Ezekiel 34 Study Notes

34:1 Ezekiel 34 is a self-contained literary unit. It begins with the introductory phrase the word of the Lord came to me and concludes with the recognition formula (vv. 30-31). The passage is similar to Jr 23:1-6.

34:2-3 The shepherds of Israel is a figurative expression referring to political leaders, perhaps primarily the kings. Kings and other leaders were commonly called “shepherds” (2Sm 7:7; Ps 78:70-72; Is 44:28; 63:11; Jr 10:21; 23:1-6; 25:34-38; Mc 5:4-5; Zch 11:4-17). Sheep are the most frequently mentioned animals in the Bible, and those who take care of them, “the shepherds,” appear in approximately a hundred biblical passages. Many of the most prominent individuals in the OT were shepherds, including Abraham (Gn 12:16), Isaac (Gn 26:14), Moses (Ex 3:1), David (2Sm 7:8), and Amos (Am 1:1). Because sheep are helpless if left to themselves, a person has to have qualities such as care and compassion in order to be a good shepherd. Thus both civil and religious leaders are often spoken of as shepherds of the people, the flock. Just as the leaders of Israel were denounced for exploiting the sheep in Ezk 34:2,8,10, Peter warned elders against leading the church with self-serving motives (1Pt 5:2-3). On the positive side, the shepherd metaphor is used in the NT to describe how church pastors and elders should fulfill their responsibilities (Jn 21:15-17; Ac 20:28-29; 1Pt 5:1-5).

34:4 This characteristic feature of a shepherd (sought the lost) is mentioned in many biblical texts (Jr 50:6; Mt 18:12-14; Lk 15:4; 19:10). The word cruelty is the same word used to compare the oppression of the taskmasters who ruled brutally over the Israelites during their bondage in Egypt (Ex 1:13-14). This type of action was prohibited in the Mosaic law (Lv 25:43,46). A member of the community of Israel was not to be treated this way.

34:5 The verb scattered was often used by Ezekiel to describe Israel’s exile and dispersion (11:16-17; 12:15; 20:23,34,41; 22:15; 28:25). Because the people were scattered they became food for wild animals and wandered over the mountains, but no shepherd searched for them (Mk 6:34).

34:6 This dispersion may allude to the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, which scattered Israel and Judah among the nations. See the identical figure of a routed army in Micaiah’s oracle (1Kg 22:17).

34:7-10 Because the shepherds feed themselves but do not care for the flock, they will be removed.

34:11 The verb look for (Hb biqqer) is used in Leviticus to refer to the physical examination of a leper (Lv 13:36). In passages that address the offering of sacrifices, the verb describes the examination of a prospective sacrificial animal (Lv 27:33).

34:12 While most exiles were sent to Babylon, this was not the only foreign country that received displaced Israelites (Jr 43:1-7).

34:13-15 This promise of restoration (I will bring them . . . to their own soil) is mentioned in 11:17 and repeated in 20:34,41-42; 28:25. The restoration of the nation is especially emphasized in Ezk 38-39 (see also 36:24; 37:21). These three phrases represent and reflect the exodus from Egypt. Hence, God’s rescuing of Israel from Babylon and restoring her to Canaan follows the model of the formative saving event in the OT—the exodus from Egypt.

34:16 God is the good shepherd (Ps 23; Is 40:11; Jr 23:3; 31:10; Mc 2:12; 4:6-8) who will gather the dispersed flock. This prophecy was not exhausted when Israel returned to her land after the Babylonian captivity. It still awaits future fulfillment in the millennium. Concern for social justice was a common topic for Ezekiel and other prophets (Is 3:13-15; 5:8; Am 5:12; 6:1-7; Mc 2:1-5). God will execute judgment against the fat and the strong, greedy sheep who trample good pasture and muddy clear waters, gorging themselves while depriving the needy of life’s essential resources.

34:17-22 Now he speaks to his flock and warns that those who oppress the weak will be judged.

