Jeremiah 23:1
Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:1 in other translations
| BSB | “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. |
|---|---|
| WEB | “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says the LORD. |
| ASV | Woe unto the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith Jehovah. |
| YLT | Woe to shepherds destroying, And scattering the flock of My pasture, An affirmation of Jehovah. |
| DARBY | Woe unto the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith Jehovah. |
| BBE | A curse is on the keepers who are causing the destruction and loss of the sheep of my field, says the Lord. |
| Webster | Woe be to the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. |
What does Jeremiah 23:1 mean?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
Jr 23:1-40. The Wicked Rulers to Be Superseded by the King, Who Should Reign over the Again United Peoples, Israel and Judah.
This forms the epilogue to the denunciations of the four kings, in Jr 21:1-22:30. 1. pastors--Shallum, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and Zedekiah (Eze 34:2).Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Introduction
Sequel of the discourse which commenced in the preceding chapter. The prophet denounces vengeance against the pastors of Israel who have scattered and destroyed the flock of the Lord, Jer 23:1, Jer 23:2. He concludes with gracious promises of deliverance from the Babylonish captivity, and of better times under the Messiah, when the converts to Christianity, who are the true Israel of God, shadowed forth by the old dispensation, shall be delivered, by the glorious light of the Gospel, from worse than Chaldean bondage, from the captivity of sin and death. But this prophecy will not have its fullest accomplishment till that period arrives which is fixed in the Divine counsel for the restoration of Israel and Judah from their various dispersions, of which their deliverance from the Chaldean domination was a type, when Jesus the Christ, the righteous Branch, the Root and Offspring of David, and the only legitimate Heir to the throne, shall take unto himself his great power, and reign gloriously over the whole house of Jacob, Jer 23:3-8. At the ninth verse a new discourse commences. Jeremiah expresses his horror at the great wickedness of the priests and prophets of Judah, and declares that the Divine vengeance is hanging over them. He exhorts the people not to listen to their false promises, Jer 23:9-22; and predicts the utter ruin that shall fall upon all pretenders to inspiration, Jer 23:23-32, as well as upon all scoffers at true prophecy, Jer 23:33-40. Verse 1 Wo be unto the pastors - There shall a curse fall on the kings, princes, priests, and prophets; who, by their vicious conduct and example, have brought desolation upon the people.Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 23:1-8
Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain
Jeremiah 23:1 in the original Hebrew
Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.
Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).
Cross references for Jeremiah 23:1
- Jeremiah 10:21
For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.
- Zechariah 11:15-17
And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
- Ezekiel 34:2-10
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye 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. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. …
- Ezekiel 13:3
Thus saith the Lord God; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
- Matthew 9:36
But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
- Jeremiah 22:22
The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.
- Jeremiah 12:10
Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
- Luke 11:42-52
But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. …
- Isaiah 56:9-12
All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.
- Jeremiah 50:6
My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.
- Jeremiah 2:8
The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.
- John 10:12
But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
5 Christ shall rule and save them.
9 Against false prophets;
33 and mockers of the true prophets.
Woe.
2:8,26; Eze 13:3; 34:2; Zec 11:17; Mt 23:13-29; Lu 11:42-52
pastors.
2,11-15; 2:8; 10:21; 12:10; 22:22; 25:34-36; 50:6; Isa 56:9-12
Eze 22:25-29; 34:2-10,21; Mic 3:11,12; Zep 3:3,4
Zec 11:5-7,15-17; Mt 9:36; 15:14; Joh 10:10,12
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain
Context
- Jeremiah 23:1
Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord.
- Jeremiah 23:2
Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:1 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | ¡AY de los pastores que desperdician y derraman las ovejas de mi majada! dice Jehová. |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Malheur aux pasteurs qui détruisent et dispersent le troupeau de ma pâture! dit l’ Éternel. |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Wehe den Hirten, welche die Schafe meiner Weide zu Grunde richten und zerstreuen! spricht Jehova. |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Væ pastoribus qui disperdunt et dilacerant gregem pascuæ meæ! dicit Dominus. |