Ezekiel 34:16

Ezekiel 34:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
• New International Version (NIV)I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
• English Standard Version (ESV)I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

Context of Ezekiel 34:16

14I will feed them in fields on Israel's mountains where grass grows. They will lie down in the good fields. They will eat the green grass that grows on the mountains. 15I myself will take care of my sheep. I will give them safe places to lie down and rest. I, the Almighty Lord, say this. I will find the lost sheep and I will bring them back. I will cover their wounds. I will help those who are weak to become strong. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will give them justice as their food! 17This is what I, the Almighty Lord, say to you, my sheep: I will judge you. I will decide which of you are good and which of you are bad. I will judge between male sheep and goats. 18You bad sheep make sure that you have plenty of good grass to eat. But then you spoil the other grass so that no other sheep can eat it. You have clean water to drink. But then you spoil the water which remains. It is too dirty for other sheep to drink.

Ezekiel 34:16 word by word

אֶת־הָאֹבֶ֤דֶת אֲבַקֵּשׁ֙ וְאֶת־הַנִּדַּ֣חַת אָשִׁ֔יב וְלַנִּשְׁבֶּ֣רֶת אֶחֱבֹ֔שׁ וְאֶת־הַחוֹלָ֖ה אֲחַזֵּ֑ק וְאֶת־הַשְּׁמֵנָ֧ה וְאֶת־הַחֲזָקָ֛ה אַשְׁמִ֖יד אֶרְעֶ֥נָּה בְמִשְׁפָּֽט׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I will seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• that which was lostאָבַד'âbad · to perishH6
• and bring againשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• that which was driven awayנָדַחnâdach · to banishH5080
• and will bind upחָבַשׁchâbash · to saddle/tieH2280
• brokenשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
• and will strengthenחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: strengthenH2388
• that which was sickחָלָהchâlâh · be weak: weakH2470
• but I will destroyשָׁמַדshâmad · to destroyH8045
• the fatשָׁמֵןshâmên · richH8082
• and the strongחָזָקchâzâq · strongH2389
• I will feedרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
• them with judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941

Cross-references for Ezekiel 34:16

• Ezekiel 34:4You have not helped the weak sheep to be strong. You have not made the sick sheep well. Nor have you covered their wounds. You have not looked for lost sheep and brought them back. Instead, you have ruled my people in a cruel way.
• Isaiah 40:11He takes care of his people, like a shepherd who takes care of his sheep. He picks up the young lambs and he carries them near to his heart. He carefully leads the mother sheep that have lambs.
• Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Almighty Lord is on me, because he has chosen me to serve him. He has sent me to tell good news to poor people. He has sent me to comfort people who are very upset. He has sent me to tell prisoners that they are now free. They can go out of their prisons!
• Micah 4:6The Lord speaks again: ‘At that time I will bring together the people who cannot walk well. I will bring back the people that I sent away. I caused trouble for those people, but I will bring them back together.
• Matthew 15:24Jesus replied to his disciples, ‘God has sent me to help only the people of Israel. They are like sheep that have lost their way.’
• Matthew 18:11[I, the Son of Man, came to look for those who are far away from God.]
• Mark 2:17Jesus heard what these people were saying. He said to them, ‘People who are well do not need a doctor. It is people who are ill that need a doctor. Some people think that they always obey God. I did not come to help people like that. Some people know that they have done wrong things. I am asking those people to come to me for help.’
• Luke 5:31Jesus answered them, ‘People who are well do not need a doctor. It is people who are ill that need a doctor.
• Luke 15:4‘Think about a man who has 100 sheep. He may lose one of them. What does he do then? He leaves all his other sheep in the fields. Then he goes. He looks for the sheep that he has lost. He looks until he finds it.
• Luke 19:10I, the Son of Man, came to look for people who are far away from God. They are in danger and I have come to save them.’
• Ezekiel 39:18You will eat the meat of great men and you will drink the blood of kings. You will eat them like the fat sheep, cows and animals from Bashan that you eat.
• Deuteronomy 32:15The Israelites became rich and fat. They turned against God. They were full of good food, but they turned away from God. He was the one who made them. He was the strong Rock who kept them safe. But they no longer respected him.
• Isaiah 5:17Then lambs will find good grass to eat, as they do in their own fields. Fat sheep will find food to eat among the stones of the old houses.
• Isaiah 10:16So the Lord, the Almighty Lord, will punish Assyria's soldiers. They are now fat and healthy, but they will become thin! It will be like a fire that burns them, with all their proud strength.
• Jeremiah 50:11‘You people of Babylon are very happy, because you have robbed my people. You dance like young cows that have fresh grass to eat. You make a happy noise, like a strong male horse.
• Amos 4:1Listen to this message, you women who live on the hill in Samaria. You are like fat cows that do not work hard for food. You are like the cows in Bashan. They eat on very good land by the Jordan river. You do not give to weak people what they need. You are not fair to poor people. Then you sit down and you say to your husbands, ‘Bring us more to drink.’

Commentaries on Ezekiel 34:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16I will destroy the fat and the strong - I will destroy those cruel and imperious shepherds who abuse their authority, and tyrannize over the flock.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16With judgment - It is characteristic of Yahweh as a shepherd that He judges between sheep and sheep, rejecting the proud and accepting the penitent and broken-hearted.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-16Verses 7-16 The Lord declared that he intended mercy towards the scattered flock. Doubtless this, in the first place, had reference to the restoration of the Jews. It also represented the good Shepherd's tender care of the souls of his people. He finds them in their days of darkness and ignorance, and brings them to his fold. He comes to their relief in times of persecution and temptation. He leads them in the ways of righteousness, and causes them to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-16The dark and cloudy day, the day of judgment (compare Ezekiel 32:7–8), was over. Now God would bring his people back to the mountains of Israel, the center of the land promised to the patriarchs, and care for his sheep (see Psalm 23).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. In contrast to the unfaithful shepherds (Eze 34:4). The several duties neglected by them I will faithfully discharge. fat ... strong--that is, those rendered wanton by prosperity (De 32:15; Jr 5:28), who use their strength to oppress the weak. Compare Eze 34:20, "the fat cattle" (Is 10:16). The image is from fat cattle that wax refractory. with judgment--that is, justice and equity, as contrasted with the "force" and "cruelty" with which the…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 34:16

• Minister, Christian
• Righteous

In the dictionaries

• Cruelty
• Ezekiel, Book of
• Require
• Seek
• Ezekiel
• Sheep
• Sick; Sickness
• Teach; Teacher; Teaching

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