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Ezekiel 34

KJV · Chapter 34/48

1And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

2Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

3Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.

4The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

5And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

6My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

7Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord;

8As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;

9Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord;

10Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

11For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

12As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

13And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

14I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

15I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.

16I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

17And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.

18Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?

19And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.

20Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.

21Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;

22Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.

23And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

24And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.

25And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

26And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

27And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.

28And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.

29And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.

30Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God.

31And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God condemns the bad shepherds (leaders) of Israel, who fed off the flock without caring for it, and promises to be the shepherd of his people himself, seeking out the lost sheep and appointing a single shepherd from David's line.

Explanation

Kings and leaders were often called 'shepherds' in the ancient Near East, an image of caring responsibility, not selfish domination. The charge that the shepherds 'feed themselves' instead of the flock (v. 2) sums up the prophets' entire social critique of corrupt leaders. The promise that God himself would seek out the lost sheep, and of a 'servant David' who would be the one shepherd (v. 23), points toward a messianic hope that Jesus would take up explicitly by calling himself the 'good shepherd' (John 10:11). The application about leadership that serves rather than exploits remains highly relevant in any era.

Fun facts

  • The reference to a new 'David' as shepherd (vv. 23-24) does not mean the literal resurrection of the ancient king, but a descendant of his line — a messianic interpretation confirmed by the New Testament in relation to Jesus.
  • The image of God going out to seek lost sheep 'in the day of clouds and thick darkness' (v. 12) is echoed almost directly in the parable of the lost sheep told by Jesus in Luke 15.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Ezekiel 34:1The formula that opens a new section of the book, this time about the ‘shepherds’ of Israel — a common image of the day for the people’s leaders and kings.
  2. Ezekiel 34:2The ‘shepherds’ are the leaders of Israel, accused of looking after themselves, eating the fat and wearing the wool, instead of caring for the flock — political criticism using the pastoral language common in the Near East to talk about kings and rulers.
  3. Ezekiel 34:3The chapter’s central accusation: the shepherds (leaders) take advantage of the flock — eating the meat, using the wool — without actually caring for the sheep.
  4. Ezekiel 34:4A specific list of neglect: not strengthening the weak, not healing the sick, not bringing back the strayed — instead, ruling them with harshness.
  5. Ezekiel 34:5The result of that neglect: the sheep scatter and become easy prey for wild animals, for lack of anyone who truly cares for them.
  6. Ezekiel 34:6It reinforces the image: the people, compared to sheep, wander scattered over every mountain, with no one who cares or goes searching for them.
  7. Ezekiel 34:7A transitional formula calling the shepherds’ attention, setting up the announcement of judgment that follows.
  8. Ezekiel 34:8It formally repeats the accusation: the shepherds looked after themselves, not the flock they had been put in charge of protecting.
  9. Ezekiel 34:9It repeats the attention-getting formula from v.7, a device common in the book for marking the start of an important pronouncement.
  10. Ezekiel 34:10The announcement of judgment: God will strip these shepherds of their responsibility, stopping them from continuing to take advantage of the flock.
  11. Ezekiel 34:11The chapter’s central announcement: unlike the human shepherds who failed, God Himself promises to go personally in search of the sheep.
  12. Ezekiel 34:12A direct comparison: just as a true shepherd seeks out the scattered flock, God would rescue the scattered people ‘in the cloudy and dark day’ — language recalling the fall of Jerusalem.
  13. Ezekiel 34:13It details the rescue: bringing the people back from the other nations to Israel’s own land, feeding them on the mountains and by the springs of water.
  14. Ezekiel 34:14A promise of rich, safe pasture on the high mountains of Israel — an image of abundance and rest, a direct contrast with the neglect described earlier.
  15. Ezekiel 34:15After condemning the bad shepherds, God promises to personally take on the role of shepherd Himself, seeking the lost sheep and caring for the weak — a direct contrast with the neglect described at the start of the chapter.
  16. Ezekiel 34:16It sums up the care the leaders failed to give: seeking the lost, bringing back the strayed, healing the injured — but now with a new detail, stopping those who abused the weaker ones.
  17. Ezekiel 34:17God will also judge among the sheep themselves, distinguishing the strong from the weak — the neglect did not come only from the leaders, but also from powerful members of the people themselves.
  18. Ezekiel 34:18An accusation against the strong sheep: it was not enough to eat the good pasture, they still trampled the rest and fouled the water that would have been left for the others.
  19. Ezekiel 34:19The practical consequence: the weak sheep were left with only the trampled pasture and the fouled water, the leftovers spoiled by the stronger ones.
  20. Ezekiel 34:20It repeats the announcement of judgment between the fat sheep and the lean sheep — accountability also within the people themselves, not only the leadership.
  21. Ezekiel 34:21It details the physical abuse: pushing with the body and butting the weak with horns until driving them out of the group — an image of the strong exploiting the most vulnerable.
  22. Ezekiel 34:22The conclusion of this part: God promises to free the weak sheep from this internal exploitation, judging among them too, not only against the former leaders.
  23. Ezekiel 34:23‘My servant David’ here is not King David resurrected, but a way of speaking about a future ruler from the same line — different traditions read this promise in different ways, but the text ties it to a ‘covenant of peace’ and to the end of violence.
  24. Ezekiel 34:24It details the new arrangement: God continues being the people’s God, but ‘David’ governs as prince — a human leadership subordinate to the divine leadership.
  25. Ezekiel 34:25It promises ‘a covenant of peace’: an end to dangerous animals and safety even in places once hostile, like the wilderness and the woods.
  26. Ezekiel 34:26The promised blessing involves even nature: rain at the right time, ensuring the harvest and the land’s abundance.
  27. Ezekiel 34:27The practical result of that peace: trees bear fruit, the land produces, and the people live in safety, free from the yoke of those who once enslaved them.
  28. Ezekiel 34:28It reinforces: they would never again be plundered by other nations nor be food for wild animals — the promise is one of total safety, with no more threats.
  29. Ezekiel 34:29It promises a land of good reputation and the final end of the hunger and humiliation the people suffered before other nations.
  30. Ezekiel 34:30The promise’s conclusion: the people would recognize that God is with them, confirming once and for all their identity as ‘my people.’
  31. Ezekiel 34:31The chapter’s poetic close: the people are compared to sheep of a pasture that belongs to God, and God declares Himself their God.

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