Yechezkel 34 | The Prophecy of the Shepherds and the Flock

A central question arises when discussing the sins of Israel and the destruction: Who is to blame — the people or the leaders? Our chapter, through a vivid metaphor of shepherds and sheep, presents both sides.

Initially, the blame is placed on the shepherds. They are depicted as doing the exact opposite of their duty: “You ate the fat, you wore the wool, and you slaughtered the fattest, but you did not tend the sheep” (34:3). Instead of caring for the sheep entrusted to them, they exploit them for their own gain — taking wool and meat while failing to tend to or protect the flock. Moreover, they neglect the weak and vulnerable sheep: “You did not strengthen the weak, you did not nurse the sick, you did not bind the broken, you did not recover the stray, and you did not search for the lost” (34:4). Worse still, they oppress them with force: “You ruled over them with force and with harshness” (34:4). As a result of this neglect, the flock has scattered in every direction and has become prey for wild beasts: “They scattered, for they had no shepherd; they became food for every animal of the field and scattered” (34:5). The message is clear: The neglect of the leaders is what led to the exile.

In response to this failure, the prophet describes the future rectification — God Himself will take on the role of the shepherd: “For so says the Lord God: Behold, it is I; I will search for My sheep and care for them; just as a shepherd cares for his flock… So will I care for My sheep. I will save them.” (34:11-12).

In the second stage, the sins are framed differently — not as the wrongdoing of the shepherds, but as the misdeeds of the sheep themselves. The issue is not the leaders neglecting the people but rather certain members of the flock harming others. Here, the judgment is not against the shepherds but between one sheep and another: “As for you, My sheep, so says the Lord God: Behold that I will judge between one sheep and another, rams and he-goats” (34:17). The verses describe how some of the sheep monopolize resources — grazing freely and drinking water while trampling the remaining grass and muddying the water for those who come after them: “Is it not enough for you to graze on good grazing-land; must your feet trample the rest of your grazing-land? And when you drink clear waters, must you muddy the rest with your feet?” (34:18-19). These privileged sheep not only consume more than their share, but they also ruin the resources for others — for no reason at all.

The solution to this injustice between sheep is to appoint a righteous human shepherd: “I will establish over them one single shepherd who will tend them; My servant, David, he will tend them” (34:23). Above him, however, will be God — not as a shepherd, but as their divine ruler: “I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken” (34:24). Later in the chapter, God’s presence is further emphasized: “They will know that I, the Lord their God, I am with them, and that they, the House of Israel, are My people, declares the Lord God” (34:30).