1And the wordH1697 of the LORDH3068 came unto me, sayingH559, 2SonH1121 of manH120, prophesyH5012 against the shepherdsH7462 of IsraelH3478, prophesyH5012, and sayH559 unto them, Thus saithH559 the LordH136 GODH3069 unto the shepherdsH7462 ; WoeH1945 be to the shepherdsH7462 of IsraelH3478 that do feedH7462 themselves! should not the shepherdsH7462 feedH7462 the flocksH6629? 3Ye eatH398 the fatH2459, and ye clotheH3847 you with the woolH6785, ye killH2076 them that are fedH1277: but ye feedH7462 not the flockH6629. 4The diseasedH2470 have ye not strengthenedH2388, neither have ye healedH7495 that which was sickH2470, neither have ye bound upH2280 that which was brokenH7665, neither have ye brought againH7725 that which was driven awayH5080, neither have ye soughtH1245 that which was lostH6 ; but with forceH2394 and with crueltyH6531 have ye ruledH7287 them. 5And they were scatteredH6327, because there is no shepherdH7462 : and they became meatH402 to all the beastsH2416 of the fieldH7704, when they were scatteredH6327 . 6My sheepH6629 wanderedH7686 through all the mountainsH2022, and upon every highH7311 hillH1389: yea, my flockH6629 was scatteredH6327 upon all the faceH6440 of the earthH776, and none did searchH1875 or seekH1245 after them. 7Therefore, ye shepherdsH7462, hearH8085 the wordH1697 of the LORDH3068; 8As I liveH2416, saithH5002 the LordH136 GODH3069, surely because my flockH6629 became a preyH957, and my flockH6629 became meatH402 to every beastH2416 of the fieldH7704, because there was no shepherdH7462, neither did my shepherdsH7462 searchH1875 for my flockH6629, but the shepherdsH7462 fedH7462 themselves, and fedH7462 not my flockH6629; 9Therefore, O ye shepherdsH7462, hearH8085 the wordH1697 of the LORDH3068; 10Thus saithH559 the LordH136 GODH3069; Behold, I am against the shepherdsH7462 ; and I will requireH1875 my flockH6629 at their handH3027, and cause them to ceaseH7673 from feedingH7462 the flockH6629; neither shall the shepherdsH7462 feedH7462 themselves any more; for I will deliverH5337 my flockH6629 from their mouthH6310, that they may not be meatH402 for them. 11For thus saithH559 the LordH136 GODH3069; Behold, I, even I, will both searchH1875 my sheepH6629, and seek them outH1239 . 12As a shepherdH7462 seeketh outH1243 his flockH5739 in the dayH3117 that he is amongH8432 his sheepH6629 that are scatteredH6567 ; so will I seek outH1239 my sheepH6629, and will deliverH5337 them out of all placesH4725 where they have been scatteredH6327 in the cloudyH6051 and darkH6205 dayH3117. 13And I will bring them outH3318 from the peopleH5971, and gatherH6908 them from the countriesH776, and will bringH935 them to their own landH127, and feedH7462 them upon the mountainsH2022 of IsraelH3478 by the riversH650, and in all the inhabited placesH4186 of the countryH776. 14I will feedH7462 them in a goodH2896 pastureH4829, and upon the highH4791 mountainsH2022 of IsraelH3478 shall their foldH5116 be: there shall they lieH7257 in a goodH2896 foldH5116, and in a fatH8082 pastureH4829 shall they feedH7462 upon the mountainsH2022 of IsraelH3478. 15I will feedH7462 my flockH6629, and I will cause them to lie downH7257, saithH5002 the LordH136 GODH3069. 16I will seekH1245 that which was lostH6, and bring againH7725 that which was driven awayH5080, and will bind upH2280 that which was brokenH7665, and will strengthenH2388 that which was sickH2470 : but I will destroyH8045 the fatH8082 and the strongH2389; I will feedH7462 them with judgmentH4941. 17And as for youH859, O my flockH6629, thus saithH559 the LordH136 GODH3069; Behold, I judgeH8199 between cattleH7716 and cattleH7716, between the ramsH352 and the he goatsH6260. 18Seemeth it a small thingH4592 unto you to have eaten upH7462 the goodH2896 pastureH4829, but ye must tread downH7429 with your feetH7272 the residueH3499 of your pasturesH4829? and to have drunkH8354 of the deepH4950 watersH4325, but ye must foulH7515 the residueH3498 with your feetH7272? 