Bible Strands
Jeremiah 50:6
My people are lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray, causing them to roam the mountains. They have wandered from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting place.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jeremiah addresses the exiled community of Israel regarding their return from Babylon, describing their prior spiritual condition before the covenant restoration mentioned in verse 5.
The words — עַמִּ֔י ('a.M/i) translates literally as "my people," establishing divine ownership, while אֹֽבְדוֹת (oe.dOt) means "lost" or "perishing," indicating their state of ruin.
The thread — The shepherd-sheep metaphor recurs in Isaiah 53:6 to describe universal human straying, in Matthew 9:36 to depict the crowds' helplessness, and in Ezekiel 34:14 where God promises to restore them to proper pasture.
Why it lands — The text states that spiritual abandonment results from misguided leadership, demanding the reader acknowledge that true direction and rest originate only from the covenant Lord.
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
My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 53:6 We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.
- 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.
- Ezekiel 34:14 I will feed them in good pasture, and the lofty mountains of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in a good grazing land; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
- Matthew 10:6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
- 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.”
- Psalms 119:176 I have strayed like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.
- Psalms 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
- Psalms 116:7 Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
- Jeremiah 3:6 Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there.
- Jeremiah 50:19 I will return Israel to his pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan; his soul will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.