Time after Pentecost · Proper 19 · Year C
Ezekiel 34:11-24
Shepherds and Sheep
September 17, 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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Take it further: Ezekiel 34:11-24
Commentary
Ezekiel 34 Commentary: Of Shepherds and SheepEz 34 Commentary: Of Shepherds and Sheep Enduring Word · David Guzik
Walks through God's indictment of the shepherds and promise of rescue verse by verse.
Ezekiel 34:11 CommentariesEz 34:11 Commentaries BibleHub
Lines up multiple historic commentaries side by side on the opening verse.
Ezekiel 34 (Gill's Exposition)Ez 34 (Gill's Exposition) StudyLight
Gives John Gill's full exposition of the shepherd oracle.
Commentary on Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24Commentary on Ez 34:11-16, 20-24 Working Preacher
The one Lutheran-tradition voice on this same shepherd oracle.
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 CommentaryEz 34:11-16, 20-24 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching
Preaching-focused reading of God as the Shepherd King who replaces Israel's failed kings.
Background & Word Study
Ezekiel 34:11 InterlinearEz 34:11 Interlinear BibleHub
Shows the underlying Hebrew word by word.
Book of Ezekiel Overview (Part 2)Book of Ez Overview (Part 2) BibleProject
Animated overview of the hope chapters this shepherd oracle opens.
Ezekiel 34:11-24Ez 34:11-24 Sefaria
Reads the oracle in the original Hebrew alongside an English translation.
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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