I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed them and be their shepherd.
Parallel translations
- WEB I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
- KJV And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
- NKJV I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.
- NASB “Then I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd.
- NLT And I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will feed them and be a shepherd to them.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God promises one shepherd, 'my servant David,' to feed and tend the flock. This is the Messianic hope of a coming Davidic king.
Overview
Since David himself was long dead, this promises a coming descendant of David who fulfills the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7). The singular 'one shepherd' contrasts with the many failed shepherds and points to the Messiah. The New Testament identifies Him as Jesus, the Son of David and Good Shepherd, who unites God's people under one tender, righteous rule (John 10:11-16; Acts 13:23).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ezek 37:24–25My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes.
- Jer 30:9Instead, they will serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
- Hos 3:5Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.
- Isa 40:11He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.
- John 10:11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
- Eccl 12:11The words of the wise are like goads, and the anthologies of the masters are like firmly embedded nails driven by a single Shepherd.
- Jer 23:4–6I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.
- Isa 55:3–4Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.
- 1 Pet 5:4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
- Rev 22:16“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
- Heb 13:20Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
- Mic 5:2–5But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.
- 1 Pet 2:25For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
- Isa 11:1Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
- Zech 13:7Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the man who is My Companion, declares the LORD of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn My hand against the little ones.
Resources, by level
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 34:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.