Yechezkel 34:3

3 Ye eat the chelev, and ye clothe you with the tzemer (wool), ye slaughter the healthy; but ye are not ro’im that tend the tzon.

Yechezkel 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.

Yechezkel 34:3 In-Context

1 4 And the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

2 Ben Adam, prophesy against the ro’im (shepherds) of Yisroel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem unto the ro’im (shepherds); Oy to the ro’im (shepherds) of Yisroel who are ro’im tending to themselves! Should not the ro’im (shepherds) be ro’im tending to the tzon (flock)?

3 Ye eat the chelev, and ye clothe you with the tzemer (wool), ye slaughter the healthy; but ye are not ro’im that tend the tzon.

4 The weak have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was cholah (sick), neither have ye bound up the nishberet (injured ones), neither have ye brought back that which was straying, neither have ye sought haovedet (the lost); but with chazekah (force) and with perek (harshness, severity) have ye ruled them.

5 And they were scattered, because there is no ro’eh; and they became okhel (food) to kol chayyat hasadeh, when they were scattered.