Bible Strands
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,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Lord GOD addresses the shepherds of Israel, delivering a declaration of judgment between the initial warning in Ezekiel 34:7 and the repeated command in Ezekiel 34:9.
The words — The phrase חַי־ אָ֜נִי (chai- 'A.ni) literally means "by me, I live," functioning as a solemn divine oath formula that anchors the subsequent pronouncement.
The thread — The text explicitly states that the flock became prey due to the absence of a shepherd, a condition directly paralleled in Ezekiel 34:5, while the condemnation of self-serving leaders aligns with the warning in 2 Peter 2:13.
Why it lands — The passage requires readers to identify the direct cause of the flock's destruction: the leaders' refusal to search for the sheep and their choice to feed themselves instead.
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
As 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;
Cross-references
- 2 Peter 2:13 The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deception as they feast with you.
- Ezekiel 34:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock?
- Ezekiel 34:5 They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts.
- Ezekiel 34:10 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand from them My flock and remove them from tending the flock, so that they can no longer feed themselves. For I will deliver My flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.’
- Ezekiel 34:18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink the clear waters? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?
- Ezekiel 34:31 ‘You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My people, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
- Acts 20:33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
- 1 Corinthians 9:15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that something be done for me. Indeed, I would rather die than let anyone nullify my boast.
- Jude 1:12 These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted.