Ezekiel 34:31
in Ezekiel 34‘You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My people, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And ye my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord Jehovah.
KJV
And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.
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This verse in Ezekiel 34
Commentary
11 notes on this verseAnd ye my flock - That is, under the allegory of a flock of sheep, I point out men; under that of a pasture, my Church, and under that of a shepherd, the Messiah, through whom I am become your God. And he who is your God is אדני יהוה Adonai Jehovah, the self-existent Being; the Governor and Director, as well as the Savior and Judge of men.
This site's exposition
They will no longer be prey for the nations
on Ezekiel 34:28-31
The chapter's final promise removes both threats named across it, the beasts and the nations, so that “They will dwell securely”. The closing line steps outside the shepherd figure, “You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My people, and I am your God”.
This site's exposition
the sheep of My pasture
The sheep of My pasture is the language of Israel's worship at Psalm 95:7 and Psalm 100:3. The chapter's last line puts the words of the temple's songs into the LORD's own mouth. He answers His people's praise.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
O how blessed we are with such a possession and such a possessor! Because as well as him possessing us, we also possess him. He possesses us in order to tend us, and we possess him in order to tend him. But we tend him with worship as God, he tends us with cultivation as a field.
(Verse 25 onwards) And I will make a covenant (or testament) of peace with them, and I will cause the most harmful beasts to cease from the earth, and those who dwell in the wilderness will sleep safely in the woods. And I will place them around my hill as a blessing, and I will bring rain in its season, and the rains will be a blessing.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Those that belong to this flock, though they are spoken of as sheep, are really men, men that have the Lord for their God, and are in covenant with him. Now to them it is promised, (1.) That they shall enjoy a holy security under the divine protection. Christ, our good Shepherd, has caused the evil beasts to cease out of the land (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men,....
The prophecy of this chapter is not dated, nor any of those that follow it, till ch. xl. It is most probable that it was delivered after the completing of Jerusalem's destruction, when it would be very seasonable to enquire into the causes of it.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
But as God had promised many things which mere "men" could not expect to realize, He shows that it is not from man's might their realization is to be looked for, but from GOD, who would perform them for His covenant-people, "His flock" [ROSENMULLER]. When we realize most our weakness and God's power and faithfulness to His covenant, we are in the fittest state for receiving His blessings.
THE sermon of this morning is intended for the flock of God and it will be directed very pointedly to that particular part of it here gathered in fellowship. God has been coming very near to us of late, for a considerable number of Brothers and Sisters have fallen asleep during the last few days—nearly all of them persons of ripe age who have been gathered as sheaves in their season. Others are evidently upon the eve of departure, for their infirmities are multiplied and their strength is small. When the Good Shepherd is taking one and another into His bosom and bearing them away from us, the rest of us ought to recognize His Presence with holy reverence. Let us feel that the ground whereon we stand is holy, and that the time is most suitable for increased devotedness of life. Let us number our days and apply our hearts unto wisdom. If we do not live when life is seen to be so short, how foolish we must be! If we do not awaken ourselves when the Lord is calling home our Brethren, we must be sluggards, indeed. Let us spend the time of our sojourning here in fear, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God. This is the special matter of which I would speak today. God has, in great mercy, gathered to Himself a Church in this place for these many years. He has multiplied the people and increased their joy—and we have joyed before Him as with the joy of harvest. Nothing has happened to mar our unity or prevent our success, for God has been with us. Many have been added to us of such as are saved and we have gone from strength to strength in Christian enterprise, never failing to accomplish our work. But the tendency of all human things is to deteriorate. There is a down-dragging influence in the world and we, ourselves, are such creatures of the earth that we all too easily yield to its attractions.
THE sermon of this morning is intended for the flock of God and it will be directed very pointedly to that particular part of it here gathered in fellowship. God has been coming very near to us of late, for a considerable number of Brothers and Sisters have fallen asleep during the last few days—nearly all of them persons of ripe age who have been gathered as sheaves in their season. Others are evidently upon the eve of departure, for their infirmities are multiplied and their strength is small.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַתֵּ֥ן | veaten | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| צֹאנִ֛י | tzoni | [are] flock my | H6629 → | 274 times |
| צֹ֥אן | tzon | [the] flock of | H6629 → | 274 times |
| מַרְעִיתִ֖י | mariti | pasture my | H4830 → | |
| אָדָ֣ם | ʾadam | human[s] | H120 → | 551 times |
| אַתֶּ֑ם | ʾatem | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| אֲנִי֙ | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם | ʾeloheikhem | [am] God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| נְאֻ֖ם | neum | [the] utterance of | H5002 → | 376 times |
| אֲדֹנָ֥י | ʾadonai | [the] Lord | H136 → | 440 times |
| יְהוִֽה׃ פ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3069 → | 306 times |
וְאַתֵּ֥ןand you
veatenH859 →1094 times
צֹאנִ֛י[are] flock my
tzoniH6629 →274 times
צֹ֥אן[the] flock of
tzonH6629 →274 times
מַרְעִיתִ֖יpasture my
maritiH4830 →
אָדָ֣םhuman[s]
ʾadamH120 →551 times
אַתֶּ֑םyou
ʾatemH859 →1094 times
אֲנִי֙I
ʾaniH589 →874 times
אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם[am] God your
ʾeloheikhemH430 →2601 times
נְאֻ֖ם[the] utterance of
neumH5002 →376 times
אֲדֹנָ֥י[the] Lord
ʾadonaiH136 →440 times
יְהוִֽה׃ פYahweh
yahwehH3069 →306 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 100:3Know 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.
it leads to
- Psalms 95:6–7
O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
- Psalms 46:10
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.”
- Psalms 119:73
Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding to learn Your commandments.
- John 17:3
Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
- Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.
- Psalms 95:6–7
Through
John 10:16I 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.
it leads to
- Isaiah 56:8
Thus declares the Lord GOD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will gather to them still others besides those already gathered.”
- John 11:52
and not only for the nation, but also for the scattered children of God, to gather them together into one.
- 1 Peter 2:25
For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
- Isaiah 56:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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On this verse
About Ezekiel
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Augustine of Hippo, SERMON 47:30; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1807: “A Call to the Lord's Own Flock” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible.