Bible Strands
Ezekiel 34:31
‘You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My people, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — YHWH speaks through the prophet Ezekiel to the house of Israel, following a declaration of covenantal presence in the preceding verse. The oracle addresses a people who have received failed leadership and are being reassigned to direct divine care.
The words — צֹאנִי (tzōnî) translates literally as "my flock," and מַרְעִיתִי (marʿîṯî) means "my pasture." These terms establish immediate ownership and sustained provision over the addressed group.
The thread — The flock-pasture motif appears in Psalms 100:3, which identifies the people as God's sheep of His pasture, and Psalms 78:52, which describes God guiding His people like sheep through the wilderness. John 10:16 later extends the shepherd imagery to include a gathered remnant beyond the original fold.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of a transferred allegiance from human leadership to direct divine authority. It requires the reader to accept the stated identity as a factual covenant status rather than a metaphorical ideal.
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
And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.
Cross-references
- Psalms 100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
- 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.
- Psalms 78:52 He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
- Ezekiel 36:38 Like the numerous flocks for sacrifices at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so the ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
- 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
- John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
- John 20:15 “Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked. “Whom are you seeking?” Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.”
- Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
- Psalms 95:7 For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice,
- Isaiah 40:11 He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.