Ezekiel 34:18

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?
• English Standard Version (ESV)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?
• 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?

Context of Ezekiel 34:18

16I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice! 17“And as for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to his people: I will judge between one animal of the flock and another, separating the sheep from the goats. 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? 19Why must my flock eat what you have trampled down and drink water you have fouled? 20“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep.

Ezekiel 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 16:20“Then you took your sons and daughters—the children you had borne to me—and sacrificed them to your gods. Was your prostitution not enough?
• Genesis 30:15But Leah angrily replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?” Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”
• Numbers 16:9Does it seem insignificant to you that the God of Israel has chosen you from among all the community of Israel to be near him so you can serve in the Lord’s Tabernacle and stand before the people to minister to them?
• 2 Samuel 7:19And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?
• Isaiah 7:13Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well?
• Ezekiel 34:2“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep?
• Micah 2:2When you want a piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone’s house, you take it by fraud and violence. You cheat a man of his property, stealing his family’s inheritance.
• Ezekiel 32:2“Son of man, mourn for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and give him this message: “You think of yourself as a strong young lion among the nations, but you are really just a sea monster, heaving around in your own rivers, stirring up mud with your feet.
• Matthew 15:6In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition.
• Matthew 23:13“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.
• Luke 11:52“What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from 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

• Minister, Christian
• Selfishness

In the dictionaries

• Cruelty
• Ezekiel, Book of
• Foul
• Require
• Seek
• Ezekiel
• 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