Zechariah 11:12

And I said unto them, If ye think good,.... Not to the poor of the flock that waited on him, and knew the word of the Lord, and valued it; but to the other Jews that despised Christ and his Gospel:

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. And I said unto them. The prophet here represents the person of Yahweh-Messiah.

And I said unto them; upon parting, Christ seems after the manner of men to mind them of his pains and care for them, and would have them reckon with him. If ye think good: he puts it to them whether they thought he deserved aught at their hands, and what it was. Give me my price; though I need not your money or pay, I deserve more than you will give, and therefore do in this as liketh you. So they, the rulers of the Jews, the high priest, chief priests, and Pharisees, weighed, which was the manner of paying money in those days, thirty pieces of silver; which amounts to thirty-seven shillings and sixpence, the value of the life of a slave, : this was fulfilled when they paid Judas Iscariot so much to betray Christ, 27:9. And I said unto them; upon parting, Christ seems after the manner of men to mind them of his pains and care for them, and would have them reckon with him. thirty pieces of silver; which amounts to thirty-seven shillings and sixpence, the value of the life of a slave, : this was fulfilled when they paid Judas Iscariot so much to betray Christ, 27:9.

Zechariah 11:12 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.Ver. 12. If ye think good, give me my price] Pay me for my pains, lay me down my shepherd’ s wages. Is not the labourer worthy of his hire? Shall I be forced to say of you, as my servant David of Nabal, that unthankful churl, "Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow had in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good," 1 Samuel 25:21. If God will be David’ s shepherd, David will dwell in God’ s house to all perpetuity, Psalms 23:1; Psalms 23:6. If the Lord deal bountifully with him, he will sit down and bethink himself what to render unto the Lord for all his benefits, Psalms 116:7; Psalms 116:12. A Christian counts all that he can do for God, by way of retribution, but a little of that much he could beteem him; and thinks nothing more unbeseeming himself than to receive the grace of God in vain. His two mites of thankfulness and obedience he daily presents; and then cries out, as the poor Grecian did to the emperor, If I had a better present thou shouldst be sure of it (Eιπλεονειχονπλεονεδιδουν). But ingratitude is a grave, which receives all the bodies (the benefits) that are put into it; but will render none up again without a miracle. Hence that passionate expostulation, Deuteronomy 32:6 "Do ye thus requite the Lord, O ye foolish people and unwise?" Sic etiam stomachose loquitur Deus hoe loeo, saith Calvin upon this text: i.e. So likewise doth the Lord here in high displeasure and with great animosity or stomach, bespeak his people, Give me my wages howsoever; or, if not, forbear till I fetch it, till I recover it; you shall be sure to pay then, not the debt only, but the charges likewise; I will be paid both for my pains and patience too. In the mean space I need you not, nor care for your wages; for I am no hireling, &c. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver] That is, thirty shekels, or shillings. The price of a slain servant’ s life, Exodus 21:32. This they weighed, as the manner of paying money then was, Genesis 23:16 Jeremiah 32:9. But they heaved their hands very high, it seems, when they valued the Lord Christ at so vile a rate. See Matthew 26:15.

(12) My price.—The shepherd demands a requital for his toil, as a test of the gratitude of the sheep. And if not, forbear.—Comp. Ezekiel 3:27, &c. God does not force our will, which is free. He places life and death before us; by His grace alone we can choose Him, but we can refuse His grace and Himself. Thirty pieces of silver.—The price set on a foreign slave (Exodus 21:32).

Verse 12. If ye think good, give me my price] "Give me my hire." And we find they rated it contemptuously; thirty pieces of silver being the price of a slave, Exodus 21:32.

12. price] Rather, wages, or hire, R. V. This demand is made by the prophet not “in order to try whether the people would submit themselves further to his guidance” (Wright), but to signify the complete abandonment of his office of shepherd. It is as much as to say, “I will be no more your shepherd: give me therefore my wages, that I may go my way.” It is further designed to bring out in bold relief the mutual aversion and contempt, that had sprung up between the shepherd and the flock (Zechariah 11:8). He asks as one who cares not whether his request be granted: “Give, or forbear.” They reply by a gift more insulting than refusal. forbear] “ne date; q.d. non sum de mercede admodum sollicitus, licet jure mihi debeatur. Exprimit summam indignationem, ut si quis alicui suam ingratitudinem exprobrat.” Rosenm. thirty pieces of silver] The value of a slave. Exodus 21:32. Comp. Hosea 3:2.

And I said unto them, If ye think good, give Me My price - God asks of us a return, not having any proportion to His gifts of nature or of grace, but such as we can render.

Withdrawal of the good shepherd, 9-14.9, 10. As a result of the flock’s ingratitude, the shepherd decided to discontinue the shepherding care.