19And as for my flockH6629, they eatH7462 that which ye have troddenH4823 with your feetH7272; and they drinkH8354 that which ye have fouledH4833 with your feetH7272. 20Therefore thus saithH559 the LordH136 GODH3069 unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judgeH8199 between the fatH1274 cattleH7716 and between the leanH7330 cattleH7716. 21Because ye have thrustH1920 with sideH6654 and with shoulderH3802, and pushedH5055 all the diseasedH2470 with your hornsH7161, till ye have scatteredH6327 them abroadH2351; 22Therefore will I saveH3467 my flockH6629, and they shall no more be a preyH957; and I will judgeH8199 between cattleH7716 and cattleH7716. 23And I will set upH6965 oneH259 shepherdH7462 over them, and he shall feedH7462 them, even my servantH5650 DavidH1732; he shall feedH7462 them, and he shall be their shepherdH7462 . 24And I the LORDH3068 will be their GodH430, and my servantH5650 DavidH1732 a princeH5387 amongH8432 them; I the LORDH3068 have spokenH1696 it. 25And I will makeH3772 with them a covenantH1285 of peaceH7965, and will cause the evilH7451 beastsH2416 to ceaseH7673 out of the landH776: and they shall dwellH3427 safelyH983 in the wildernessH4057, and sleepH3462 in the woodsH3293 H3264. 26And I will makeH5414 them and the places round aboutH5439 my hillH1389 a blessingH1293; and I will cause the showerH1653 to come downH3381 in his seasonH6256; there shall be showersH1653 of blessingH1293. 27And the treeH6086 of the fieldH7704 shall yieldH5414 her fruitH6529, and the earthH776 shall yieldH5414 her increaseH2981, and they shall be safeH983 in their landH127, and shall knowH3045 that I am the LORDH3068, when I have brokenH7665 the bandsH4133 of their yokeH5923, and deliveredH5337 them out of the handH3027 of those that servedH5647 themselves of them. 28And they shall no more be a preyH957 to the heathenH1471, neither shall the beastH2416 of the landH776 devourH398 them; but they shall dwellH3427 safelyH983, and none shall make them afraidH2729 . 29And I will raise upH6965 for them a plantH4302 of renownH8034, and they shall be no more consumedH622 with hungerH7458 in the landH776, neither bearH5375 the shameH3639 of the heathenH1471 any more. 30Thus shall they knowH3045 that I the LORDH3068 their GodH430 am with them, and that they, even the houseH1004 of IsraelH3478, are my peopleH5971, saithH5002 the LordH136 GODH3069. 31And yeH859 my flockH6629, the flockH6629 of my pastureH4830, are menH120, and I am your GodH430, saithH5002 the LordH136 GODH3069.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 2 REPROOF OF THE FALSE SHEPHERDS; PROMISE OF THE TRUE AND GOOD SHEPHERD. (Eze. 34:1-31)
Jer 23:1 and
Zech 11:17 similarly make the removal of the false shepherds the preliminary to the interposition of Messiah the Good Shepherd in behalf of His people Israel. The "shepherds" are not prophets or priests, but rulers who sought in their government their own selfish ends, not the good of the people ruled. The term was appropriate, as David, the first king and the type of the true David (
Ezek 34:23-
Ezek 34:24), was taken from being a shepherd (
2Sam 5:2;
Ps 78:70-
Ps 78:71); and the office, like that of a shepherd for his flock, is to guard and provide for his people. The choice of a shepherd for the first king was therefore designed to suggest this thought, just as Jesus' selection of fishermen for apostles was designed to remind them of their spiritual office of catching men (compare
Isa 44:28;
Jer 2:8;
Jer 3:15;
Jer 10:21;
Jer 23:1-
Jer 23:2).
3 fat--or, by differently pointing the Hebrew, "milk" [Septuagint]. Thus the repetition "fat" and "fed" is avoided: also the eating of "fat" would not probably be put before the "killing" of the sheep. The eating of sheep's or goats' milk as food (
Deut 32:14;
Pro 27:27) was unobjectionable, had not these shepherds milked them too often, and that without duly "feeding" them [BOCHART], (
Isa 56:11). The rulers levied exorbitant tributes.
kill . . . fed--kill the rich by false accusation so as to get possession of their property.
feed not . . . flock--take no care of the people (
John 10:12).
