Bible Strands
Ezekiel 34:11
For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My flock and seek them out.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Lord Yahweh speaks through Ezekiel to a people experiencing judgment for the failure of their corrupt leaders. He announces His immediate intervention to replace their negligent oversight with His own direct care.
The words — The Hebrew verb דָּרַשׁ (darash) appears as וְדָרַשְׁתִּי (ve-darash-ti), meaning "and I will search for" or "I will seek out." It follows the emphatic pronoun אָנִי (ani), "I," stressing that Yahweh Himself will perform the action.
The thread — This divine pursuit motif appears in Luke 19:10, where the Son of Man comes to seek the lost, and John 10:16, where the shepherd gathers other sheep outside the current fold. Isaiah 40:10 parallels the theme with the Lord coming with might to establish His rule and gather His people.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to acknowledge that human leadership failure does not override divine commitment to the people. It demands a practical shift from relying on inadequate human protectors to trusting in God’s direct pursuit and rescue.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
Cross-references
- Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
- John 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
- Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and His arm establishes His rule. His reward is with Him, and His recompense accompanies Him.
- Jeremiah 23:3 Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and multiply.
- Jeremiah 31:8 Behold, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, including the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor. They will return as a great assembly!
- Psalms 80:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph. Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
- Isaiah 45:12 It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.
- Isaiah 56:8 Thus declares the Lord GOD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will gather to them still others besides those already gathered.”
- Psalms 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
- Isaiah 51:12 “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Why should you be afraid of mortal man, of a son of man who withers like grass?