Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 34:23
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.
23. my servant David ] The meaning cannot be that David would in person revive and reappear. It is more doubtful whether the prophet means that the line or family of David would again occupy the throne or that a single person would be king. It is possible that this question was not strictly before his mind; it is the character of the ruler that he thinks of. The oriental mind hardly distinguishes between an ancient personage and one who appears in his power and spirit; when it compares it identifies. The new prince over the people will be David, the servant of the Lord. Both the person and the reign of David were idealized. He was not in general terms but in truth the man after God’s own heart. His rule was not merely extensive, it was universal. He gave the people victory and secured them peace he was a leader and commander of the peoples (Isa 55:4; Psa 18:43). Such shall be the king of the restored community when Jehovah is indeed the God of Israel. For it is to be noted that in Messianic prophecy it is Jehovah who saves the people ( Eze 34:22 and preceding verses); then he appoints a shepherd over the restored community, who feeds them in righteousness and peace. The Messiah is the king of the saved community, whom he rules in the fear of the Lord with all royal and godly qualities; and the virtues of his character, fruit of the spirit of the Lord, communicate themselves to those whom he rules (Isaiah 11). It is possible that the phrase “one shepherd” is to be interpreted as in Eze 37:24, with the meaning that the two kingdoms shall be one, and that this is part of the meaning of the term “David,” cf. Hos 1:11; Hos 3:5; Amo 9:11. See more fully ch. 37.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
23 28. Instead of the many worthless shepherds of old there shall in the future be one good shepherd, even David, and Jehovah shall in truth be God of Israel.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Eze 34:23
Even My servant David; he shall feed them.
The Davidic ruler
The meaning cannot be that David would in person revive and reappear. It is more doubtful whether the prophet means that the line or family of David would again occupy the throne or that a single person would be king. It is possible that this question was not strictly before his mind; it is the character of the ruler that he thinks of. The Oriental mind hardly distinguishes between an ancient personage and one who appears in his power and spirit; when it compares it identifies. The new prince over the people will be David, the servant of the Lord. Both the person and the reign of David were idealised. He was not in general terms but in truth the man after Gods own heart. His rule was not merely extensive; it was universal. He gave the people victory and secured them peace–he was a leader and commander of the people. Such shall be the king of the restored community when Jehovah is indeed the God of Israel. (A. B. Davidson, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 23. I will set up one Shepherd – my servant David] DAVID, king of Israel, had been dead upwards of four hundred years; and from that time till now there never was a ruler of any kind, either in the Jewish Church or state, of the name of David. This, then, must be some typical person; and from the texts marked in the margin we understand that Jesus Christ alone is meant, as both Old and New TESTAMENTS agree in this. And from this one Shepherd all Christian ministers must derive their authority to teach, and their grace to teach effectually.
By the kind providence of God it appears that he has not permitted any apostolic succession to be preserved, lest the members of his Church should seek that in an uninterrupted succession which must be found in the HEAD alone. The papists or Roman Catholics, who boast of an uninterrupted succession, which is a mere fable that never was and never can be proved, have raised up another head, the POPE. And I appeal to themselves, in the fear of God, whether they do not in heart and in speech trace up all their authority to him, and only compliment Christ as having appointed Peter to be the first bishop of Rome, (which is an utter falsity, for he was never appointed to such an office there, nor ever held such an office in that city, nor, in their sense, any where else😉 and they hold also that the popes of Rome are not so much Peter’s successors as God’s vicars; and thus both God and Peter are nearly lost sight of in their papal enumerations. With them the authority of the Church is all in all; the authority of Christ is seldom mentioned.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I will set; advance, establish, and make great; thus I will appoint and set up.
One shepherd: formerly their many shepherds destroyed, as Jer 12:10; now this one shall save. Literally and historically Zerubbabel may be somewhat intended, but principally and plenarily, as Christ is intended here, so in him it was accomplished; for he is the great, good, chief, only Shepherd, that laid down his life for his sheep.
