Ezekiel 34:3

Ezekiel 34:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
• New International Version (NIV)You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.
• English Standard Version (ESV)You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.
• New King James Version (NKJV)You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.

Context of Ezekiel 34:3

1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, the [spiritual] shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe (judgment is coming) to the [spiritual] shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat [the choicest of meat], and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the best of the livestock, but you do not feed the flock. 4You have not strengthened those who are weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bandaged the crippled, you have not brought back those gone astray, you have not looked for the lost; but you have ruled them with force and violence. 5They were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the predators of the field.

Ezekiel 34:3 word by word

אֶת־הַחֵ֤לֶב תֹּאכֵ֙לוּ֙ וְאֶת־הַצֶּ֣מֶר תִּלְבָּ֔שׁוּ הַבְּרִיאָ֖ה תִּזְבָּ֑חוּ הַצֹּ֖אן לֹ֥א תִרְעֽוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Ye eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• the fatחֵ֫לֶבcheleb chêleb · fatH2459
• and ye clotheלָבֵשׁlâbash lâbêsh · to clotheH3847
• you with the woolצֶ֫מֶרtsemer · woolH6785
• ye killזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
• them that are fedבָּרִיאbârîy' · fatH1277
• ye feedרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
• not the flockצֹאןtsô'n tse'ôn · flockH6629

Cross-references for Ezekiel 34:3

• Isaiah 56:11And the dogs are greedy; they never have enough. They are shepherds who have no understanding; They have all turned to their own way, Each one to his unlawful gain, without exception.
• Zechariah 11:5whose buyers slay them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich!’ And their own shepherds have no pity on them nor protect them [from the wolves].
• Ezekiel 19:3When she [the royal mother-city] brought up [Jehoahaz] one of her cubs, He became a [young] lion, And he learned to catch and tear the prey; He devoured men.
• Ezekiel 22:25There is a conspiracy of her [false] prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured [human] life; they have taken [in their greed] treasure and precious things; they have made many widows among her.
• Ezekiel 33:25Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “You eat meat with the blood in it and raise your eyes to your idols and shed blood. Should you take possession of the land?
• 1 Kings 22:13Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Listen carefully, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable to the king. Please let your words be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.”
• 2 Kings 21:16Moreover, Manasseh shed a very great quantity of innocent blood, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, by doing evil in the sight of the Lord.
• Isaiah 1:10Hear the word of the Lord [rulers of Jerusalem], You rulers of [another] Sodom, Listen to the law and instruction of our God, You people of [another] Gomorrah.
• Jeremiah 2:30“In vain I have punished your people [with the consequences of their disobedience]; They received no insight from correction [and refused to change]. Your [own] sword has devoured your prophets Like a destroying lion.
• Jeremiah 22:17“But your eyes and your heart Are only intent on your own dishonest gain, On shedding innocent blood, On oppression and extortion and violence.”
• Lamentations 4:13Because of the sins of her [counterfeit] prophets And the wickedness of her [unfaithful] priests, Who have shed in her midst The blood of the just and righteous;
• Micah 3:1And I said, “Hear now, heads of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel. Is it not for you to know and administer justice?
• Zephaniah 3:3Her officials within her are roaring lions; Her judges are [as hungry as] the wolves at evening, They leave nothing for the morning.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 34:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Ye eat the fat - I think החלב hacheleb should be translated the milk, and so most of the Versions understand it. Or they lived on the fat sheep, and took the wool of all. "The priests," says Calmet, "ate the tithes, the first-fruits, and the offerings of the people; the princes received the tributes and imposts and instead of instructing and protecting them, the latter took away their lives by the cruelties they practiced against them: the former…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-6Woe to the shepherds: Israel’s leaders did not care for the weak or search for those who wandered away and were lost. They pursued their own interests, feeding themselves at the flock’s expense. They ruled the sheep with harshness and cruelty, similar to how the Egyptians treated the Israelites in the time of Moses (Exodus 1:13–14). The neglect and abuse by these cruel shepherds scattered the Lord’s flock across the earth.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. fat--or, by differently pointing the Hebrew, "milk" [Septuagint]. Thus the repetition "fat" and "fed" is avoided: also the eating of "fat" would not probably be put before the "killing" of the sheep. The eating of sheep's or goats' milk as food (De 32:14; Pr 27:27) was unobjectionable, had not these shepherds milked them too often, and that without duly "feeding" them [Bochart], (Is 56:11). The rulers levied exorbitant tributes. kill ... fed--kill the…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 34:3

• Levites
• Minister, Christian
• Rulers
• Wool

In the dictionaries

• Cruelty
• Dress
• Ezekiel, Book of
• Require
• Seek
• Ezekiel
• Teach; Teacher; Teaching
• Wool

Commentaries on Ezekiel 34

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings