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Zechariah 11: 17
"Doom is certain for this worthless shepherd who abandons the flock. The sword will cut his arm and pierce his right
eye. His arm will become useless and his right eye completely blind."
The Book, special
edition of the New Living Translation, published by Tyndale, Inc., Wheaton, IL
It would be
a mistake to take this too literally, although pirates, more recent historical adventurers, are stereotypical for having lost
an limb or eye.
The image of a pirate with an eye patch (a small mask protecting the missing identity of the mutilated
eye) is so prevalent that it isn't given a second thought. Children's books are replete with stories of pirates
and adventure on the high seas. In
the play Riders To the Sea, one of Maurya's sons was called Patch. The history of Ireland tells
of the Vikings who were cutthroat pirates in every sense. The carnage of their battles may have left many a mutilation and
lost body part. Pirates flew the skull and crossbones as their flag, indicating their lot was a gruesome one. Even the Old
High German origin of the word gruesome means to shiver, as in shiver me timbers.
Gar, Shiver me timbers
"No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch
an old one." Luke 5:36, New
American Bible
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