Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 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 the cloudy and dark day.
The cloudy and dark day – Contrasted with the day in which the Lord will be among them like a shepherd to gather them together again.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 12. Cloudy and dark day.] Times of general distress and persecution; in such times the shepherd should be especially watchful.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
As a shepherd doth gently gather them together, counteth them, brings them to the fold, views what they have suffered, whether lame or torn, and binds up, and healeth; if any are wanting, he looks till he findeth them, and brings them back; so will I, saith the Lord. If the shepherd find the wolf or lion among them or near them, he will either kill or drive him away; so will God. If under-servants have been careless, they shall be warned or turned away; so here, &c.
Will deliver them; they are wronged in all places where they were scattered, the places in which they are and should not be are part of that danger I will free them from.
The cloudy day; when the storm first began to arise from abroad or at home; here in persecutions, there in warlike preparations.
Dark day; that the land was invaded till the desolation of Jerusalem, the times of maladministration of their own governors, and violent irruption of their enemies.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. in the day that he is amonginthe midst of (Hebrew) His sheep that had been scattered.Referring to Messiah’s second advent, when He shall be “theglory in the midst of Israel” (Zec2:5).
in the cloudy . . . daytheday of the nation’s calamity (Joe2:2).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered,…. That is, when they have been scattered, and are got together again; then he goes among them, to see if there are any missing, and in wheat condition they are, and what they want:
so will I seek out my sheep, and deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day; such as, in a literal sense, the time of the captivity was, when the Jews were dispersed in the various provinces of Babylon, and other countries; and which was a time of darkness and affliction to them. The time of Adam’s fall was a dark and cloudy day; when all sinned in him, and were made sinners by his disobedience; when the sentence of condemnation and death passed upon all, and they became liable to utter ruin and destruction; when darkness and ignorance seized all human nature; when all mankind were separated from God, and set at a distance from him; in consequence of which the children of God, his sheep, were scattered abroad. A time of unregeneracy is a cloudy and dark day with God’s elect; they are in darkness, and walk in darkness, and are darkness itself, till made light in the Lord: and so is a time of desertion; when the Lord’s people are laid in darkness, and the deeps, and both sit and walk therein, and see no light; when they can neither see the Lord, nor hear from him, nor have any communion with him; when the sun of righteousness is withdrawn or eclipsed; and they cannot see their interest clear in spiritual and eternal things: as is also a time of persecution with the churches of Christ; when both ministers and people are scattered abroad, and their eyes cannot behold their teachers; and moon and stars are not seen for many days, Gospel ministers and Gospel ordinances: and the same is a time of blasphemy and error; and when it is neither day nor night, as is the present season; but there is no day so cloudy and dark but the shepherd can see his sheep, and will look them out, though they cannot see him.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep who are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep. And I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day (‘the day of clouds and thick darkness’). And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and their fold will be on the mountains of the house of Israel. There will they lie down in a good fold, and they will feed on fat pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will feed my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord Yahweh. I will seek that which was lost, and will restore those who were driven away, and will bind up what is broken, and will strengthen those who were sick. And the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in judgment.”
The prime point here is that because the shepherds failed God Himself would act more directly. He would be their king. In order to carry out His plan the first stage would be to bring His people back to the land of Israel. This He gradually did, and we have no reason to doubt that many from both Israel and Judah returned to the land. There were no lost tribes to Him. The ‘cloudy and dark day’ was past.
And there He promised to feed them lavishly, on the mountains, in the very place where they had regularly sinned against Yahweh, and by the rivers. In other words out in the open everywhere, not limited to sanctuaries. The old leaders had been replaced. Indeed it is significant that there is no reference here to the temple. The very point is that they will no longer be taught by the old shepherds, but by Himself throughout the land, and that their fold will be on the mountains of Israel where they will learn and be blessed.
We can hardly fail to see here the ministry of John the Baptiser and Jesus, literally by the rivers and on the mountains. And we are told by Isaiah that this ministry in Israel was to be an essential preparation for God’s ministry to the whole world through His Servant (Isa 42:1-4; Isa 49:1-6 see Act 13:47).
There is nothing more clear than the fact that this abundant sustenance was lacking throughout later centuries prior to the coming of Jesus. There were of course some faithful shepherds, and there were a remnant of those who were faithful to Yahweh, as there had always been. There were pockets of blessing. We must not denigrate or deny the work of godly men. But there was nothing that tied in with this triumphant picture. The Jews themselves admitted that prophecy had failed. All awaited the coming of the great Prophet Who would transform the situation (Isa 61:1-2), and the prince of the house of David (Eze 34:23-24; Isa 11:1-5), Who would send out his true under-shepherds, first to Israel (Mat 10:5-15), and then to the world (Mat 28:18-20).
‘I myself will feed my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord Yahweh. I will seek that which was lost, and will restore those who were driven away, and will bind up what is broken, and will strengthen those who were sick.’ God Himself will care for the sheep. This was also to be the ministry of the great coming Prophet (Isa 61:1-2) and Jesus makes clear that it was His ministry and that this was where the other shepherds had failed. They did not seek the lost, but He did (Luk 19:10; Luke 15 all). They did not restore those who were driven away, but He did (Joh 10:12-14). They did not act as physicians to the sick, but He did (Mar 2:17). They did not bind up the broken-hearted, but He did (Isa 61:1). As a whole they mainly restricted themselves to their adherents. So He was fulfilling the task of Yahweh.
‘And the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in judgment (or ‘as is fitting’).’ The sleek and well fed, who had made themselves so at the expense of others, would face their judgment. Judgment would become their food. This is a vivid picture of what would happen to the leaders of Israel in the coming of Jesus and what followed in the destruction of the temple. They received what was their due. And it is also a vivid warning to preachers who make themselves rich at the expense of His people.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Eze 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 the cloudy and dark day.
Ver. 12. As a shepherd. ] He prosecuteth the allegory drawn from shepherdy all along, striking still upon the same string with much sweetness.
So will I seek out my sheep.
In the cloudy and dark day,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
In the day. See App-18.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
As a shepherd seeketh out: Heb. According to the shepherd’s seeking of, etc. 1Sa 17:34, 1Sa 17:35, Luk 15:4-6, Joh 10:11, Joh 10:12
in the cloudy: Eze 30:3, Isa 50:10, Jer 13:16, Joe 2:1-3, Amo 5:18-20, Zep 1:15, Act 2:19-21
Reciprocal: Deu 30:3 – gather thee Job 3:5 – let a cloud Psa 23:1 – my Psa 44:11 – scattered Psa 107:4 – wandered Isa 40:11 – feed Jer 10:21 – their Jer 12:14 – and pluck Jer 16:15 – that brought Jer 31:9 – Ephraim Jer 31:10 – and keep Jer 32:37 – I will gather Jer 33:12 – in all Jer 50:17 – a scattered Joe 3:7 – I will Amo 5:20 – darkness Oba 1:20 – the captivity of this Mic 4:6 – and I Mat 18:12 – into Luk 15:8 – and seek Joh 10:9 – and shall Joh 11:52 – that were
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 34:12. The Lord promises to gather his flock out of these different countries as a good shepherd would do for his sheep that had been scattered. Cloudy and dark day refers to the gloomy period of the captivity.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
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.