Zechariah 11:10 · Bible study
Zechariah 11:10 Commentary: Covenant Broken
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
What covenant does God break in Zechariah 11:10? This study explores the debate over 'all the peoples' and the meaning of the staff Favor.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God breaks His covenant of favor, represented by the staff Favor, signaling the removal of protection and blessing from His people.
- Key words: Favor (no‘am), cut apart (gada‘), covenant (berit), all the peoples (kol-ha‘ammim).
- Main debate: Is the covenant the Sinaitic covenant with Israel, or a protective covenant with the nations on Israel’s behalf? The phrase “all the peoples” is ambiguous.
- Theological theme: God’s faithfulness does not negate judgment; broken human covenant-keeping can lead to the withdrawal of covenantal privileges, paving the way for a new covenant.
- Best use: Teaching on covenant theology, prophetic symbolism, and God’s sovereignty in judgment and redemption.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations.
WEB World English Bible 2000
I took my staff Favor and cut it apart, that I might break my covenant that I had made with all the peoples.
KJV King James Version 1769
And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And I took my staff Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And I take My staff Pleasantness, and cut it asunder, to make void My covenant that I had made with all the peoples:
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And I took my staff, Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And I took my rod that was called Beauty, and I cut it asunder to make void my covenant, which I had made with all people.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Tomé luego mi cayado Suavidad, y quebrélo, para deshacer mi pacto que concerté con todos los pueblos.
E peguei minha vara Agrado, e a quebrei, para desfazer meu pacto que tinha estabelecido com todos os povos.
Je pris ma houlette Grâce, et je la brisai, pour rompre mon alliance que j’avais traitée avec tous les peuples.
Und ich nahm meinen Stab Huld und zerbrach ihn, daß ich aufhöre meinen Bund, den ich mit allen Völkern gemacht hatte.
En ik nam mijn stok LIEFELIJKHEID, en ik verbrak denzelven, te niet doende mijn verbond, hetwelk ik met al deze volken gemaakt had.
E presi la mia verga Favore e la spezzai, per annullare il patto che avevo stretto con tutti i popoli.
Przetoż wziąwszy laskę moję Uciechy, porąbałem ją, wzruszywszy przymierze moje, którem postanowił z tym wszystkim ludem.
И возьму жезл Мой - благоволения и переломлю его, чтобы уничтожить завет, который заключил Я со всеми народами.
我 折斷那稱為「榮美」的 杖，表明我廢棄 與 萬 民 所 立 的約。
And I took my rod Beautiful, cutting it in two, so that the Lord's agreement, which he had made with all the peoples, might be broken.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Zechariah 11:10
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Zechariah 11:10 records a prophetic sign-act: the prophet cuts apart a staff called “Favor” (Hebrew no’am) to symbolize the breaking of a covenant. Adam Clarke states the action showed God “determined no longer to preserve them in their free and glorious state.” Albert Barnes describes it as signifying that God’s relation of tender love was at an end. Matthew Henry and John Wesley both identify “Favor” as the covenant of God with all its blessings.
The precise identity of the covenant is disputed. Some, like Jamieson-Fausset-Brown and Matthew Henry, see it as the Mosaic covenant with Israel. Others, including Barnes and a reading noted by the Cambridge Bible, understand it as a covenant with the nations on Israel’s behalf, a protective arrangement that once restrained hostile peoples. All agree the broken staff announces judgment and the withdrawal of God’s protective favor. The shared core is that the action represents a decisive end to a gracious order God had established for His people.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: High
Main views:
- Covenant with Israel (Sinai): The staff Favor symbolizes God's covenant with Israel; breaking it signifies the end of the old covenant economy (Gill, Clarke, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Wesley, Henry).
- Covenant with the nations protecting Israel: God made a covenant with the nations to protect Israel; breaking it removes that protection, allowing invasion (Barnes, Cambridge Bible first option).
- Both aspects combined: The verse may simultaneously refer to the breaking of the Mosaic covenant and the removal of restraining grace on the nations (Keil & Delitzsch, Poole).