Feed them; give them best, most abundant, and most seasonable food, he also shall govern them in righteousness, and with equity.
My servant David; Messiah, (as Kimchi on the place,) of the seed of David, the beloved One, who was typified by David, and in other places called by this name, as Isa 37:35; Jer 30:9; Eze 37:24; Hos 3:5.
He shall do all the office of a good and faithful shepherd, and that for ever. I will trust them in his hands, for he will keep them, that not one of them shall be lost, but shall go in and out under his hand, and find pasture.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
23. set upthat is, raise upby divine appointment; alluding to the declaration of God to David,”I will set up thy seed after thee” (2Sa7:12); and, “Yet have I set My king on My holy hill of Zion”(Ps 2:6; compare Act 2:30;Act 13:23).
one shepherdliterally,”a Shepherd, one”: singularly and pre-eminently one:the only one of His kind, to whom none is comparable (So5:10). The Lord Jesus refers to this prophecy (Joh10:14), “I am THEGood Shepherd.” Also “one” as uniting in one theheretofore divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and also “gatheringtogether in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and onearth” (Eph 1:10); thushealing worse breaches than that between Israel and Judah (Col1:20). “God by Him reconciling all things unto Himself,whether things in earth or in heaven.”
Davidthe antitypicalDavid, Messiah, of the seed of David, which no other king after thecaptivity was: who was fully, what David was only in a degree,”the man after God’s own heart.” Also, David means beloved:Messiah was truly God’s beloved Son (Isa 42:1;Mat 3:17). Shepherd means King,rather than religious instructor; in this pre-eminently He was thetrue David, who was the Shepherd King (Luk 1:32;Luk 1:33). Messiah is called”David” in Isa 55:3;Isa 55:4; Jer 30:9;Hos 3:5.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And I will set up one shepherd over them,…. Or governor, as the Targum; an excellent one of a thousand, the only one; in comparison of whom others are not to be named; for though there are under shepherds, as magistrates and ministers of the word, he is the principal one; that is, Christ, called the good Shepherd, the great Shepherd, and the chief Shepherd, and the only one; and who became so by the constitution and appointment of Jehovah the Father; who chose him, called him, and intrusted him with all his sheep: who sent him to seek and save his lost sheep; for whom he died, rose again, and is accountable: he is more particularly called the one Shepherd, with respect to Jew and Gentile; see Joh 10:16:
and he shall feed them; the flock, even the poor of the flock, thrust at and pushed by others: he shall feed them by his ministers, as under shepherds in his churches, where his word is preached, and his ordinances are administered; he shall feed them with himself, the bread of life; with his flesh and blood, which are meat and drink indeed; with covenant grace, blessings, and promises; with the Gospel, and the doctrines of it; he feeds his babes with milk, his strong men with meat, and all with the wholesome words of faith and good doctrine, whereby he nourishes them up to everlasting life; and this he
shall do, not by force, but willingly: it denotes the certainty of it; it may be depended on:
even my servant David; not David himself literally; who though a shepherd, and the servant of the Lord, yet had been dead many years before this prophecy was delivered; nor Zerubbabel, who was of his seed; for though a servant of the Lord, and a prince or governor of Judah, yet not a king, and much less a king or prince for ever; as this person is said to be, Eze 37:24, but the Messiah, as is expressly owned by Kimchi; who says, this is the Messiah that shall arise from his seed in the time of salvation: he is called David because his name agrees with him, which signifies “beloved”, he being beloved of God and man; and because the son of David, of his seed according to the flesh; and because David was an eminent type of him, in his person, offices, afflictions, wars, victories, and exaltation; and because he was David’s Lord and representative, and in whom his everlasting kingdom is established. The same is called the servant of the Lord, as he often is in Scripture, being so in his office capacity as Mediator; and because he took upon him the form of a servant; did the work of one; and was of the Lord’s choosing, calling, supporting, and glorifying:
he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd; which is repeated for the greater confirmation of it.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Appointment of David as Shepherd, and Blessing of the People
