For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land: This clause gives the reason for the command to the prophet to “Become shepherd of the flock” in verse 4. The prophet’s mission is not to save the flock, but to supervise them until the inevitable day of their slaughter. We might compare the task assigned to Jeremiah at an earlier period (Jer 1.13-19). The “flock” of verse 4 is now identified as the inhabitants of this land, that is to say the province of Judah within the Persian empire. Both Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version are too general with “anyone on earth” and “the people of this earth” respectively.
Says the LORD: The Hebrew formula neʾum YHWH, rendered says the LORD, has several functions as a discourse marker. In this case it can confidently be interpreted as marking the end of the first half of the paragraph that constitutes the direct speech of the LORD (compare Hag 2.4). This is because it is immediately followed by the Hebrew particle hinneh (Lo), which here, as often elsewhere, functions as the marker of the beginning of a new discourse unit.
Lo, I will cause men to fall each into the hand of his shepherd: Revised Standard Version translates the particle hinneh by Lo, which is very old-fashioned English. There is no equivalent term in today’s English, and so most modern versions simply omit it (see the discussion on “behold” in 1.8). The Hebrew word functions more as a discourse marker (or perhaps as a focus marker within the clause) than as an element that carries meaning within the sentence, and such discourse information is conveyed in other ways in English. New American Bible attempts to be equivalent by saying, “Yes, I will deliver…,” and Meyers & Meyers render “I will indeed deliver….” These are both acceptable possibilities in English, but translators will have to decide whether or not there is any suitable equivalent in their own languages. Men in this context does not exclude women, so Good News Translation renders “all the people” and New Revised Standard Version “every one.” To fall … into the hand of is a Hebrew idiom. Its meaning is well expressed in modern English as “put … in the power of” (New English Bible, Good News Translation). New International Version and Jerusalem Bible make a commendable attempt to translate in a way that is both clear, and comparable with the Hebrew idiom by saying “hand … over.” New Jerusalem Bible has dropped this expression in favor of one that catches more of the menacing overtones of the context: “put … into the clutches of.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh also catches the emotive impact well with “place … at the mercy of.” The various renderings cited illustrate the variety of possible approaches, and may stimulate translators to consider (both here and elsewhere) the range of options available in their own languages.
For his shepherd the traditional Hebrew text reads “his neighbour” (King James Version, Revised Version), and the Revised Standard Version rendering depends on reading the consonants of the Hebrew text with different vowels, though there is no footnote to acknowledge the change. This change is not made by New Revised Standard Version, which has “each into the hand of a neighbor.” Among modern versions only Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, and Revised English Bible make the change. Those who do so interpret his shepherd in a figurative sense as a ruler, and thus parallel with his king in the next phrase. This makes the two phrases say essentially the same thing, and is not very convincing. Good News Translation, while not using the word “shepherd,” accepts the proposed change in the Hebrew text and renders both shepherd and king by the single expression “their rulers.” All other modern versions translate shepherd as “neighbor” or something equivalent like “hand over every man to the next” (Jerusalem Bible), “place every man at the mercy of every other man” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “turn neighbor against neighbor” (Contemporary English Version). The Hebrew expression underlying this phrase is a common one, and indeed a feminine form of it occurs in verse 9. There is no need to depart from the traditional Hebrew text (“his neighbor”), and we advise translators not to do so. The question is not even discussed in Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament.
His king: Since there was no king in Judah after the exile, the word here probably stands for rulers in general (compare Good News Translation). The sentence as a whole is describing a situation of social anarchy, with people being oppressed both by their rulers and by their fellow citizens. It is impossible to identify any historical situation that fits the description in detail. An alternative translation model for these two clauses is: “I will turn people against each other, and put them in the power of their ruler.”
And they shall crush the earth: The subject of the verb (they) may be the ruler from the previous clause, though it could well be a more general reference to all the parties in the conflict. Crush is a metaphorical term. It is expressed more clearly in New Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation as “devastate.” The Hebrew word the earth may mean either the earth (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) in the sense of “the [whole] world” (Jerusalem Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), or “the land” (New International Version, Revised English Bible), “the country” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Jerusalem Bible), that is to say, the Holy Land. There are numerous places in the Old Testament where it is not certain which is intended, but in the present context, it seems more likely that the word has the same sense as it had earlier in this verse, and that the land of Judah is intended. Translators are advised to translate accordingly.
I will deliver none from their hand: Every person will suffer from the oppressive behavior of others. Deliver is expressed in modern terms as “save” (Good News Translation), or better “rescue” (New English Bible/ Revised English Bible, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Jerusalem Bible, Beck, Contemporary English Version). From their hand means “from their power” (Good News Translation), or more idiomatically “from their clutches” (New Jerusalem Bible).
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• I will no longer have pity on the people of Judah. I will turn the people against each other and put them in the power of their rulers. These rulers will ruin the land [of Judah], and I will not rescue anyone from their power.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .