Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;
Thus saith the Lord my God. The commission is here given by the Father to the Son, "Feed the flock." The prophet here proceeds to show the cause of the destruction just foretold-namely, the rejection of Messiah.
Feed the flock of the slaughter - "the flock of the slaughter" is God's people doomed to slaughter by the Romans. Compare Psalms 44:22, "We are counted as sheep for the slaughter." Zechariah here represents, in his own person, typically, Messiah, and performs in vision the actions enjoined: hence, the language is in part appropriate to him, but mainly to the antitype, Messiah. A million and a half people perished in the Jewish war, and 1,100,000 souls at the fall of Jerusalem. "Feed" implies that the Jews could not plead ignorance of God's will to execute their sin. Zechariah and the other prophets had, by God's appointment, "fed" them (Acts 20:28) with the Word of God, teaching and warning them to escape from coming wrath by repentance: the type of Messiah the chief shepherd, who receives the commission of the Father, with whom He is one (Zechariah 11:4, "Feed the flock of the slaughter;") and says Himself, in accordance with His commission (Zechariah 11:7), "I will feed the flock of slaughter." Zechariah did not live to "feed" literally the "flock of slaughter;" Messiah alone "fed" those who, because of their rejection of Him, were condemned to slaughter. Yahweh-Messiah is the real speaker. It is He who threatens to inflict the punishments (Zechariah 11:6; Zechariah 11:8). The typical breaking of the staff, performed in vision by Zechariah (Zechariah 11:10), is fulfilled in His breaking the covenant with Judah. It is He who was sold for 30 pieces of silver, the price cast unto the potter (Zechariah 11:12-13).