English Standard Version
Ezekiel 34:18
18Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet?
Ezekiel 34:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?
- New International Version (NIV)Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?
- New King James Version (NKJV)Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet?
- New Living Translation (NLT)Isn’t it enough for you to keep the best of the pastures for yourselves? Must you also trample down the rest? Isn’t it enough for you to drink clear water for yourselves? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?
Context of Ezekiel 34:18
16I 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. 17"As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet? 20"Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
Read all of Ezekiel 34Ezekiel 34:18 word by word
הַמְעַ֣ט מִכֶּ֗ם הַמִּרְעֶ֤ה הַטּוֹב֙ תִּרְע֔וּ וְיֶ֙תֶר֙ מִרְעֵיכֶ֔ם תִּרְמְס֖וּ בְּרַגְלֵיכֶ֑ם וּמִשְׁקַע־מַ֣יִם תִּשְׁתּ֔וּ וְאֵת֙ הַנּ֣וֹתָרִ֔ים בְּרַגְלֵיכֶ֖ם תִּרְפֹּשֽׂוּן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- a small thingמְעַטme‛aţ me‛âţ · littleH4592
- unto you to have eaten upרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
- the goodטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
- pastureמִרְעֶהmir‛eh · pastureH4829
- but ye must tread downרָמַסrâmas · to trampleH7429
- with your feetרֶ֫גֶלregel · footH7272
- the residueיֶ֫תֶרyether · remainderH3499
- and to have drunkשָׁתָהshâthâh · to drinkH8354
- of the deepמִשְׁקָעmishqâ‛ · clarifiedH4950
- watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
- but ye must foulרָפַשׂrâphaώ · to foulH7515
- the residueיָתַרyâthar · to remainH3498
Cross-references for Ezekiel 34:18
- Ezekiel 16:20And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter
- Genesis 30:15But she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?" Rachel said, "Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes."
- Numbers 16:9is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them,
- 2 Samuel 7:19And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God!
- Isaiah 7:13And he said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?
- Ezekiel 34:2"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?
- Micah 2:2They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.
- Ezekiel 32:2"Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: "You consider yourself a lion of the nations, but you are like a dragon in the seas; you burst forth in your rivers, trouble the waters with your feet, and foul their rivers.
- Matthew 15:6he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.
- Matthew 23:13"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
- Luke 11:52Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering."
Commentaries on Ezekiel 34:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Have eaten up the good pasture - Arrogate to yourselves all the promises of God, and will hardly permit the simple believer to claim or possess any token of God's favor. Ye must foul the residue with your feet? - Ye abuse God's mercies; you consume much upon yourselves, and ye spoil more, on which the poor would have been glad to feed. There are some who would rather give food to their sporting dogs than to the poor around them, who are ready to starve…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-31Verses 17-31 The whole nation seemed to be the Lord's flock, yet they were very different characters; but he knew how to distinguish between them. By good pastures and deep waters, are meant the pure word of God and the dispensing of justice. The latter verses, 23-31, prophesy of Christ, and of the most glorious times of his church on earth. Under Him, as the good Shepherd, the church would be a blessing to all around. Christ, though excellent in himself…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-19The goats were the powerful, unrighteous members of the community.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-1918-19. Not content with appropriating to their own use the goods of others, they from mere wantonness spoiled what they did not use, so as to be of no use to the owners. deep waters--that is, "limpid," as deep waters are generally clear. Grotius explains the image as referring to the usuries with which the rich ground the poor (Eze 22:12; Is 24:2).Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 34:18
In the dictionaries
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
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Commentaries