John Calvin Commentary Zechariah 11:9

"Then said I, I will not feed you: that which dieth, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let them that are left eat every one the flesh of another." — Zechariah 11:9 (ASV)

God now declares what had been briefly mentioned before—that His judgment could not be considered cruel, because the people had been extremely wicked, and their wickedness deserved extreme punishment. It seems indeed to be a simple narrative, but God here defends His own cause, for He had tried all means in ruling the people before He resorted to extreme severity. Who indeed could now murmur against God? For He had always been ready to undertake the office of a shepherd, had so humbled Himself as to take care of that people as His own flock, and had, in short, omitted no kind of attention; yet He had been despised by that people and even treated with derision. It was therefore an extreme indignity when they hated God, who had nevertheless dealt with them with so much kindness. From this we see that God’s judgment is here vindicated from every slander, because the wickedness of the people was altogether inexcusable before God had renounced His care of them.

I said: the time must be noted, for He intimates that He had not been too hasty in taking vengeance; but that as there was no longer any remedy, He had been constrained, as if by necessity, to give up His office of a shepherd. I said then, I will not feed you; what is to die, let it die; what is to be cut off, let it be cut off. He here resigns His office of a shepherd and intimates that He was innocent and free from all blame, whatever might happen.

A shepherd is set over a flock for this purpose—that he may defend it, even every sheep, both against the depredations of robbers and the rapacity of wolves. But when he gives up his office, he is exempt from all blame, even if the flock is afterwards stolen or devoured by wolves and wild beasts.

God then here openly declares that it was not to be attributed to Him if the Jews perished a hundred times, because they refused to be ruled by Him, and thus He was released from the pastoral charge. What then is to perish, let it perish; that is, “Since they are not healable and allow no remedy to be applied to their evils, I leave them; they will find out what it is to be without a good shepherd.”

We now see more clearly what I stated before: that the wickedness and ingratitude of the people are here reproved, because they had rejected God, who was ready to be their shepherd; and that the cause of the ruin which was near at hand was in the Jews themselves, though they anxiously tried, but in vain, to transfer it to another.

He concludes with these words, And those which remain, even those who will escape external attacks, let them eat one another, since they are no longer sheep, but savage wild beasts. And this we know has been fulfilled, for the Jews eventually perished through mutual discords, and no one spared his own brother; indeed, the nearer the relationship, the more cruelly each raged against the other. Therefore, God’s judgment, proclaimed by the Prophet, then appeared most openly when the Jews perished through internal conflicts and even slaughters.