What is clear: God is symbolically breaking a covenant relationship through the prophet’s action, signaling the withdrawal of His favor and the onset of judgment, but the precise identity of that covenant is disputed among interpreters.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the broken covenant | All interpreters agree the verse depicts the dissolution of a covenant relationship between God and His people (or on their behalf). | Some, like Jamieson-Fausset-Brown and Matthew Henry, identify it as the Mosaic covenant with Israel. Others, including Barnes and a reading in the Cambridge Bible, see it as a covenant with the nations to protect Israel. A few see it as both: the removal of God's favor from Israel and the ceasing of restraint on hostile nations. |
| Meaning of 'all the peoples' | The phrase refers broadly to the parties with whom the covenant was made. | Barnes and the Cambridge Bible (first option) take 'peoples' as the nations of the earth. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, noting the Hebrew term 'ammim (not goyim), reads it as the tribes of Israel, emphasizing the nation's size. The ambiguity is a key point of contention. |
| Symbolism of the staff Favor | The staff represents God's gracious favor, blessings, and covenant relationship (Wesley, Henry, Clarke). | Disagreement arises over which blessing is primary: the internal spiritual blessings of the covenant (Gill) or the external protection from surrounding nations (Barnes). |
| Relationship to Christ as Good Shepherd | Christians across traditions see this passage as typologically pointing to Christ, the ultimate Shepherd (Matthew Henry explicitly cites John 9:39). | Some traditions emphasize the historical judgment on Israel for rejecting Christ, while others focus on the transfer of the gospel to the Gentiles (Gill). Dispensationalist readers often separate the literal future of Israel from the church, whereas covenant theologians see the church as fulfilling the covenant promises. |
| Timing of fulfillment | The prophecy had an immediate relevance for post-exilic Israel and also looks forward to the Roman period. | Some, like Poole, see the Roman destruction of Jerusalem as the primary event. Others, including Calvin, see the entire period from the rejection of prophets to Messiah. A minority read this as a yet-future, end-times event. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Zechariah 11 marks a sharp turn from the hopeful visions of chapters 9, 10. As Lange’s Commentary observes, those earlier chapters picture Israel victorious and prosperous; chapter 11 instead describes a “sad scene of general overthrow caused by deliberate and persistent wickedness.” The prophet is instructed to “feed the flock of slaughter” (v.4), a people under corrupt rulers who exploit them. He takes two shepherds’ staves, naming one “Favor” and the other “Union” (v.7). The staff Favor symbolizes God’s gracious presence, protection, and covenant blessings (Wesley, Henry). The staff Union represents the brotherhood between Judah and Israel (v.14).
Cutting a staff was a vivid act of termination. In ancient Near Eastern culture, breaking a staff or rod signaled the end of a relationship, the removal of authority, or the annulment of a treaty. Here the action is a prophetic drama. The covenant being broken could refer to the Sinai covenant, which Israel repeatedly violated (Jeremiah 31:32). Alternatively, as Barnes suggests, it could be “a covenant with the nations in favor of Israel”, a divine restraint on hostile peoples, similar to the covenant described in Hosea 2:18 with the beasts of the field and birds of the air. The phrase “all the peoples” (Hebrew kol-haʻammîm) is ambiguous: it may mean all the nations of the earth (so Barnes, Cambridge option 1) or the great numbers of the Israelite people (so Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, noting it is the term for the elect people, not the Gentile goyim).
Historically, the prophecy likely addresses the post-exilic community and looks forward to the Roman era, when Israel’s rejection of the Messiah would bring the final loss of national privilege. The poor of the flock (v.11) represent the faithful remnant who recognize that the prophet’s actions are God’s word (Cambridge).
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries note no significant textual variants in Zechariah 11:10. The Hebrew text is well preserved across major manuscripts, and the verse is consistently reproduced in ancient versions. No readings are disputed that would affect the interpretation of the passage.
Reception History
Early Christian interpreters read Zechariah 11:10 as a prophecy of Israel’s rejection of the Messiah and God’s consequent judgment, paving the way for the inclusion of the Gentiles. Jerome saw the broken staff as the abrogation of the Law. Reformation commentators like Calvin and Luther understood the breaking of the covenant as the end of the old covenant era and the transfer of God’s favor to the church. Matthew Henry, in the 18th century, applied the passage to Christ’s ministry and the rejection by Jewish leaders. Modern scholarship focuses on the historical setting in the post-exilic period and the symbolic meaning of the shepherds and staffs, often debating the exact covenant in view. Jewish interpretation has tended to look for a future restoration of the covenant relationship.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Symbol of Favor, The staff named Favor represents God’s grace, covenant promises, and protective presence with His people (Psalms 90:17; Zechariah 11:7).
- The Act of Judgment, Cutting the staff apart signifies the withdrawal of that favor and the dissolution of the covenant relationship due to persistent rebellion (v.10).
- The Target of the Covenant, The phrase “all the peoples” opens a question: was the covenant with Israel alone, or was it a wider arrangement with the nations for Israel’s benefit? Both readings have support and remind us that God’s dealings are not narrow.
Five-point outline
- God appoints a shepherd (vv.4, 7), The prophet is commissioned to feed the flock of slaughter, especially the poor of the flock.
- Two staffs, two blessings (v.7), “Favor” and “Union” represent divine grace and national unity.
- Rejection and loathing (vv.8, 9), The shepherd grows weary; the flock loathes him. He ceases to care for them.
