‘You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My people, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
Parallel translations
- WEB You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, says the Lord Yahweh.
- KJV And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
- NKJV “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.
- NASB “As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are mankind, and I am your God,” declares the Lord God.
- NLT You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. You are my people, and I am your God. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”
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 declares plainly, 'You my sheep... are men, and I am your God.' The whole shepherd metaphor rests on this intimate covenant bond.
Overview
As a closing summary, God drops the imagery to state the reality: His people are the sheep of His pasture, and He is their God (cf. Ps. 100:3). The chapter that began with failed shepherds ends with God's own tender ownership of His flock. This relationship is sealed in Christ, who knows His sheep and is known by them (John 10:14), and to whom they belong forever.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 100:3Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
- John 10:16I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
- Ps 78:52He led out His people like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
- Ezek 36:38Like the numerous flocks for sacrifices at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so the ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
- Ps 80:1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph. Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
- John 20:15–17“Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked. “Whom are you seeking?” Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.”
- Acts 20:28Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
- John 10:11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
- Ps 95:7For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice,
- 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 10:26–30But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
- Luke 12:32Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
- 1 Pet 5:2–3Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but because it is God’s will; not out of greed, but out of eagerness;
- Jer 23:1“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD.
- Mic 7:14Shepherd with Your staff Your people, the flock of Your inheritance. They live alone in a woodland, surrounded by pastures. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 34:31 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.