4 The diseased--rather, those weak from the effects of "disease," as "strengthened" (that is, with due nourishment) requires [GROTIUS].
broken--that is, fractures from wounds inflicted by the wolf.
brought again . . . driven away-- (
Exod 23:4). Those "driven away" by the enemy into foreign lands through God's judgments are meant (
Jer 23:3). A spiritual reformation of the state by the rulers would have turned away God's wrath, and "brought again" the exiles. The rulers are censured as chiefly guilty (though the people, too, were guilty), because they, who ought to have been foremost in checking the evil, promoted it.
neither . . . sought . . . lost--Contrast the Good Shepherd's love (
Luke 15:4).
with force . . . ruled-- (
Exod 1:13-
Exod 1:14). With an Egyptian bondage. The very thing forbidden by the law they did (
Lev 25:43; compare
1Pet 5:3).
5 scattered, because . . . no shepherd--that is, none worthy of the name, though there were some called shepherds (
1Kgs 22:17;
Matt 9:36). Compare
Matt 26:31, where the sheep were scattered when the true Shepherd was smitten. God calls them "My sheep"; for they were not, as the shepherds treated them, their patrimony whereby to "feed themselves."
meat to all . . . beasts--They became a prey to the Syrians, Ammon, Moab, and Assyria.
6 every high hill--the scene of their idolatries sanctioned by the rulers.
search . . . seek--rather, "seek . . . search." The former is the part of the superior rulers to inquire after: to search out is the duty of the subordinate rulers [JUNIUS].
10 I will require my flock-- (
Heb 13:17), rather, "I require," &c., for God already had begun to do so, punishing Zedekiah and the other princes severely (
Jer 52:10).
11 I . . . will . . . search--doing that which the so-called shepherds had failed to do, I being the rightful owner of the flock.
12 in the day that he is among--in the midst of (Hebrew) His sheep that had been scattered. Referring to Messiah's second advent, when He shall be "the glory in the midst of Israel" (
Zech 2:5).
in the cloudy . . . day--the day of the nation's calamity (
Joel 2:2).
13 And I will bring them out from the people, &c.-- (
Ezek 28:25;
Ezek 36:24;
Ezek 37:21-
Ezek 37:22;
Isa 65:9-
Isa 65:10;
Jer 23:3).
14 good pasture-- (
Ps 23:2).
high mountains of Israel--In
Ezek 17:23;
Ezek 20:40, the phrase is "the mountain of the height of Israel" in the singular number. The reason for the difference is: there Ezekiel spoke of the central seat of the kingdom, Mount Zion, where the people met for the worship of Jehovah; here he speaks of the kingdom of Israel at large, all the parts of which are regarded as possessing a moral elevation.
16 In contrast to the unfaithful shepherds (
Ezek 34:4). The several duties neglected by them I will faithfully discharge.
fat . . . strong--that is, those rendered wanton by prosperity (
Deut 32:15;
Jer 5:28), who use their strength to oppress the weak. Compare
Ezek 34:20, "the fat cattle" (
Isa 10:16). The image is from fat cattle that wax refractory.
with judgment--that is, justice and equity, as contrasted with the "force" and "cruelty" with which the unfaithful shepherds ruled the flock (
Ezek 34:4).
17 you, . . . my flock--passing from the rulers to the people.
cattle and cattle--rather, "sheep and sheep"; Margin, "small cattle," or "flocks of lambs and kids," that is, I judge between one class of citizens and another, so as to award what is right to each. He then defines the class about to be punitively "judged," namely, "the rams and he-goats," or "great he-goats" (compare
Isa 14:9, Margin;
Zech 10:3;
Matt 25:32-
Matt 25:33). They answer to "the fat and strong," as opposed to the "sick" (
Ezek 34:16). The rich and ungodly of the people are meant, who imitated the bad rulers in oppressing their poorer brethren, as if it enhanced their own joys to trample on others' rights (
Ezek 34:18).
18 Not content with appropriating to their own use the goods of others, they from mere wantonness spoiled what they did not use, so as to be of no use to the owners.
deep waters--that is, "limpid," as deep waters are generally clear. GROTIUS explains the image as referring to the usuries with which the rich ground the poor (
Ezek 22:12;
Isa 24:2).
19 they eat--scantily.
they drink--sorrowfully.
20 fat . . . lean--the rich oppressors . . . the humble poor.
21 scattered them abroad--down to the time of the carrying away to Babylon [GROTIUS].
