Zechariah Throws Thirty Pieces of Silver to the Potter

In a strange symbolic act, God tells Zechariah to act as a shepherd over a flock destined for slaughter. He does so. He takes two staffs, named 'Favor' and 'Union,' and breaks them. Then he asks for his wages. They weigh out thirty pieces of silver. God says: 'Throw it to the potter — the handsome price at which they valued me!' So Zechariah throws the thirty pieces of silver to the potter in the house of the Lord. He then breaks the second staff, 'Union,' symbolizing the severing of the bond between Judah and Israel. Matthew quotes this passage as a prophecy fulfilled when Judas returned his thirty silver coins to the Temple.