Israel · One shepherd, my servant David

Ezekiel 34:1-31

Ezekiel · ~590 BC · Status: Future · Confidence: 60%
“And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? … Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.”
King James Version · the opening of the passage — the whole of it is condensed below
More of Ezekiel 34 on this siteEzekiel 34:23
This prophecy turns at 34:11v1-10 against the shepherds who fed themselves and not the flock; v11 turns - 'Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out' - to the LORD as shepherd, one shepherd my servant David (v23), and a covenant of peace (v25).

Ezekiel's indictment of Israel's false shepherds and the promise that God Himself will shepherd His flock, setting over them 'my servant David' — read of the Messiah, the Good Shepherd.

The prophecy, condensed

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
Ezekiel 34:1-31 · King James Version · condensed from 958 words · every cut marked …
Read the full prophecy — all 31 verses

34:1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

34:2Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

34:3Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.

34:4The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

34:5And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

34:6My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

34:7Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

34:8As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;

34:9Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

34:10Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

34:11For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

34:12As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

34:13And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

34:14I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

34:15I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.

34:16I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

34:17And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.

34:18Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?

34:19And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.

34:20Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.

34:21Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;

34:22Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.

34:23And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

34:24And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.

34:25And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

34:26And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

34:27And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.

34:28And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.

34:29And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.

34:30Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.

34:31And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.

Fulfillment References

John 10:11-16 Ezekiel 37:24 Jeremiah 23:1-6 1 Peter 5:4

How Traditions Read This Prophecy

Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalThe one Shepherd, 'my servant David,' is fulfilled in Jesus, the one God who came to seek and save His flock (John 10:11; Ezek. 34:31).
JewishGod's judgment on failed leaders and His promise to shepherd Israel, raising up a Davidic prince — read of the Messianic king to come.
CatholicFulfilled in Christ the Good Shepherd (John 10), who gathers and feeds the one flock.
ProtestantThe 'one shepherd, my servant David' is read as the Messiah; Jesus claims this image directly in John 10.
OrthodoxChrist the Good Shepherd fulfilling the promise to gather and tend God's flock.
DispensationalAnticipates the literal Davidic Messiah shepherding restored Israel in the millennial kingdom.
AcademicScholars note the ancient Near Eastern 'king as shepherd' royal ideology and read 'David' as an idealized future Davidic ruler in post-exilic hope.
Open the full interactive entry →
Audio narration (listen to this prophecy read aloud), cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, a prophetic timeline, network maps, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.