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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
34:1-31 Shepherds and Sheep. The move toward restoration continues by way of further warning and indictment. Ezekiel develops the picture of the community and its leaders as flock and shepherds (used throughout Jeremiah). In Ezekiel, the metaphor is seen only in this chapter and in 37:24. The brief oracle in Jer. 23:1-4 focused only on the shepherds, and this is Ezekiel's starting point (Ezek. 34:1-16)--but here Ezekiel goes on to address the sheep (vv. 17-31).
34:1-16 Wicked Shepherds and the Good Shepherd. The passage moves from condemnation (vv. 1-10) to restoration (vv. 11-16). As in Jeremiah, the punishment of negligent shepherds (the leaders of the people) precedes the promise of a faithful shepherd, although the two prophets differ on details. The passage is emphatic that the role of the shepherd is to ensure the safety and well-being of the flock. This has been the distinctive failure of Judah's leaders.
34:1-10 Often in Ezekiel a concise accusation leads to a lengthy description of consequences and punishments. Here, the proportions are reversed. The situation is presented in vv. 1-6, it is summarized in vv. 7-8, and judgment is announced in vv. 9-10.
34:2 The metaphor of shepherds for the rulers of the community has ancient roots and was widespread in the ancient Near East (e.g., on Tammuz, 8:14-15). In the OT, David is the shepherd-king par excellence (2 Sam. 5:2; Ps. 78:70-72), but preeminently, it applies to God himself (e.g., Ps. 80:1). Jesus identifies himself as the "good shepherd" (John 10:11, 14). feeding yourselves. The failure here is not simply a matter of neglecting the sheep but of benefiting at the cost of the flock.
34:3-6 These verses pointedly describe how the shepherds misused their power by using it for their own gain rather than for the good of the people. Because of this covenant neglect (Lev. 26:33; Deut. 28:64) the sheep were scattered.
34:10 No punishment is identified except that this situation must stop, and divine intervention ensures that it does (see note on vv. 11-16).
34:11-16 God intervenes to reverse, step by step, the process described above. He successively undoes the damage inflicted by the failed shepherds (vv. 2-6, 8) by seeking the scattered (v. 12), gathering (v. 13) and feeding them (v. 14), and ensuring they live in security (v. 15). On the announcement of God himself as shepherd (v. 15), see v. 23. The summary in v. 16 portrays the judgment of the shepherds and the restoration of the flock as two aspects of a single work of God. In John 10:9, Jesus speaks of the sheep finding "pasture" (evoking Ezek. 34:14).
34:17-31 The Flock: Problems and Prospects. The remainder of the chapter is addressed to the flock in three stages: vv. 17-22 condemn victimization within the flock; vv. 23-24 return to the provision of a faithful shepherd; and vv. 25-31 attend to the implications of renewal for the natural world.
34:17-22 The structure is much like that of vv. 1-10. Behavior within the flock is described and condemned in vv. 17-19, and the consequent divine intervention is described (vv. 20-22), which includes a reiteration of the charges (v. 21). The "you" now addresses the flock rather than its shepherds.
34:17-19 The previous oracle concluded with a statement of "justice" (v. 16, Hb. mishpat); this pertains not only to the rulers but also to the people themselves. The selfish greed, which not only monopolizes but also squanders the resources of the community, is "judged" (v. 17, Hb. shophet, related to mishpat). Ezekiel's oracle anticipates Jesus' teaching in Matt. 25:31-46.
34:20-22 The description of the classes of sheep implies oppressive exploitation apart from failed leadership. The assertion of judgment that begins and ends this oracle distinguishes it from the next element in the chapter.
34:23-24 Ezekiel's announcement of a Davidic shepherd (v. 23; cf. 37:24) is similar to Jeremiah's (Jer. 23:5-6). The covenant formula in Ezek. 34:24 affirms the relationship of God and people. Because it is in such close proximity to v. 15, some commentators see a tension between those taking up the role of shepherd: is the shepherd divine (v. 15) or human (v. 23)? The dilemma may be solved by appeal to editorial layering, or in assuming a hierarchy of divine shepherd over human shepherd. A Christological reading finds here an anticipation of the divine-human nature of the Messiah. Such a reading explains John 10:11-18, where, in claiming to be the "good shepherd," Jesus claims to be both the Davidic Messiah (Ezek. 34:23) and the incarnate God of Israel (v. 15; cf. John 1:14). Ezekiel's uneasiness with any king except God is seen in designating David as prince (Hb. nasi’).
34:25-31 The covenant of peace announced in v. 25 extends the renewal of life from the human community to the natural world. These effects also come in tandem with the messianic age in Isa. 11:1-9. Covenant curses have been prominent until this point, but the covenant also entailed blessings (cf. Lev. 26:4-6; Deut. 28:8-14). They shall be showers of blessing refers not only to literal rain but also to abundant blessings from God. Ezekiel 34:31 returns explicitly to the pastoral metaphor to draw the threads of the chapter together.
