Zechariah 11:5

Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty,.... Not the Romans after Christ came, into whose hands they were delivered, and by whom they were slain in great numbers, not accounting it

Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not. Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty.

Whose possessors slay them; either their own governors, or the Romans who in right of conquerors are their possessors; which way soever they got them into their hands, they ruined them, destroyed them both in body and estate. And hold themselves not guilty; think they do not sin in doing this; so low thoughts they had of this people, such extravagant thoughts they had of their own power and authority. They that sell them; betray their persons, or liberty, or estate for profit, or sell them for slaves to foreigners; say, Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich; with profane, ungodly hearts do give God thanks that they thrive by the most barbarous methods of cruelty and oppression, by bloody murders, as if these were ways of his appointing to gain wealth as if he blessed them. Their own shepherds pity them not; who by birth, call, and office were their proper shepherds, the governors of this poor people, the princes, the priests, had no pity on them in their slavery or blood; looked on as unconcerned, it may be glad, that either they got a booty, or were rid of a disaffected subject.

Zechariah 11:5 Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed [be] the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.Ver. 5. Whose possessors slay them] Flaying their skin from off them, eating their flesh, breaking their bones, &c., Micah 3:3; feeding themselves, and not the flock of God, Ezekiel 34:2, as if they had been "lords over God’ s heritage," 1 Peter 5:3. Owners and possessors, as here, vel pretio vel paemio; and as the Pope and his, Curia Romana quae non vult ovem sine lana, The papal court which did not want the as the sheep without the fleece, old proverb was. And hold themselves not guilty] Non peccant. They fault not themselves; they are not found guilty by others. Such an unlimited power over God’ s people they have usurped, as if they might use them at their pleasure, and never be once questioned or punished for the same; but escape scot free. This was the extremity of tyranny; such as the cruel Spaniards exercise over the poor Indians: they suppose they show the wretches great favour, when they do not, for their pleasures, whip them with cords, and day by day drop their naked bodies with burning bacon; which is one of the least cruelties they inflict upon them. And they that sell them] Sell them for slaves (whom they ought to redeem rather with their own blood), and grow rich by them; being greedy of filthy lucre, not without foul blasphemy against God, whom they entitle to their riches sacrilegiously and most thievishly gotten; while they say, Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich] Deo gratius, blessed be God is a very good saying, and was much in Austin’ s mouth. But as the fountain of goodness will not be laden at with unwashed hands; so fair words from a foul mouth are infinitely displeasing to him that "inhabiteth the praises of Israel," Psalms 22:3. Hypocrites are not unfitly compared to monkeys, that have the gravest countenances of all creatures, but are incessantly doing mischief; or to the harpies, that are said to have virgins’ faces, vultures’ talons. Mel in ore, verba lactis; Fel in corde, fraus in factis. Words of milk are honey in the mouth; gall in the heart is fraud in the making. Pharisees, under pretence of long prayers, devoured widows’ houses, Matthew 23:14; while their lips seemed to pray or praise God, they were but chewing and champing some sweet morsel snatched from the flock, but sauced with the wrath of God, Job 20:15. See how our Saviour sets them out in their colours, Matthew 23:15-16; Matthew 23:23. Such fair professors but foul sinners were their predecessors, Isaiah 66:5, who, when they had done evil as they could, thought to salve all by saying, Let the Lord be glorified. And such also are their successors, the Pope and his followers.

(5) And hold . . . not guilty.—Comp. Jeremiah 1:7. Own is a gloss of the English version.

Verse 5. Whose possessors] Governors and false prophets, slay them, by leading them to those things that will bring them to destruction. And they that sell them] Give them up to idolatry; and bless God, strange to tell, that they get secular advantage by the establishment of this false religion.

5. possessors] Rather, buyers. The flock of which the prophet was commanded to take charge had been bought and slain without compunction, and sold for gain, with a complacent “bless the Lord” at the good price they fetched.

Whose possessors - (buyers) slay them and hold themselves not guilty, rather, are not guilty either in their own eyes, or in the sight of God, since He gave them up and would no more avenge them. They contract no guilt.

The shepherd’s loving care, Zechariah 11:4-6.4. The author represents Jehovah as appointing him the shepherd of the flock of slaughter, which Jehovah has determined to deliver from its oppressors.