Verses 1-3 reveal the destruction carried out in the neighborhood of Israel by the Roman Empire. The fire here refers to the coming of the Romans to devastate Lebanon and Jordan.

The neighbor here refers to the subordinate kings and governors of the Roman Empire, such as Herod and Pilate, in the region of Palestine, and the king is Caesar.

I here refers to Jehovah, as indicated by the previous verse. Jehovah as Jesus came to feed His people, who were about to be slaughtered, the afflicted of the flock.

Jehovah as Jesus brought two staffs — Favor and Bonds. Favor refers to grace, and Bonds refers to being bound into oneness. Jesus came as the Shepherd to feed God’s flock with grace so that they might have oneness.

The three shepherds here are the priests, the elders, and the scribes (Matt. 16:21). Jehovah as Jesus set aside the three shepherds and destroyed them, and their souls detested Him. The Lord Jesus as the proper Shepherd was rejected, leaving the children of Israel as a flock without any shepherd (cf. Matt. 9:36). See note Zech. 11:15¹.

This indicates that the Lord annulled the covenant which God made through Moses, leaving the people without a covenant to cover them. He thus took away the grace (favor).

Lit., cease.

Verses 12-13 reveal that the Messiah, as the proper Shepherd of Israel, was detested, attacked, rejected, and sold for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave (Exo. 21:32). What is prophesied here was fulfilled in the Gospels (Matt. 26:14-15; 27:3-10).

This indicates that the binding love among the people of Israel also was taken away (see note Zech. 11:10¹). As a result, the nation was divided and full of inner fighting (v. 9). From the day of Christ’s crucifixion there has not been any oneness among the Jews. Although those in the northern kingdom, Israel, and the southern kingdom, Judah, were brothers, the brotherhood among them has been broken because the binding love has been broken. This took place while they were living under the oppression of the Roman Empire.

The priests, the elders, and the scribes as the evil shepherds were annulled (v. 8a), and Jesus as the proper Shepherd was crucified, rejected to the uttermost (v. 8b, Zech. 11:12-13). Therefore, the children of Israel were left to the foolish and worthless shepherds, who would not take care of them (vv. 15-17). After the crucifixion of Christ, there was no proper leadership among the people of Israel, and they were all scattered (Matt. 26:31). They fought with one another, devouring one another. The foolish, worthless shepherds who rose up among them caused them further suffering. This kind of situation allowed Titus, the Roman prince, to devastate the entire country of Judah in A.D. 70 (Matt. 21:33-41 and note Matt. 21:41^1a).

The center of the prophecies in chs. 9—11 is Christ as the rejected Messiah. As the coming Savior and Redeemer, Christ came and entered into Jerusalem as the King in a lowly form (9:9-10). At first, He was welcomed by the people, but later, under the influence of the elders, priests, and scribes, they changed their mind and detested Him (v. 8b). The Lord Jesus was sold, judged, sentenced, and put on the cross to die (vv. 12-13). Thus, the Messiah, who was welcomed temporarily, was utterly rejected. As a result, the people of Israel were divided, persecuted by the Roman Empire, and scattered throughout the earth (vv. 14-17).