Bible Strands
Jeremiah 10:21
For the shepherds have become senseless; they do not seek the LORD. Therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jeremiah delivers a lament over Judah’s collapsed leadership immediately before announcing a northern invasion that will desolate the land. The speaker addresses the nation as its protective structures fail and its people disperse.
The words — נִבְעֲרוּ (niv'a.ru) translates literally to "they have behaved stupidly," and דָרְשׁוּ (darshu) means "they have sought." The text states the shepherds acted without wisdom and failed to seek Yahweh.
The thread — This condemnation of failing leaders appears in Jeremiah 12:10, Ezekiel 34:2, and Jeremiah 23:1. Each passage links shepherd neglect to the scattering or destruction of the flock.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that leadership accountability is structural, not optional. It requires readers to identify where spiritual guidance has ceased and to restore direct pursuit of God.
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 the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 12:10 Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard; they have trampled My plot of ground. They have turned My pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.
- 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?
- Jeremiah 23:1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD.
- Isaiah 56:10 Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber.
- Jeremiah 2:8 The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD?’ The experts in the law no longer knew Me, and the leaders rebelled against Me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and followed useless idols.
- Jeremiah 8:9 The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom do they really have?
- Jeremiah 10:8 But they are altogether senseless and foolish, instructed by worthless idols made of wood!
- Jeremiah 23:9 As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me, and all my bones tremble. I have become like a drunkard, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD, because of His holy words.
- Ezekiel 22:25 The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.
- Ezekiel 34:12 As a shepherd looks for his scattered sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.