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, Ezek. 34:1, Ezek. 34:2, whose cruelty to the flock, negligence and unfaithfulness are exposed, Ezek.

The word of the Lord came unto me The date of this prophecy is not given; however, it seems to have been delivered after the destruction of Jerusalem; the causes of which are mentioned, the sins of the people and their governors, which the prophet is directed to expose: saying: as follows:

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel Or, “concerning” [[14]] them; the governors of them, as the Targum and Jarchi; their political governors, their kings, princes, and civil magistrates of every order and degree; so Kimchi interprets it of kings; and it was common with the eastern…

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? , provided it was done with moderation, that they ate some,…

The diseased have ye not strengthened Such, in the civil polity, who were poor, and in necessitous circumstances, were not relieved; such who were injured and oppressed by others were not vindicated; and such as were forced to flee to other countries, or were carried captive, no care was taken, or…

And they were scattered because there is no shepherd No good one; there were shepherds, but they were idol shepherds, good for nothing, and it was all one as if there were none: so, in Christ’s time, there were the Scribes and Pharisees; yet, since these did not feed the people with wholesome…

My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill As sheep do, when gone astray, go from mountain to hill; so the people of Israel fled from place to place, through the cruelty of their rulers, or through the force of the enemy, being carried captive into many kingdoms and…

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. ] Or, “ye governors”, as the Targum, both civil and ecclesiastical; ye kings, princes, and magistrates; ye prophets and teachers of the people, who ought to have attended to the word of grace, to the doctrines of the Scriptures, and fed the people…

As I live, saith the Lord It is an oath, and which he swore in his wrath, being provoked with the shepherds for their misadministration: surely, because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd; a prey to all the kingdoms of the…

Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. ] This is repeated, that it might be observed, and for the confirmation of it; it might be depended upon that what follows would be accomplished, unless they changed their conduct and behaviour; and, to leave them inexcusable, they are again…

Thus saith the Lord God, behold, I am against the shepherds, &c.] His heart was against them; his hand was against them; his face was against them, to cut them off.

For thus saith the Lord God Since the shepherds are so negligent, careless, and cruel: behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out; as he did the Jews, in all countries where they were, so his elect in all places where they are: he is the omniscient God, and knows them that are…

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…

And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land Which was in part fulfilled when the Jews were delivered from the Babylonish captivity; and which may well be ascribed to the Lord, since it was he that stirred up Cyrus, king of…

I will feed them in a good pasture Or with good food, as the Targum: such as the fulness of grace in Christ, where believers go in and out, and find pasture; and where they may feed to the full, have bread enough, and to spare; and may draw water with joy out of the full wells of salvation: this is…

I will feed my flock This is repeated for the further confirmation of it, that it might be depended upon that the Lord would feed his people in the manner before promised; and it gives a reason why he would do it, because they were his flock; he had a right unto them, a property in them; they were…

And I will seek that which was lost As all men are in Adam, and through his fall, and by their own actual transgressions; and so the elect of God among the rest; who are lost not with respect to God’s knowledge of them, love to them, and care for them; but with respect to their knowledge of him,…

And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord God Having done with the shepherds, and the complaint against them, the Lord proceeds to take notice of the flock, or the people themselves, and the evils that were among them; for in the Lord’s own flock, in the nation and church of Israel, as now in…

Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture This is directed to the rams and he goats, to the people of power and wealth, or who had the key of knowledge and instruction; who, by their conduct, showed as if it was not enough for them to eat and drink the best of things…

And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet They are forced to do it, not being able to come at any thing else; being as sheep without a shepherd, or worse: and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet; which, as it cannot be agreeable and relishing, so…

Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them To the rams and he goats of the flock, that use the pastures and defile the waters after this manner, and make them unfit for the lesser cattle; or that use the poor people of God after this sort: behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and…

Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder As the stronger cattle do the lesser: and pushed all the diseased with your horns; as horned cattle do those they dislike, and bear an antipathy to; which to do to the diseased is great cruelty: sheep, it is said, will take some care of those that…

Therefore will I save my flock Or redeem my people, as the Targum; that is, by his son, after described, as his shepherd and servant: and they shall no more be a prey: to Satan the roaring lion; nor to such horned cattle, their persecutors; nor to false teachers, who lie in wait to deceive; nor…

And I will set up one shepherd over them Or governor, as the Targum; an excellent one of a thousand, the only one; in comparison of whom others are not to be named; for though there are under shepherds, as magistrates and ministers of the word, he is the principal one; that is, Christ, called the…

And I the Lord will be their God The God of them Christ is the shepherd of, and whom he feeds; the sheep and poor of the flock: this is the great blessing of the everlasting covenant, and than which there cannot be a greater, to have the Lord, the everlasting and unchangeable Jehovah, to be a…

And I will make with them a covenant of peace , Such the covenant of grace is, made with Christ from everlasting; in which Jehovah proposed terms of peace, and which Christ undertook to answer, and became the peacemaker; and from this article concerning the peace and reconciliation of men the…

And I will make them, and the places round about my hill, a blessing Alluding either to the city of Jerusalem, and the places adjacent; or to the temple, and the houses about it.

And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit Such as are trees of righteousness, rooted in Christ, and planted in his church, and watered with his grace; these bring forth, bear, and are filled with the fruits of righteousness by him: and the earth shall yield her increase; the fallow ground of…

And they shall no more be a prey to the Heathen To the Papists, who shall now be perished out of the land, : neither shall, the beasts of the land devour them; neither that beast which rose up out of the sea, nor that which came up out of the earth, (Rev. 13:1, Rev.

And I will raise up for them a plant of renown Or, “for a name”; or, “of a name” [[18]]; a famous one: this is to be understood, not of the Jewish nation itself, as the Targum, “and I will raise up for them a plantation for standing;” or which shall continue; but of the Messiah, and not of his…

Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, &c.] Granting them his gracious and powerful presence, by all the above instances of his goodness and favour to them: and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God: and not utterly cast off, as they seemed to…

And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men This is observed, to show that all that had been said in this chapter concerning sheep, and a flock of sheep, was to be understood, not in a literal sense, but in a figurative one, of such as were rational and spiritual persons; a set of men whom…