Eze 34:23. And I will raise up one shepherd over them, who shall feed them, my servant David; he will feed them, and he will be to them a shepherd. Eze 34:24. And I, Jehovah, will be God to them, and my servant David prince in the midst of them: I, Jehovah, have spoken it. Eze 34:25. And I will make a covenant of peace with them, and destroy the evil beasts out of the land, so that they will dwell safely in the desert and sleep in the forests. Eze 34:26. And I will make them and the places round my hill a blessing, and cause the rain to fall in its season: showers of blessing shall there be. Eze 34:27. The tree of the field will give its fruit, and the land will give its produce, and they will be safe in their land, and will know that I am Jehovah, when I break their yoke-bars in pieces, and deliver them out of the hand of those who made them servants. Eze 34:28. They will be no more a prey to the nations, and the wild beasts will not devour them; but they will dwell safely, and no one will terrify them. Eze 34:29. And I will raise up for them a plantation for a name, so that they will no more be swept away by famine in the land, and shall no longer bear the disgrace of the heathen nations. Eze 34:30. And they shall know that I, Jehovah, their God, am with them, and they are my people, the house of Israel, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. Eze 34:31. And ye are my sheep, the flock of my pasture; ye are men, I am your God, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. – God will cause to stand up, raise up, one single shepherd over His flock. , the standing expression for the rising up of a person in history through the interposition of God (cf. Deu 18:15; 2Sa 7:12, and other passages). , not unicus, singularis , a shepherd unique in his kind, but one shepherd, in contrast not only with the many bad shepherds, but with the former division of the people into two kingdoms, each with its own separate king. Compare Eze 37:24 with Jer 28:6, where it is expressly said that the David to be raised up is to feed Israel and Judah, the two peoples that had been divided before. “My servant David:” Jehovah calls him , not merely with reference to the obedience rendered (Hvernick), but also with regard to his election (Isa 42:1; Hengstenberg). There is no necessity to refute the assertion of Hitzig, David Strauss, and others, that Ezekiel expected the former King David to be raised from the dead. The reference is to the sprout of David (Jer 23:5), already called simply David in Hos 3:5 and Jer 30:9. In Eze 34:24 the relation of Jehovah to this David is more precisely defined: Jehovah will then be God to His people, and David be prince in the midst of them. The last words point back to 2Sa 7:8. Through the government of David, Jehovah will become in truth God of His people Israel; for David will feed the people in perfect unity with Jehovah, – will merely carry out the will of Jehovah, and not place himself in opposition to God, like the bad shepherds, because, as is therewith presupposed, he is connected with God by unity of nature.
In Eze 34:25. the thought is carried out still further, – how God will become God to His people, and prove Himself to be its covenant God through the pastoral fidelity of the future David. God will fully accomplish the covenant mercies promised to Israel. The making of the covenant of peace need not be restricted, in accordance with Hos 2:20 (18), to a covenant which God would make with the beasts in favour of His people. The thought is a more comprehensive one here, and, according to Lev 26:4-6, the passage which Ezekiel had in his mind involves all the salvation which God had included in His promises to His people: viz., (1) the extermination of everything that could injure Israel, of all the wild beasts, so that they would be able to sleep securely in the deserts and the forests (Eze 34:25, compare Lev 26:6); (2) the pouring out of an abundant rain, so that the field and land would yield rich produce (Eze 34:26, Eze 34:27; cf. Lev 26:4-5). “I make them, the Israelites, and the surroundings of my hill, a blessing.” , the hill of Jehovah, is, according to Isa 31:4, Mount Zion, the temple-mountains, including the city of Jerusalem. The surroundings of this hill are the land of Israel, that lay around it. But Zion, with the land around, is not mentioned in the place of the inhabitants; and still less are we to understand by the surroundings of the hill the heathen nations, as Hengstenberg does, in opposition both to the context and the usage of the language. The thought is simply that the Lord will make both the people and the land a blessing (Hvernick, Kliefoth). , a blessing, is stronger than “blessed” (cf. Gen 12:2). The blessing is brought by the rain in its season, which fertilizes the earth. This will take place when the Lord breaks the yokes laid upon His people. These words are from Lev 26:13, where they refer to the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt; and they are transferred by Ezekiel to the future redemption of Israel from the bondage of the heathen. For , compare Exo 1:14. This thought is carried out still further in Eze 34:28; and then, in Eze 34:29, all that has been said is summed up in the thoughts, “I raise up for them a plantation for a name,” etc. , a plantation, as in Eze 17:7; not a land for planting (Hitzig). , for a name, i.e., not for the glory of God (De Wette); but the plantation, which the Lord will cause to grow by pouring down showers of blessing (Eze 34:26), is to bring renown to the Israelites, namely, among the heathen, who will see from this that Israel is a people blessed