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

1Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock? You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock. 4You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back the strays, or searched for the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. 5They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts.

Ezekiel 34:3 word by word

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

• ·אֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
• You eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• the fatחֵ֫לֶבcheleb chêleb · fatH2459
• wearלָבֵשׁlâbash lâbêsh · to clotheH3847
• the woolצֶ֫מֶרtsemer · woolH6785
• and butcherזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
• the fattened sheepבָּרִיאbârîy' · fatH1277
• but you do notלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
• feedרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
• the flockצֹאןtsô'n tse'ôn · flockH6629

Cross-references for Ezekiel 34:3

• Isaiah 56:11Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:
• Zechariah 11:5whose buyers slaughter them without remorse. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich!’ Even their own shepherds have no compassion on them.
• Ezekiel 19:3She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.
• Ezekiel 22:25The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.
• Ezekiel 33:25Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?
• 1 Kings 22:13Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold now, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”
• 2 Kings 21:16Moreover, Manasseh shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end, in addition to the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, doing evil in the sight of the LORD.
• Isaiah 1:10Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
• Jeremiah 2:30“I have struck your sons in vain; they accepted no discipline. Your own sword has devoured your prophets like a voracious lion.”
• Jeremiah 22:17“But your eyes and heart are set on nothing except your own dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, on practicing extortion and oppression.”
• Lamentations 4:13But this was for the sins of her prophets and the guilt of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous in her midst.
• Micah 3:1Then I said: “Hear now, O leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know justice?
• Zephaniah 3:3Her princes are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, leaving 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