Zechariah 11:9

“Then said I, I will not feed you, etc.] That is, any longer; either personally, or by his apostles; he fed them himself, during his public ministry; and afterwards by his apostles, whom he ordered to preach the Gospel to the Jews first; but that being contradicted, blasphemed, and despised by them, they were ordered to turn away from them, and go to the Gentiles: this shows that not the shepherds only, but the body of the people, abhorred Christ and his Gospel: and therefore it was taken away from them: that that dieth, let it die; literally, by the pestilence, that going by the name of death in Scripture; and spiritually, they that are dead in sin, let them continue so; let them die through…”

“Then said I--at last when all means of saving the nation had been used in vain (Joh 8:24). I will not--that is, no more feed you. The last rejection of the Jews is foretold, of which the former under Nebuchadnezzar, similarly described, was the type (Jer 15:1-3; Jer 34:17; Jer 43:11; Eze 6:12). Perish those who are doomed to perish, since they reject Him who would have saved them! Let them rush on to their own ruin, since they will have it so. eat . . . flesh of another--Let them madly perish by mutual discords. JOSEPHUS attests the fulfilment of this prophecy of threefold calamity: pestilence and famine ("dieth . . . die"), war ("cut off . . . cut off"), intestine discord ("eat . . . one .…”

“And I said, I will not feed you - God, at last, leaves the rebellious soul or people to itself, as He says by Moses, “Then My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and will hide My Face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall find them” Deuteronomy 31:17 : and our Lord tells the captious Jews; “I go My way, and ye shall seek Me and shall die in your sins” John 8:21. That which dieth, let it die - Zechariah seems to condense, but to repeat the abandonment in Jeremiah; “Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth. And it shall be, if they shall say unto thee, Where shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith…”

“Then - After that time of his patient feeding the flock, and cutting off the unfaithful shepherds. Cut off - By the sword or famine. The flesh - Either live to be besieged, 'till hunger makes the living eat the dead, or by seditions and bloody intestine quarrels, destroy each other. Zechariah 11:10”

“11:9 devour each other! This might refer literally to the cannibalism that resulted from famine during the siege of Jerusalem in 588–586 BC (see Lam 4:10) and later in AD 70 (see Josephus, War 7.4.4). The expression may also be a metaphor for various forms of exploitation and oppression (see Mic 3:3; Gal 5:15).”

“I will: Jer 23:33, Jer 23:39; Mat 13:10, Mat 13:11, Mat 21:43, Mat 23:38, Mat 23:39; Joh 8:21, Joh 8:24, Joh 12:35; Act 13:46, Act 13:47, Act 28:26-28 that that dieth: Psa 69:22-28; Jer 15:2, Jer 15:3, Jer 43:11; Mat 15:14, Mat 21:19; Rev 22:11 and let: Deu 28:53-56; Isa 9:19-21; Jer 19:9; Eze 5:10 another: Heb. his fellow, or, neighbour Zechariah 11:10”