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Numbers 27:17

in Numbers 27

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.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in; that the congregation of Jehovah be not as sheep which have no shepherd.

KJV

Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd.

This verse in Numbers 27

Commentary

4 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

That the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd - This is a beautiful expression, and shows us in what light Moses viewed himself among his people. He was their shepherd; he sought no higher place; he fed and guided the flock of God under the direction of the Divine Spirit, and was faithful in all his Master’s house. To this saying of Moses our Lord alludes, Mat 9:36.

This site's exposition

will go out and come in before them

Going out and coming in before them names a leader's whole public conduct, in war and out of it. Moses asks that the congregation not be "like sheep without a shepherd", as Micaiah says of Israel at 1 Kings 22:17.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Go out before them - That is, who may wisely conduct them in all their affairs, both when they go forth to war, or upon other occasions, and when they return home and live in peace.
Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in,....

The words behind it

19 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • אֲשֶׁר־who

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • יֵצֵ֣אhe will go out

    yetze'H3318 →1067 times

  • לִפְנֵיהֶ֗ם<to> before them

    lifneihemH6440 →2123 times

  • וַאֲשֶׁ֤רand who

    vaasherH834 →5497 times

  • יָבֹא֙he will come

    yavo'H935 →2568 times

  • לִפְנֵיהֶ֔ם<to> before them

    lifneihemH6440 →2123 times

  • וַאֲשֶׁ֥רand who

    vaasherH834 →5497 times

  • יוֹצִיאֵ֖םhe will lead out them

    yotziemH3318 →1067 times

  • וַאֲשֶׁ֣רand who

    vaasherH834 →5497 times

  • יְבִיאֵ֑םhe will bring them

    yeviemH935 →2568 times

  • וְלֹ֤אand not

    velo'H3808 →5168 times

  • תִהְיֶה֙it will be

    tihyehH1961 →3559 times

  • עֲדַ֣ת[the] congregation of

    ʾadatH5712 →149 times

  • יְהוָ֔הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • כַּצֹּ֕אןlike <the> sheep

    katzonH6629 →274 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • אֵין־not

    ʾein-H369 →789 times

  • לָהֶ֖ם[belongs] to <the> them

    lahem

  • רֹעֶֽה׃a shepherd

    roehH7462 →

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Mark 6:34

    When Jesus stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things.

    it leads to

    • 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.

      Reached by 3 separate paths from here.

    • 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.’”

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Luke 9:11

      But the crowds found out and followed Him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and He healed those who needed healing.

  • Through

    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.

    it leads to

    • Mark 6:34

      When Jesus stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things.

    • 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.

    • Ezekiel 34:3–6

      You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock.

    • Matthew 14:14

      When He stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.

    • 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.

Where this verse is studied

About Numbers

The Brazen Serpent, Anthony van Dyck, 1618 to 1620. Public domain.
The Brazen Serpent, Anthony van Dyck, 1618 to 1620. Public domain.

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.