Reference

Zechariah 11:16

For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
14

Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15

And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.

16

For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.

17

Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Annihilation / Destruction
Keyword Match
80% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Destruction / Perishing Language
Keyword Match
40% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Visible Return
Multi-Signal Classification
65% relevance

This verse was identified by multiple independent signals: structural patterns, prophetic context, and vocabulary — then validated by a probability model (Snorkel).

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Annihilation / Destruction

The verse describes a destructive shepherd, but it doesn't explicitly state that the "cut off," "young one," "broken," or "still" sheep are destroyed or cease to exist; rather, they are neglected and the shepherd focuses on the "fat" ones.

Destruction / Perishing Language

While the verse describes a shepherd who neglects and harms his flock, the language used ("cut off," "eat the flesh of the fat," "tear their claws in pieces") describes the *actions* of the shepherd rather than explicitly stating the *destruction* or *perishing* of the flock as a theological principle. The "cut off" here refers to those already separated, not necessarily their ultimate destruction by the shepherd.