by its God. This explanation of the words is supplied by the following clause: they shall no more be swept away by famine in the land, and no more bear the disgrace of the heathen, i.e., the disgrace which the heathen heaped upon Israel when in distress (compare Zep 3:19; Jer 13:11; and the primary passage, Deut. 26:29). From this blessing they will learn that Jehovah their God is with them, and Israel is His people. The promise concludes in Eze 34:31 with these words, which set a seal upon the whole: “Ye are my flock, the flock of my pasture (lit., my pasture-flock; , Jer 23:1, the flock fed by God Himself); men are ye, I am your God.” That these last words to not serve merely as an explanation of the figurative expression “flock,” is a fact of which no proof is needed. The figure of a flock was intelligible to every one. The words “call attention to the depth and greatness of the divine condescension, and meet the objection of men of weak faith, that man, who is taken from the earth , and returns to it again, is incapable of so intimate a connection with God” (Hengstenberg).
If we take another survey, in conclusion, of the contents of our prophecy, the following are the three features of the salvation promised to the people of Israel: – (1) The Lord will liberate His people from the hand of the bad shepherds, and He Himself will feed it as His flock; (2) He will gather it together from its dispersion, bring it back to the land of Israel and feed it there, will take charge of the sheep in need of help, and destroy the fat and strong sheep by which the weak ones are oppressed; (3) He will raise up the future David for a shepherd, and under his care He will bestow upon His people the promised covenant blessings in richest measure. These saving acts of God for His people, however, are not depicted according to their several details and historical peculiarities, as Kliefoth has correctly observed, nor are they narrated in the chronological order in which they would follow one another in history; but they are grouped together according to their general design and character, and their essential features. If, then, we seek for the fulfilment, the Lord raised up His servant David as a shepherd to Israel, by sending Jesus Christ, who came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luk 19:10; Mat 18:11), and who calls Himself the Good Shepherd with obvious reference to this and other prophetic declarations of a similar kind (Joh 10:11.). But the sending of Christ was preceded by the gathering of Israel out of the Babylonian exile, by which God had already taken charge of His flock, Yet, inasmuch as only a small portion of Israel received the Messiah, who appeared in Jesus, as its shepherd, there fell upon the unbelieving Israel a new judgment of dispersion among all nations, which continues still, so that a gathering together still awaits the people of Israel at some future time. No distinction is made in the prophecy before us between these two judgments of dispersion, which are associated with the twofold gathering of Israel; but they are grouped together as one, so that although their fulfilment commenced with the deliverance of Israel from the Babylonian captivity and the coming of Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd of the family of David, it was only realized in that portion of Israel, numerically the smallest portion, which was willing to be gathered and fed by Jesus Christ, and the full realization will only be effected when that conversion of Israel shall take place, which the Apostle Paul foretells in Rom 11:25. – For further remarks on the ultimate fulfilment, we refer the reader to a later page.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
C. The Future Shepherd 34:2331
TRANSLATION
(23) And I will raise up over them one shepherd, and he shall feed them, even My servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. (24) And I the LORD mill be their God, and My servant David prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. (25) And I will make a covenant of peace for them, and I will cause the evil beasts to cease from the land; and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. (26) And I will make them and the areas surrounding My hill a blessing; and I will cause the rain to come in its season; there shall be showers of blessing. (27) And the tree of the field shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its increase, and they shall be safe upon their land, and they shall know that I am the LORD when I have broken the bars of their yoke, and I have delivered them from the hand of those who made them bondmen. (28) And they shall not again be a prey to the nations, nor shall the wild beasts of the earth devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. (29) And I will raise up unto them a famous plantation, and they shall not again be consumed by hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the nations any more. (30) And they shall know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people (oracle of the Lord GOD. (31) And you My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are Adam, and I am your God (oracle of the Lord GOD.
