Zechariah 11:12

Then I told them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The prophet addresses the "afflicted of the flock" immediately after revoking the covenant staff, offering them a choice regarding his prophetic compensation before they finalize the payment.

The words — The Hebrew phrase וָ/אֹמַ֣ר אֲלֵי/הֶ֗ם (va./'o.Mar 'a.lei./Hem) translates literally as "and I said to them," while הָב֥וּ שְׂכָרִ֖/י (ha.Vu se.kha.R/i) means "give my wages." The conditional clause אִם־ ט֧וֹב בְּ/עֵינֵי/כֶ֛ם (if good in your view) frames the offer as optional.

The thread — Matthew 26:15 records Judas asking for a price to betray Jesus, and the chief priests agreeing to pay thirty pieces of silver. Exodus 21:32 establishes thirty shekels of silver as the statutory compensation for a gored manservant.

Why it lands — The text reports the people weighing out the exact valuation before any theological inference is drawn. A reader must note the deliberate, measured act of pricing the prophet, which precedes the divine command to discard the sum to the potter.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וָאֹמַ֣רva./'o.Marand/ I said אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם'a.lei./Hemto/ them אִם־'im-if ט֧וֹבTovit is good בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֛םbe./'ei.nei./Khemin/ view/ your הָב֥וּha.Vugive שְׂכָרִ֖יse.kha.R/iwage[s]/ my וְאִם־ve./'im-and/ if לֹ֣א׀lo'not חֲדָ֑לוּcha.Da.lurefrain וַיִּשְׁקְל֥וּva/i.yish.ke.Luand/ they weighed out אֶת־'et-<obj.>שְׂכָרִ֖יse.kha.R/iwage[s]/ my שְׁלֹשִׁ֥יםshe.lo.Shimthirty כָּֽסֶף׃Ka.sefsilver

King James Version

And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

Cross-references

Matthew 26:15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.
Exodus 21:32 If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.
Mark 14:10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.
Luke 22:3 Then Satan entered Judas Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve.
John 13:27 And when Judas had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”
Genesis 37:28 So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
1 Kings 21:2 So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place—or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.”
John 13:2 The evening meal was underway, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.
2 Chronicles 30:4 This plan pleased the king and the whole assembly.