Bible Strands
Ezekiel 34:5
They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Ezekiel pronounces this oracle to the corrupt leaders of Israel, condemning their failure to care for the people they were appointed to guide.
The words — מִ/בְּלִי (mi./be.Li) literally means "because of not" or "lack of," and רֹעֶ֑ה (ro.'Eh) means "a shepherd." Together they establish the absence of protective leadership as the direct cause of the flock's dispersion.
The thread — The scattered-flock motif recurs in 2 Chronicles 18:16, Matthew 9:36, and Jeremiah 23:2, consistently linking leadership failure or divine judgment with vulnerable, dispersed communities.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that absent or abusive oversight directly produces vulnerability and exploitation, requiring readers to evaluate who actually provides protection and care.
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 they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 18:16 So Micaiah declared: “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master; let each one return home in peace.’”
- Matthew 9:36 When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
- Jeremiah 23:2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the LORD.
- Ezekiel 34:8 ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead,
- 1 Kings 22:17 So Micaiah declared: “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master; let each one return home in peace.’”
- Isaiah 56:9 Come, all you beasts of the field; eat greedily, all you beasts of the forest.
- Jeremiah 50:17 Israel is a scattered flock, chased away by lions. The first to devour him was the king of Assyria; the last to crush his bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”
- Zechariah 10:2 For idols speak deceit and diviners see illusions; they tell false dreams and offer empty comfort. Therefore the people wander like sheep, oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
- Acts 20:29 I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
- Numbers 27:17 who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”