John Calvin Commentary Zechariah 11:1-3

"Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. Wail, O fir-tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the goodly ones are destroyed: wail, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest is come down. A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! for their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions! for the pride of the Jordan is laid waste." — Zechariah 11:1-3 (ASV)

This Chapter contains severe threats, by which God intended to warn the Jews in due time. His purpose was that if there was any hope of repentance, they might be restored by fear to the right way. Additionally, He intended that others—the wicked and the reprobate—might be rendered inexcusable, and also that the faithful might fortify themselves against the strong temptation to despair upon seeing such a dreadful calamity awaiting that nation.

This prophecy does not indeed seem consistent with the preceding ones. Until now, the Prophet has not only been encouraging the people to entertain hope but has also declared that their condition would be so happy that nothing would be lacking to make them truly blessed. But now he denounces ruin and begins with reprobation. For he says that God had long been the shepherd of that nation, but now He renounced all care of them; being wearied, He would no longer tolerate that perverse wickedness which He had found in them all.

These things may seem inconsistent. However, we should observe that it was necessary, in the first place, to set God's benefits before the Jews, so that they might proceed with more eagerness in the work of building the temple and know that their labor would not be in vain. But now it was necessary to change the tone, lest hypocrites, vainly trusting in these promises, should become hardened, as commonly happens. It was also necessary so that the faithful would entertain proper fear and thus not walk heedlessly before God, for nothing is more ruinous than complacency, since when license is taken to sin, God’s judgment hangs over us.

We therefore see how useful and reasonable this warning of the Prophet was, as he made the Jews understand that God would not be favorable to His people without punishing their wickedness and obstinacy.

To make his prophecy impressive, Zechariah addresses Lebanon; as if he were God’s herald, he commands it to open its gates, for the entire forest was now consigned to the fire. If he had spoken without a figure of speech, his denunciation would not have had as much force. He therefore denounces imminent ruin on Lebanon and on other places.

Almost all interpreters think that by Lebanon, the temple is to be understood, because it was built with timber from that mountain. However, this view seems unconvincing to me, though it is approved by the general agreement of interpreters. For why should we think the temple is metaphorically called Lebanon rather than Bashan?

And they think no such thing of Bashan, though there is equally the same reason. I therefore regard Lebanon simply as Mount Lebanon itself.

I will merely refer to what Josephus declares: that the temple was opened before the city was destroyed by Titus. But though that historical account may be true, and it seems probable to me, it does not therefore follow that this prophecy was then fulfilled. This is contrary to what is said of Rabbi Jonathan, who then exclaimed, “Look! The prophecy of Zechariah! For he foretold that the temple would be burned, and that the gates would be previously opened.”

These interpretations seem plausible and at first glance gain our approval. But I think that we must understand something more substantial and less overly subtle, for I do not doubt that the Prophet denounces complete ruin on Mount Lebanon, Bashan, and other places.

But why does he command Lebanon to open its gates? The reason is given, for shortly afterward he calls it a fortified forest, which was nevertheless without walls and gates. Lebanon, we know, was near Jerusalem, though far enough away to be free from any hostile attack.

Since the place was by nature sufficiently safe from being attacked, the Prophet speaks as if Lebanon were surrounded by fortresses, for it was not exposed to enemy attacks. The meaning is that even though, on account of its situation, the Jews thought Lebanon was not exposed to any harm, yet the destructive urge of enemies would lead them even there.

We have already said why the Prophet commands Lebanon to open its gates: it is because he assumes the role of a herald, who threatens and declares that God’s extreme vengeance was already near at hand.

He then adds, Howl thou, fir-tree, for the cedar has fallen. No doubt the Prophet, by naming Lebanon (mentioning a part for the whole), meant the whole of Judea. It appears evident from the context that the most remarkable places are mentioned here. Yet the Prophet’s design was to show that God would punish the whole people, so as not to spare Jerusalem or any other place.

And then by the fir-trees and cedars he meant whatever then excelled in Judea or in other places. For this reason, he compares them to the cedars of Lebanon, as if he had said, “There is no reason for the fir-trees to regard themselves as beyond the reach of danger; for if He spares not the cedars, what will become of the fir-trees, which possess no such stateliness and grandeur?”

So now we perceive the Prophet’s meaning concerning the trees. But, as I have said, he includes under one category whatever was valuable in Judea. We learn this more clearly from what follows, for he adds, Fallen have, or laid waste have been, the strong. Some read this in the neuter gender: “Laid waste have been splendid things.” But I am inclined to regard persons as intended.

The Prophet then simply declares that the vengeance of God was near all the great ones, whom dignity sheltered, so that they thought themselves in no danger. And for the same purpose he adds, Howl, ye oaks of Bashan. He joins, as we see, Bashan to Lebanon; there is then no reason for allegorizing only one of the words when they are both connected. And he says, For fallen has the fortified forest.

This may either be applied to Lebanon, or the Prophet may be viewed as saying in general that there was no place so difficult of access that would not be penetrated when the Lord would give enemies liberty to destroy all things. Even though the density of trees protected these mountains, yet the Prophet says that nothing would obstruct God’s vengeance from penetrating into the innermost recesses of strongholds.

He then adds, The voice of the howling of shepherds; for their excellency, or their courage, is laid waste. Here the word is אדר, ader, and earlier it was אדירים, adirim, both in the masculine gender. We see, then, that the Prophet confirms the same thing in other words: “Howl now,” he says, “shall the shepherds.”

He intimates that the beginning of this dreadful judgment would be with the chief men, as they were especially the cause of the public ruin. He then says that the dignity of the great was now approaching its fall, and therefore he commands them to howl.

He does not in these words exhort them to repentance but follows the same line of teaching. By God’s command he here declares that the shepherds who took pride in their power could not escape the judgment they had deserved. As this is a way of speaking usually adopted by the Prophets, I will not dwell on the subject any longer.

He afterward adds, The voice of the roaring of lions. He no doubt gives the name of lions here, by way of metaphor, to those who cruelly exercised their power over the people. But he also alludes to the banks of the Jordan, where there were lions, as is well known.

Since lions were found along the whole course of the Jordan, as is evident from many passages, he compares shepherds to lions—that is, the governors who had abused their authority by exercising tyranny over the people: Fallen then has the pride (or the excellency) of Jordan.

In short, it is now sufficiently evident that the Prophet threatens final destruction to both the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Israel. Both kingdoms were indeed then abolished, but I speak of the countries themselves. The meaning is that neither Judea nor the land of the ten tribes would be free from God’s vengeance. He afterward adds—