Pentecost Season · The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus · Year C
Ezekiel 34:11-16
Shepherds and Sheep
June 23, 2028

Overview & Insights
“I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 34:15)
Ezekiel’s Message of Hope and Restoration: Ezekiel 34–48, the second major part of this book, is concerned with a message of hope for the exiles and with the promise of Israel’s future restoration. That message has broken through in a muted sense in chapters 1–33 (11:14–21; 16:53–63; 20:33–44; 28:25–26), but it now becomes the central theme. These fifteen chapters fall into three sections. The first, chapters 34–37, is a series of seven oracles dealing with the restoration of Israel. The second section describes the rise and fall of Gog of Magog, Israel’s last great enemy (chs. 38–39). Finally, chapters 40–48 express a message of hope for Israel’s present and future, grounded in the presence of the Lord. These chapters present Ezekiel’s third great vision of the Glory of the Lord (see chs. 1–3 and 8–11) entering the perfect temple of the prophet’s vision just as it had departed the corrupted temple in Jerusalem.
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Commentary
Ezekiel 34 Commentary: Of Shepherds and Sheep Enduring Word · David Guzik
Guzik walks verse by verse through God's indictment of Israel's shepherds and his promise to shepherd the flock himself.
Ezekiel 34:11 Commentaries BibleHub
Stacks several classic commentaries side by side on the verse where God takes over the search for his sheep.
Ezekiel 34 - Barnes' Notes StudyLight
Barnes' close philological notes clarify the shepherd imagery and Israel's exile setting.
Commentary on Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 Working Preacher
Written for Christ the King on this same passage, it draws the line from God's shepherding to Christ's kingship.
Background & Word Study
Ezekiel course Enter the Bible
Luther Seminary's overview situates chapter 34 within Ezekiel's exile-era prophecies against Israel's leaders.
Ezekiel BibleProject
A short video maps the whole book's design so the shepherd oracle reads in context.
Ezekiel 34:11 Interlinear BibleHub
Shows the Hebrew verb baqar, to search out, that drives God's promise in this verse.
Ezekiel 34 Sefaria
Gives the Hebrew text alongside translation for reading the shepherd oracle in its original language.
Questions preachers ask
How does Ezekiel picture God as king?
Against Israel’s failed shepherds, God promises to be the true shepherd who seeks the lost, binds up the injured, and judges between sheep and sheep, setting over them “my servant David” (Ezekiel 34:11–24), a royal-shepherd image fulfilled in Christ the King.
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