Ezekiel 34:11-24

The Lord God Will Seek Them Out

11 "For thus says the Lord GOD: ¹Behold, I, I ²myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.

12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on ³a day of clouds and ⁴thick darkness.

13 And I will bring them out from the peoples ⁵and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on ⁶the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

14 ⁷I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. ⁸There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.

15 ⁹I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, ¹⁰and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.

16 ¹¹I will seek the lost, ¹²and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and ¹³the fat and the strong I will destroy.^[a] I will feed them in justice.

17 "As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: ¹⁴Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and ¹⁵male goats.

18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of ¹⁶clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet?

19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

20 "Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

21 Because you push with side and shoulder, and ¹⁷thrust at all the ¹⁸weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad,

22 I will rescue^[b] my flock; ¹⁹they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep.

23 And ²⁰I will set up over them one shepherd, ²¹my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.

24 And ²²I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. ²³I am the LORD; I have spoken.

Ezekiel 34:11-24 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 34

In the former chapter the prophet prophesies against the people of the Jews, both those of the captivity, and those who were not; and here against the shepherds of Israel. This he is bid to do, Eze 34:1,2, whose cruelty to the flock, negligence and unfaithfulness are exposed, Eze 34:3-6, for which reasons they are threatened to be deprived of their office, Eze 34:7-10, and the Lord promises to take the care of the flock upon himself, to seek out his sheep, and feed them, and do every kind office to them, Eze 34:11-16 and then the strong of the flock, that oppressed the weak, are threatened with punishment, Eze 34:17-22 and the promise of the Messiah, as the shepherd of the flock, is made, under whom all prosperity and happiness might be expected, Eze 34:23-31.

Cross References

• 1. [Luke 19:10; John 10:11]
• 2. [Micah 4:6, 7]
• 3. Ezekiel 30:3
• 4. Joel 2:2; Zephaniah 1:15
• 5. See Ezekiel 11:17
• 6. See Ezekiel 6:2
• 7. Psalms 23:2; [John 10:9]
• 8. [Isaiah 32:18; Jeremiah 33:12]
• 9. [ver. 23; Isaiah 40:11]
• 10. [See ver. 14 above]
• 11. [ver. 4]
• 12. Micah 4:6
• 13. [ver. 20; Isaiah 10:16; Amos 4:1]
• 14. ver. 20, 22; [Ezekiel 20:38; Matthew 25:32, 33]
• 15. Zechariah 10:3
• 16. [Ezekiel 32:14]
• 17. Deuteronomy 33:17; Daniel 8:4
• 18. [ver. 4]
• 19. [ver. 8]
• 20. Ezekiel 37:22, 24; Jeremiah 23:4, 5; Micah 5:4; Micah 7:14; [ver. 15; John 10:11, 16]
• 21. Ezekiel 37:24, 25; [2 Samuel 5:2; Psalms 78:71, 72]
• 22. See Ezekiel 37:27; Exodus 29:45; Leviticus 26:12
• 23. See Ezekiel 17:24

Footnotes

• [a]. Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate I will watch over
• [b]. Or save