22 After the restoration from Babylon, the Jews were delivered in some degree from the oppression, not only of foreigners, but also of their own great people (Neh. 5:1-19). The full and final fulfilment of this prophecy is future.
23 set up--that is, raise up by divine appointment; alluding to the declaration of God to David, "I will set up thy seed after thee" (
2Sam 7:12); and, "Yet have I set My king on My holy hill of Zion" (
Ps 2:6; compare
Acts 2:30;
Acts 13:23).
one shepherd--literally, "a Shepherd, one": singularly and pre-eminently one: the only one of His kind, to whom none is comparable (
Song 5:10). The Lord Jesus refers to this prophecy (
John 10:14), "I am THE Good Shepherd." Also "one" as uniting in one the heretofore divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and also "gathering together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and on earth" (
Eph 1:10); thus healing worse breaches than that between Israel and Judah (
Col 1:20). "God by Him reconciling all things unto Himself, whether things in earth or in heaven."
David--the antitypical David, Messiah, of the seed of David, which no other king after the captivity was: who was fully, what David was only in a degree, "the man after God's own heart." Also, David means beloved: Messiah was truly God's beloved Son (
Isa 42:1;
Matt 3:17). Shepherd means King, rather than religious instructor; in this pre-eminently He was the true David, who was the Shepherd King (
Luke 1:32-
Luke 1:33). Messiah is called "David" in
Isa 55:3-
Isa 55:4;
Jer 30:9;
Hos 3:5.
24 my servant--implying fitness for ruling in the name of God, not pursuing a self-chosen course, as other kings, but acting as the faithful administrator of the will of God; Messiah realized fully this character (
Ps 40:7-
Ps 40:8;
Isa 42:1;
Isa 49:3,
Isa 49:6;
Isa 53:11;
Phil 2:7), which David typically and partially represented (
Acts 13:36); so He is the fittest person to wield the world scepter, abused by all the world kings (
Dan 2:34-
Dan 2:35,
Dan 2:44-
Dan 2:45).
25 covenant of peace . . . evil beasts . . . to cease . . . dwell safely--The original promise of the law (
Lev 26:6) shall be realized for the first time fully under Messiah (
Isa 11:6-
Isa 11:9;
Isa 35:9;
Hos 2:18).
26 them and the places round about my hill--The Jews, and Zion, God's hill (
Ps 2:6), are to be sources of blessing, not merely to themselves, but to the surrounding heathen (
Isa 19:24;
Isa 56:6-
Isa 56:7;
Isa 60:3;
Mic 5:7;
Zech 8:13). The literal fulfilment is, however, the primary one, though the spiritual also is designed. In correspondence with the settled reign of righteousness internally, all is to be prosperity externally, fertilizing showers (according to the promise of the ancient covenant,
Lev 26:4;
Ps 68:9;
Mal 3:10), and productive trees and lands (
Ezek 34:27). Thus shall they realize the image of
Ezek 34:14; namely, a flock richly pastured by God Himself.
27 served themselves of them--availed themselves of their services, as if the Jews were their slaves (
Jer 22:13;
Jer 25:14; compare
Gen 15:13;
Exod 1:14).
28 dwell safely-- (
Jer 23:6).
29 plant of renown--Messiah, the "Rod" and "Branch" (
Isa 11:1), the "righteous Branch" (
Jer 23:5), who shall obtain for them "renown." FAIRBAIRN less probably translates, "A plantation for a name," that is, a flourishing condition, represented as a garden (alluding to Eden,
Gen 2:8-
Gen 2:11, with its various trees, good for food and pleasant to the sight), the planting of the Lord (
Isa 60:21;
Isa 61:3), and an object of "renown" among the heathen.
31 ye my flock . . . are men--not merely an explanation of the image, as JEROME represents. But as God had promised many things which mere "men" could not expect to realize, He shows that it is not from man's might their realization is to be looked for, but from GOD, who would perform them for His covenant-people, "His flock" [ROSENMULLER]. When we realize most our weakness and God's power and faithfulness to His covenant, we are in the fittest state for receiving His blessings.
Another feature of Israel's prosperity; those who exulted over Israel's humiliation, shall themselves be a "prey." Already stated in
Ezek 25:12-
Ezek 25:14; properly repeated here in full detail, as a commentary on
Ezek 34:28. The Israelites "shall be no more a prey"; but Edom, the type of their most bitter foes, shall be destroyed irrecoverably.