COMMENTS
After the return from exile and the period of direct divine supervision of the flock, God would set up a shepherd over His people. This Shepherd must be the long-awaited Messiah, a ruler of the house of David. The Davidic dynasty would be restored. The responsibility of feeding and tending the flock of God would be committed to Him (Eze. 34:23). Yahweh would still be their God; but His servant David would be prince among them (Eze. 34:24). What a marvelous foregleam of the New Testament doctrine of the Father and the Son (Eze. 34:24).
A new covenant is a prominent feature of the Messianic age (cf. Jer. 31:31), Here it is called a covenant of peace. Under the supervision of the Messianic David the flock would be safe. Evil beasts, i.e., bad rulers, would not be part of His domain. Even those most dangerous areas the wilderness and woods would be free from the ravenous beasts (Eze. 34:25).
The entire region around Gods hill (Zion) would be blessed of God as well as those who inhabit those regions. Showers of blessing would descend upon them thus assuring abundant harvest (Eze. 34:26). The inhabitants of that blessed and secure land would all know by personal experience that the Lord had delivered them from captivity the bars of their yoke. No longer would they be slaves to the enemies of God (Eze. 34:27). The Messianic flock would never fall victim to the beast of the earth, nor would adversary nations be able to carry them off as prey. In their divinely provided security they would manifest a boldness uncharacteristic of sheep (Eze. 34:28).
Because of the amazing fertility of the land, Israel would be known far and wide. Famine so common in Bible days would be a thing of the past. The inhabitants of Gods land would never have to suffer the humiliation of having to look to other nations for material assistance (Eze. 34:29). Israel would realize that God was with them and that they were in fact Gods special people (Eze. 34:30). Gods flock is more than mere sheep; they are Adam, i.e., a special creation of God (Eze. 34:31). The entire passage relates to the new Israel of God Gods present-day chosen people (Gal. 6:16). The spiritual blessings which God in this Messianic age showers down upon His people are here portrayed in terms of agricultural prosperity,
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(23) Set up one shepherd.He is one both with reference to the many evil rulers who have gone before (and this implies the perpetuity of His rule), and also with reference to the two kingdoms of Israel, which are hereafter to be for evermore united in the one Church of God. Obviously this prophecy can find its accomplishment in no merely human ruler.