34:23-24 In addition to God becoming the shepherd for Israel, he also promised to appoint a ruler, the Messiah, from the line of David (see 2Sm 7:12-14a; Ps 89:4,20,29). Jeremiah equated the Messiah with the true Shepherd from the line of David, calling him “a Righteous Branch” and “The Lord Is Our Righteousness.” During his reign “Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely” (Jr 23:5-6). This identity is also indicated elsewhere in the prophetic literature (Is 55:3-4; Jr 30:9; Ezk 37:24-25; Hs 3:5). David is referred to by name elsewhere in passages that look to the future restoration of Israel (Is 11:1-10; Jr 30:9; Ezk 37:24-25; Hs 3:5). Thus Yahweh would be Israel’s God; the Messiah, called my servant David, would be Israel’s ruler on earth after he restored Israel to her land. “My servant David” was a standing title of King David (1Kg 11:34,36,38; 2Kg 8:19; Ps 36:1; 78:70; see Is 55:3-4). David was important not just historically but theologically as well. This is evident from the covenant that God established with him (2Sm 7). This covenant was ultimately fulfilled in the person of Jesus, the Messiah. He is the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:11-18), who descended from the line of David to be King of Israel (Mt 1:1).

34:25 The archetype for this covenant of peace is the covenant with Noah in which the Lord swore after the flood to never again destroy all living things by water (Gn 9:8-17). This covenant should be equated with the new covenant relationship, which will provide peace (Nm 25:12; Jos 9:15; 10:1; Ps 29:11; 85:8; Is 54:10). Because of sin, man lost peace with God (Gn 3:15; 4:8), but peace was available through the Mosaic covenant as a result of obedience (Lv 26:6). The covenant of peace looks forward to the blessings Israel will experience in the millennium. But even now peace may be experienced through relationship with Christ. It is only in Christ, the one true son of David, that this prophecy is fulfilled. Some of the benefits have begun already, such as the peace that surpasses understanding (Php 4:7; cp. Jn 14:27). Other benefits await full implementation at the time when Messiah (the promised Davidic king) comes again. The language used to describe Israel’s future restoration (live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest) is cast in the language of the exodus, suggesting that the restoration of Israel will be a new exodus, reminiscent of the nation’s earlier deliverance from Egyptian bondage.

34:26 In Israel autumn rains signaled the beginning of the rainy season, and spring rains the end (Jr 5:24). Blessing is a term that occurs frequently in the creation account, and this depends on the work of the Creator. God usually blesses his people by ensuring that natural processes work optimally rather than by circumventing them via miracles.

34:27 The term yoke occurs more than fifty times in the Bible. It refers to the wooden bar or frame that joined animals so they could carry or pull a heavier load. The bars consisted of wooden pegs inserted through holes in the yoke. Rope fastened the whole apparatus to the animal’s neck, forming a collar (30:18; Lv 26:13; Jr 27:2; 28:10-13). The yoke became a symbol of bondage or of joining together for labor. Most occurrences of yoke in the Bible are figurative, as in Ezk 34:27, which represents foreign domination (Dt 28:48; Jr 27:8-12).

34:28 God will banish wild creatures; thus, the people will live in safety (Lv 26:5-6). Ezekiel’s idyllic picture of the Messianic Age as a time of universal peace, involving even the animal world, recalls Is 11:6-9 and Hs 2:18-23. The doom prophecies of Ezk 1-24 drew on the curses of the covenant documents (particularly Lv 26), and now the restoration visions draw on the language of blessings for covenant obedience (especially those of Lv 26) and present them as unconditional prophecies of future bliss.

34:29 The prophets declared that when Israel was finally obedient to the Lord, she would experience blessings on earth. This same theme occurs in Rm 11:25-27. Agricultural bounty is a standard way of describing the benefits of the restoration age (Dt 30:9; Am 9:13).

34:30 This conclusion (they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them) reflects covenant language, as seen in the establishment of Israel’s relationship with Yahweh at the exodus (11:20; Ex 6:7; Hs 1:9).

34:31 This language (You are my flock . . . I am your God) is associated with reestablishment of the divine covenant established with Moses (Ex 6:7; Jr 7:23; Hs 2:23).