Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore, you shepherds, hear Yahweh’s word:
- BSB Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:
- NKJV ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
- NASB Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
- NLT “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
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 summons the shepherds to hear His word of judgment. Those who would not listen to the sheep must now listen to the Lord.
Overview
This solemn call, 'hear Yahweh's word,' arrests the negligent leaders and announces that accountability has come. The repetition (also in v.9) underscores the gravity of what follows. Leaders entrusted with God's flock answer ultimately to God, a warning the New Testament repeats to elders and teachers (Heb. 13:17; James 3:1).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Matt 23:13–36But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
- Ezek 34:9Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
- Luke 11:39–54And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
- Mic 3:8–9But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
- Ps 82:1–7God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
- Jer 22:2–3And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:
- Mal 2:1And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
- Jer 13:13Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.
- Isa 1:10Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
- Jer 13:18Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
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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 34:7 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.