Ezekiel 34:12

12 sicut visitat pastor gregem suum in die quando fuerit in medio ovium suarum dissipatarum sic visitabo oves meas et liberabo eas de omnibus locis quo dispersae fuerant in die nubis et caliginis

Ezekiel 34:12 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 34:12

As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is
among his sheep that are scattered
That is, when they have been scattered, and are got together again; then he goes among them, to see if there are any missing, and in wheat condition they are, and what they want: so will I seek out my sheep, and deliver them out of all places where
they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day;
such as, in a literal sense, the time of the captivity was, when the Jews were dispersed in the various provinces of Babylon, and other countries; and which was a time of darkness and affliction to them. The time of Adam's fall was a dark and cloudy day; when all sinned in him, and were made sinners by his disobedience; when the sentence of condemnation and death passed upon all, and they became liable to utter ruin and destruction; when darkness and ignorance seized all human nature; when all mankind were separated from God, and set at a distance from him; in consequence of which the children of God, his sheep, were scattered abroad. A time of unregeneracy is a cloudy and dark day with God's elect; they are in darkness, and walk in darkness, and are darkness itself, till made light in the Lord: and so is a time of desertion; when the Lord's people are laid in darkness, and the deeps, and both sit and walk therein, and see no light; when they can neither see the Lord, nor hear from him, nor have any communion with him; when the sun of righteousness is withdrawn or eclipsed; and they cannot see their interest clear in spiritual and eternal things: as is also a time of persecution with the churches of Christ; when both ministers and people are scattered abroad, and their eyes cannot behold their teachers; and moon and stars are not seen for many days, Gospel ministers and Gospel ordinances: and the same is a time of blasphemy and error; and when it is neither day nor night, as is the present season; but there is no day so cloudy and dark but the shepherd can see his sheep, and will look them out, though they cannot see him.

Ezekiel 34:12 In-Context

10 haec dicit Dominus Deus ecce ego ipse super pastores requiram gregem meum de manu eorum et cessare eos faciam ut ultra non pascant gregem nec pascant amplius pastores semet ipsos et liberabo gregem meum de ore eorum et non erunt ultra eis in escam

11 quia haec dicit Dominus Deus ecce ego ipse requiram oves meas et visitabo eas

12 sicut visitat pastor gregem suum in die quando fuerit in medio ovium suarum dissipatarum sic visitabo oves meas et liberabo eas de omnibus locis quo dispersae fuerant in die nubis et caliginis

13 et educam eas de populis et congregabo eas de terris et inducam eas in terram suam et pascam eas in montibus Israhel in rivis et in cunctis sedibus terrae

14 in pascuis uberrimis pascam eas et in montibus excelsis Israhel erunt pascuae eorum ibi requiescent in herbis virentibus et in pascuis pinguibus pascentur super montes Israhel