34:2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel,
prophesy, and say to them, Thus saith the Lord GOD to the
shepherds; Woe [be] to the a shepherds of Israel that do
feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
(a) By the shepherds he means the king, the magistrates,
priests and prophets.
34:3 Ye eat the b fat, and ye clothe yourselves with the wool,
ye kill them that are fed: [but] ye feed not the flock.
(b) You seek to enrich yourselves by their conveniences and
to spoil their riches and substance.
34:4 The c diseased ye have not strengthened, neither have ye
healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up [that
which was] broken, neither have ye brought again that which
was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was
lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
(c) He describes the office and duty of a good pastor who
ought to love and comfort his flock and not be cruel
toward them.
34:5 And they were scattered, because [there is] no shepherd:
and they d became food to all the beasts of the field,
when they were scattered.
(d) For lack of good government and doctrine they perished.
34:10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against the
shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and
cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall
the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver
my flock from e their mouth, that they may not be food
for them.
(e) By destroying the covetous hirelings and restoring
true shepherds of which we have a sign so often as God
sends true preachers, who both by doctrine and life
labour to feed his sheep in the pleasant pastures of
his word.
34:12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is
among his sheep [that are] scattered; so will I seek out
my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where
they have been scattered in f the cloudy and dark day.
(f) In the day of their affliction and misery: and this
promise is to comfort the Church in all dangers.
34:16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that
which was driven away, and will bind up [that which was]
broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I
will destroy the fat and the g strong; I will feed them
with h judgment.
(g) Meaning such as lift up themselves above their
brethren and think they have no need to be governed by
me.
(h) That is, by putting difference between the good and
the bad, and so give to either as they deserve.
34:18 [Seemeth it] a small thing to you to have eaten up the
good i pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet
the rest of your pastures? and to have drank of the deep
waters, but ye must foul the rest with your feet?
(i) By good pasture and deep waters is meant the pure word
of God and the administration of justice which they
did not distribute to the poor till they had corrupted
it.
34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall
feed them, [even] my servant k David; he shall feed
them, and he shall be their shepherd.
(k) Meaning Christ, of whom David was a figure,
)See Geneva "Jer 30:9"
See Geneva "Ho 3:5")
34:25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will
cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they
shall l dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the
woods.
(l) This declares that under Christ the flock would be
truly delivered from sin and hell, and so be safely
preserved in the Church where they would never perish.
34:27 And the m tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and
the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe
in their land, and shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I
have broken the bars of their yoke, and delivered them out
of the hand of those that subjected them to service.
(m) The fruit of God's grace will appear in great
abundance in his Church.
34:29 And I will raise up for them a n plant of renown, and
they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land,
neither bear the shame of the nations any more.
(n) That is, the rod that will come out of the root of
Jesse, (Isa 11:1).
