Ezekiel 34:18-28

18 Whether it was not enough to you to devour good pastures? Furthermore and ye defouled with your feet the remnants of your pastures, and when ye drank clearest water, ye disturbed the residue with your feet. (Was it not enough for some of you to devour the good pastures? But furthermore, ye defiled the remnants of your pastures with your feet, and after that ye drank of the clearest water, then ye disturbed the residue with your feet.)
19 And my sheep were fed with these things that were defouled with your feet; and they drank these things, that your feet had troubled.
20 Therefore the Lord God saith these things to you, Lo! I myself deem betwixt a fat beast and a lean beast.
21 For that that ye hurled with (your) sides, and shoulders, and winnowed with your horns all sick beasts (and winnowed all the sick, or all the weak, beasts with your horns), till those were scattered withoutforth,
22 I shall save my flock, and it shall no more be into raven. And I shall deem betwixt beast and beast; (I shall save my flock, and they shall no more be spoils. And I shall judge between beast and beast;)
23 and I shall raise on those one shepherd, my servant David, that shall feed those; he shall feed them, and he shall be a shepherd to them. (and I shall raise upon them one shepherd, my servant David, who shall feed them; yea, he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.)
24 Forsooth I the Lord shall be into God to them, and my servant David shall be prince in the midst of them; I the Lord spake. (And I the Lord shall be their God, and my servant David shall be their leader in their midst; I the Lord spoke.)
25 And I shall make with them a covenant of peace, and I shall make [the] worst beasts to cease from [the] earth; and they that dwell in desert, shall sleep secure in forests. (And I shall make a covenant of peace with them, and I shall make evil, or wild, beasts to cease to exist in the land; and then my sheep shall live with security in the field, and shall sleep with peace in the forests.)
26 And I shall set them [a] blessing in the compass of my little hill, and I shall lead down rain in his time. And rains of blessing shall be, (And I shall place them all around my little hill for a blessing, and I shall lead down rain in its time. Yea, there shall be blessed rains/Yea, there shall be rains of blessing,)
27 and the tree of the field shall give his fruit, and the earth shall give his seed. And they shall be in their land without dread; and they shall know, that I am the Lord, when I shall all-break the chains of their yoke, and shall deliver them from the hand of them that command to them. (and the tree of the field shall give its fruit, and the earth shall give its seed. And they shall live in their land without any fear; and they shall know, that I am the Lord, when I shall all-break the chains of their yoke, and shall rescue them from the hands, or from the power, of those who commanded to them.)
28 And they shall no more be into raven into heathen men, neither the beasts of [the] earth shall devour them, but they shall dwell trustily without any dread. (And they shall no more be spoils for the heathen, nor shall the beasts of the field devour them, but they shall live with trust, and without any fear.)

Ezekiel 34:18-28 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.