Ezekiel 34:3

3 You take the milk and are clothed with the wool, you put the fat beasts to death, but you give the sheep no food.

Ezekiel 34:3 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 34:3

Ye eat the fat
The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions, render it, "the milk"; the words for fat and milk differ only in the points; and this was not unlawful, for who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
( 1 Corinthians 9:7 ) , provided it was done with moderation, that they ate some, but not all; but these rulers milked their subjects too much, oppressed them with heavy taxes, and got their substance into their own hands. The Targum is,

``ye eat the good;''

they got possessed of the best of their substance; as did also their ecclesiastical rulers, who were greedy shepherds, that could never have enough; they looked for their gain from their quarter, and even devoured widows' houses, ( Isaiah 56:11 ) ( Matthew 23:14 ) : ye clothe you with the wool:
the pure wool, as the Targum, the finest of it; they fleeced the flock, and stripped the people of their riches; and minded nothing but their own backs and bellies: ye kill them that are fed;
or, that "are fat" ^F17; the richest of the people they brought accusations and charges against for capital crimes; and so put them to death under a colour of justice, that they, might get their estates into their hands: but ye feed not the flock;
did not govern the people well, by doing justice and judgment among men, as became civil magistrates; did not deliver out words of faith and sound doctrine, to feed the souls of men with, which is the duty of those that preside in the church of God.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 (hayrbh) "quod pingue est", Vatablus, Bochartus; "pinguem", Cocceius, Starckius. So Ben Melech.

Ezekiel 34:3 In-Context

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

2 Son of man, be a prophet against the keepers of the flock of Israel, and say to them, O keepers of the sheep! this is the word of the Lord: A curse is on the keepers of the flock of Israel who take the food for themselves! is it not right for the keepers to give the food to the sheep?

3 You take the milk and are clothed with the wool, you put the fat beasts to death, but you give the sheep no food.

4 You have not made the diseased ones strong or made well that which was ill; you have not put bands on the broken or got back that which had been sent away or made search for the wandering ones; and the strong you have been ruling cruelly.

5 And they were wandering in every direction because there was no keeper: and they became food for all the beasts of the field.