Daily Tanach – Yechezkel Chapter 34: The False Shepherds and Hashem as the True Shepherd (Thursday, 25th Shevat)

Daily Tanach – Yechezkel Chapter 34 – The False Shepherds and Hashem as the True Shepherd

(31 Pesukim)

1. Rebuke of Israel’s Shepherds (Verses 1–6)

• Hashem commands Yechezkel to prophesy against the “shepherds of Israel”—the leaders who cared for themselves instead of their people.
• They consumed the fat, wore the wool, and slaughtered the healthy animals but did not tend the flock.
• They failed to strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind the broken, bring back the straying, or seek the lost.
• Instead, they ruled harshly.
• As a result, the flock scattered across mountains and hills, exposed to predators, with no one searching for them.

2. Hashem Will Remove the Corrupt Shepherds (Verses 7–10)

• Because the leaders abandoned the flock and sought their own gain, Hashem declares He is against the shepherds.
• He will remove them from leadership and rescue His flock from their mouths, so the flock will no longer be exploited.

3. Hashem Himself Will Gather and Shepherd Israel (Verses 11–16)

• Hashem says He will personally seek out His flock as a faithful shepherd seeks scattered sheep on a dark and cloudy day.
• He will gather them from the nations and bring them back to the Land of Israel.
  There He will shepherd them on good pasture, on the high mountains of Israel, where they will dwell securely.
• Hashem promises to seek the lost, bring back the strayed, bind the broken, and strengthen the sick—while removing the corrupt and the predatory.

4. Judgment Within the Flock (Verses 17–22)

• Hashem announces judgment between sheep and sheep, distinguishing the strong and abusive from the weak and oppressed.
• The stronger sheep trample the pasture and muddy the water, pushing and goring the frail with flank and horn.
• Hashem will intervene to save His flock and judge between animal and animal—symbolizing justice among the people themselves.

5. The Future Shepherd: “My Servant David” (Verses 23–24)

• Hashem promises to appoint one shepherd over them—“My servant David”—who will shepherd the people faithfully.
• Hashem will be their G‑d, and David will be a prince among them forever.

6. A Covenant of Peace and Abundance (Verses 25–29)

Hashem will make a covenant of peace with Israel:

• Wild beasts will disappear from the land.
• The people will dwell securely in fields and forests.
• Rain will come as “showers of blessing.”
• The earth will yield fruit and the people will be freed from slavery.
• They will never again be prey to nations.
• Hashem will establish a “plantation of renown,” removing hunger and disgrace from Israel eternally.

7. Israel’s Identity Affirmed (Verses 30–31)

Hashem declares: “You are My people, the house of Israel.” The people are His flock, the flock of His pasture, and He is their G‑d.

Key Themes

• Failed leadership harms the nation, but Hashem rescues His people.
• Hashem Himself becomes the shepherd, reflecting divine compassion and justice.
• True leadership is embodied in the future Davidic shepherd—a messianic promise.
• Israel’s restoration includes peace, abundance, and removal of all danger.
• The people’s identity as Hashem’s flock is eternal.