to false sources of blessings. Zechariah rebuked them, instructing them to ask the Lord for rain (see Jr 14:22; Jl 2:23) instead of appealing to household deities (idols) and false prophets (diviners), which was forbidden in the Law (Dt 18:9-14).

10:3-5 The phrase my anger burns against the shepherds reflects a common concern of the prophets about inept and misguided leadership (Ezk 34:1-10; Mc 3:1-4). Conversely, when God tended his flock, they became like a majestic steed, a cornerstone, a tent peg, a battle bow, or as “jewels in a crown, sparkling over his land” (9:16). They will even put horsemen to shame. Such poetic images are designed to evoke desire among readers to be empowered in similar ways. Cornerstone can be a metaphor for leader (Is 19:13). It is used as a metaphor for Jesus in the NT (Ac 4:11; 1Pt 2:6-8).

10:6-9 Judah designates the southern two tribes, while the northern ten tribes can be referred to by Joseph, his son Ephraim, or Israel. When the chosen people were marched hundreds of miles into exile (Israel into Assyria and Judah into Babylonia), it seemed impossible that they could ever return (see note at 1:2). Once some exiles from Judah had returned, the lingering question concerned Israel. After almost two hundred years in Assyria, was restoration to their land even possible? The answer was yes. God would whistle and gather them and reverse his rejection of them (Ezk 37:15-28; Hs 1:10-11). There is no biblical evidence that this has been fulfilled yet. Today, after thousands of years and with the people now completely absorbed by intermarriage into other cultures, a return seems even more improbable (Zch 11:14). Interpreters are divided on how the ultimate fulfillment will come about and what it will look like.

10:10-12 Egypt and Assyria were representative of various nations where the chosen people went into captivity. Even though the promised land is expanded to include outlying regions (Gilead and Lebanon), even that will not be enough for the number of returnees.