Ezekiel 34:3

3 "You ¹eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you ²slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock.

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 Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,

2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?

3 "You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock.

4 "Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.

5 "They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.

Cross References

• 1. Zechariah 11:16
• 2. Ezekiel 22:25, 27

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "pasturing"