- The staff Favor is broken (v.10), The covenant is annulled; God steps back, allowing judgment to fall.
- The remnant discerns the Lord (v.11), The poor of the flock recognize that this is God’s word, not mere human drama.
Illustration hooks
- A parent who sets clear boundaries and consequences; when a child repeatedly rebels, the parent removes a privilege, signaling that trust has been broken. The child experiences the loss as a tangible warning.
- A company that offers a customer a contract with favorable terms; if the customer violates the terms repeatedly, the company cancels the contract. The breaking of the agreement is formal and visible.
- A person who has a protective agreement with neighbors not to harm each other’s property; if one neighbor attacks repeatedly, the agreement is void, and protections are removed.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Does God ever break His promises? This verse sounds like He does.”
- “Is this covenant the one God made with Israel at Sinai, or something else?”
- “How does the breaking of Favor connect to the new covenant in Christ?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse shows God taking initiative to break a covenant, an unsettling image. The study of this text pushes us to think about the nature of covenant relationships: they are binding, but they also have conditions. Zechariah 11:10 invites us to ask what it means when God withdraws His favor, and why He does so. As you discuss, keep in mind that the chapter ends with the promise of a foolish shepherd (v.15, 17), yet the book as a whole points toward restoration. The breaking is not God’s final word.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What action does the prophet perform in verse 10? What does the staff represent?
- Observation: Read Zechariah 11:7, 11. How do the two staffs (Favor and Union) function in the narrative?
- Interpretation: The verse says the covenant was made “with all the peoples.” What are the two main ways commentators understand this phrase? Which seems more convincing to you based on the context?
- Interpretation: Compare this covenant-breaking with Jeremiah 31:32, which says Israel broke the covenant. How does that affect how we read God “breaking” it here?
- Interpretation: Barnes suggests the covenant was with the nations to protect Israel. How would this change your understanding of the judgment described?
- Application: What does this passage teach us about the seriousness of covenant relationships, both with God and with others?
- Application: The poor of the flock (v.11) recognized God’s word in the breaking. How can we learn to see God’s hand even in seasons of loss?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Numbers 14:34 | After the number of the days in which you spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, you will bear your iniquities, even forty years, and you will know my alienation.’ |
| I Samuel 2:30 | “Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father should walk before me forever.’ But now Yahweh says, ‘Far be it from me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me will be cursed. |
| Psalms 50:2 | Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines out. |
| Psalms 89:39 | You have renounced the covenant of your servant. You have defiled his crown in the dust. |
| Psalms 90:17 | Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us. Establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands. |
| Jeremiah 14:21 | Do not abhor us, for your name’s sake. Do not disgrace the throne of your glory. Remember, and don’t break your covenant with us. |
| Jeremiah 31:31 | “Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, |
| Jeremiah 31:32 | not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which covenant of mine they broke, although I was a husband to them,” says Yahweh. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the prophet broke his staff named Beauty to show he would no longer keep the people in their former honored condition. He also ended his agreement with them after they had already broken theirs.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes distinguishes two kinds of covenant in this passage. God does not break His own covenant with Israel, which He elsewhere promises to keep. Instead, God breaks a covenant He had made with the nations on Israel's behalf, withdrawing His protective restraint and leaving His people vulnerable to their enemies.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Some read this as referring to all nations on earth. Others understand it as meaning the tribes of Israel.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note explains that the breaking of the staff called Beauty is God's symbolic act of annulling His covenant with the people. This occurs because their persistent wickedness caused God to sever the bond. The covenant relationship is dissolved due to their rejection of the true Shepherd.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill identifies the staff Beauty as the Gospel itself. Cutting it asunder signifies God removing the Gospel from the Jews, who despised it, and giving it to the Gentiles. The covenant broken here is the Mosaic economy, not the covenant of grace, which cannot be broken.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes the Hebrew word for Israelites means a large group not all nations. He says breaking the symbol staff shows God is setting aside those outward signs that once showed Israelite excellence.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch identify the three shepherds the prophet destroys as heathen imperial rulers, not Jewish leaders. The two staves, Favor and Bands, represent God's protective favor and the blessing of national unity. The phrase "in one month" is symbolic, pointing to a brief prophetic period.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange notes that the prophet acting as God tries to save the people by breaking his shepherd staffs but receives only worthless payment. He then breaks a second staff to end the unity between Judah and Israel.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees the prophet as a picture of Christ who feeds the helpless flock. He explains that breaking his covenant with the people means ending their unity.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley identifies the "beauty" mentioned as the covenant of God with all its blessings, and the act of breaking as declaring that covenant null. He adds that Christ himself calls it his covenant, because he served as its mediator.