Ezekiel 34:31

And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD. YE MY FLOCK, THE FLOCK OF MY PASTURE, ARE MEN - not merely an explanation of the image, as Jerome represents; but as God had promised many things which mere "men" could not expect to realize, He shows that it is not from man's might their realization is to be looked for, but from GOD, who would perform them for His covenant-people, "His flock" (Rosenmuller). When we realize most our weakness, and God's power and faithfulness to His covenant, we are in the fittest state for receiving His blessings. But if the Jews themselves were to be the "plant of renown," how could the expression be appropriate, "I will raise up for them a plant of renown"? (i:e., themselves.) Menochius makes the "plant of renown" to mean 'a renowned name among all nations.' But "I will raise up for them" is the regular phrase...

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, Ezekiel 34:23, 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, was as a tender plant out of a dry ground. Being the Tree of life, bearing all the fruits of salvation, he yields spiritual food to the souls of his people. Our constant desire and prayer should be, that there may be showers of blessings in every place where the truth of Christ is preached; and that all who profess the gospel may be filled with fruits of righteousness....

Verse Ezekiel 34:31. _AND YE MY FLOCK_] That is, under the allegory of a _flock_ of _sheep_, I point out _men_; under that of a _pasture_, my _Church_, and under that of a _shepherd_, the _Messiah_, through whom I am become _your God_. And he who is your God is אדני יהוה _Adonai_ _Jehovah_, the self-existent Being; the _Governor_ and _Director_, as well as the _Saviour_ and _Judge_ of men....

Yahweh having promised to be a Ruler of His people, the administration of the divine kingdom is now described, as carried on by One King, the representative of David, whose dominion should fulfill all the promises originally made to the man after God’s own heart. Ezekiel does not so much add to, as explain and develope, the original promise; and as the complete fulfillment of the spiritual blessings, which the prophets were guided to proclaim, was manifestly never realized in any temporal prosperity of the Jews, and never could and never can be realized in any earthly kingdom, we recognize throughout the Sacred Volume the one subject of all prophecy - the Righteous King, the Anointed Prince, the Son and the Lord of David. Ezekiel 34:23 ONE SHEPHERD - One, as ruling over an undivided people, the distinction between th

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 34:1 AND THE WORD OF THE LORD, etc. As no date is given, we may infer that what follows came as an almost immediate sequel to that which precedes it. The kernel of the chapter is found in the Messianic prophecies of Ezekiel 34:23, Ezekiel 34:24, as the first stage in the restoration of Israel which is beginning to open to the prophet's gaze. We can hardly avoid seeing in it the deliberate expression of words that had been spoken by Ezekiel's master (Jeremiah 23:1), and which in his case also were followed by a directly Messianic announcement. In...

AND YE MY FLOCK, THE FLOCK OF MY PASTURE, ARE MEN,.... This is observed, to show that all that had been said in this chapter concerning sheep, and a flock of sheep, was to be understood, not in a literal sense, but in a figurative one, of such as were rational and spiritual persons; a set of men whom the Lord had chosen, and separated from others, as his peculiar flock; and whom he took a special care of, and led them to, and fed them in, green pastures of his own providing; they are the souls of men that Christ is the Shepherd and Bishop of, 1 Peter 2:25. The Talmudists u frequently make use of this text, to prove that Israelites are only called men, and not the Gentiles; see Matthew 15:26 AND I AM YOUR GOD, SAITH THE LORD GOD; which is often repeated for the certainty of

The former part of the chapter contains a prophetic denunciation against the evil shepherds, the men who fed not the flocks, but fed themselves, who fouled, with their filthy feet, the waters where the flocks did drink, and trod upon the soft grass that otherwise might have afforded pasture for the sheep. After pronouncing judgment upon them, the Lord turns his thoughts to his sheep, and gives this precious promise, Ezekiel 34:11. _For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out._ The shepherds did not do this; they left the sheep to wander, and they were lost upon the mountains; but where men fail, God proves himself all-sufficient. My hearer, are you sitting under an unprofitable ministry? Then look to the Chief Shepherd, and not to the man who is unfaithful as an under-shepherd....

Ezekiel 34:1. The shepherds of Israel were the kings and princes and all who had authority over them. The prophet Jeremiah had received a similar message Jeremiah 23:1. These shepherds of Israel were responsible for the deplorable condition of the flock. Utterly selfish, they cared not for the sheep of His pasture; they feared not God nor did they have a heart for God's people. The flock was scattered and spoiled. Such was the sad condition of the people Israel. And when the Lord Jesus appeared in their midst to seek the lost sheep of the house of Israel, He found them as sheep without a shepherd, and He had compassion upon them Mark 6:34. But they rejected Him and the Shepherd was smitten. Zechariah's prophecy was fulfilled

In the coming days, while Yahweh will indeed be chief Shepherd, there will still be an earthly shepherd, to correspond to the old order of evil shepherds: in plain words, the monarchy will continue, but the monarch will have a real shepherd heart. His title, my servant David, by no means implies the resurrection of the dead king of the olden times, but only a succession (or the first of a succession) of rulers continuing the Davidic line, or possibly even only one who will rule in the spirit and power of David. Instead of the divided kingdom, whose component parts (Israel and Judah) had run their parallel and sometimes hostile course for centuries, will be the united kingdom, under _one_ shepherd, _i.e._ one king. Then will come the glorious Messianic days, the covenant of peace or welfare, whose leading features will be the fertility of the land, the extirpation of its wild beasts, the...

FLOCK. The 1611 edition of the Authorized Version omitted these two words "flock, the". ARE. ye [are] MEN. Hebrew. _adam_, App-14. I: i.e. human beings, not "sheep", as spoken of in this chapter. YOUR GOD. Some codices, with Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "Jehovah your Elohim"....