My servant David.The name of David is here put simply, as in Eze. 34:24, Eze. 37:24-25; Jer. 30:9; Hos. 3:5, instead of the more usual designations of the Messiah as the Son, the Branch, the Offspring of David; but there can be no possible doubt of the meaning, any more than of who is meant by Elijah in Mal. 4:5, in view of our Lords own interpretation in Mat. 11:14; Mat. 17:11-14. Yet it should be remembered, if any one should incline to understand this whole prophecy literally, that if one part is to be so understood the rest must be taken in the same way; if we are to think that the prophet here foretells the literal restoration of the two kingdoms of Israel to their own land, and their union under one governor, then that governor must be David himself. The absurdity of such a supposition is one important element in showing that the whole is to be understood of a promise of spiritual blessings, and of the gathering of Gods people into His Church as one flock under their Almighty Shepherd. (Comp. Joh. 10:14-18.) David, as the head of the theocracy and the ancestor of our Lord after the flesh, constantly appears in the Scriptures as the type of the Messiah, and there can be no reasonable doubt that this prophecy must have been so understood, even at the time when it was uttered.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
23-31. The Messianic hope of the coming of my servant David the ideal prince (compare Eze 37:22; Eze 37:24; Psa 78:70-71; Isa 56:3-8; 1Ki 9:9; 1Ki 11:4) who shall shepherd the people and make them to dwell in safety in the wilderness (the uninhabited pasture country) and sleep even in the woods the native home of wild beasts (Eze 34:25; compare Lev 26:6) closes each prophetic “vision” of the future. The second David of Ezekiel towers high above all the pictures of princes for whom former prophets had longed. This is Ezekiel’s “portrait of the Messiah” (compare Jer 30:9, and Delitzsch, Old Testament History of Redemption): Jehovah will save his people (Eze 34:22); be their God (Eze 34:24; compare Eze 37:27); make with them a new covenant of everlasting peace (compare Isaiah 11; Jer 31:31; Hos 2:20); and pour blessed showers upon the new Israel who resides upon his holy hill (compare Eze 20:40; Eze 47:12). He will break their yoke (Eze 34:27), deliver them from all enemies, at home and abroad (Eze 34:28), “establish” for them a prosperous “plantation” (not plant) which shall be renowned for its fertility throughout all lands (Eze 34:29; compare Eze 39:13; Isa 55:13; Joe 2:21-27; Psa 67:6; Psa 71:16), and will be to them a good shepherd evermore (Eze 34:31). LXX. omits are men in Eze 34:31.
For apt remarks concerning duties of pastor to people compare Adam Clarke, in loco.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Messiah as the true Shepherd
v. 23. And I will set up one Shepherd over them, and He shall feed them, v. 24. And I, the Lord, will be their God, v. 25. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, v. 26. And I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing, v. 27. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, v. 28. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, v. 29. And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, v. 30. Thus shall they know that I, the Lord, their God, am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, v. 31. And ye My flock, the flock of My pasture,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Eze 34:23. And I will set up one shepherd That is, Jesus Christ, the true shepherd, who has given himself this name both in the Prophets and in the Gospel; and who has perfectly fulfilled all the duties, the characters whereof have been before described. He is called David, because our Saviour sprung from David according to the flesh; because he possessed eminently and really all those qualities which the Scripture gives to David as the type of the Messiah; and because he was the person in whom all the promises made to David were fulfilled. Though this prophesy was, in a great measure, completed, when Christ, by the preaching of the Gospel, gathered into one the children of God, among whom were many of the lost sheep of Israel; yet it will receive a farther completion at the general conversion of the Jews. See Calmet.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 1115
DAVID A TYPE OF CHRIST
Eze 34:23-24. 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. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.
THERE is nothing so comforting to an afflicted soul, as to contemplate the promises of God: indeed they were given to us for this very purpose, that they might be our support and consolation in the time of trouble. The same may be observed with respect to the prophecies that relate to Christ; they were delivered to the Church in seasons of peculiar trial, as encouragements to the saints to hold fast their profession. It was under circumstances of this nature, that the glorious prophecy before us was revealed. Both the ecclesiastical and civil governors of Israel had greatly oppressed the poor, and especially the godly: but God afforded them seasonable support, by declaring, that he would not only espouse their cause, but would raise up to them a Shepherd, and a Governor of a very different description, even the Messiah himself, who should redress all their wrongs, and bring them into the possession of perfect happiness.
Such being the occasion of the words, we proceed to consider them,
I.
As fulfilled at the first coming of our Lord
It is undoubtedly the Messiah that is here called David
[David himself had been dead many hundred years; nor has there been any other person after him, to whom this appellation was ever given. But Christ is frequently spoken of in the prophets by the name of David [Note: Jer 30:9. Eze 37:24-25.]; and to him the characters, here annexed to that name, most eminently belong. He is called by that name, because David was a very distinguished type of him. David was chosen by God from a very low state, and was anointed to be king over Israel. He was also made a prophet of the Most High God; and, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, often spake as actually personating the Messiah himself. Many parts of his heavenly compositions, though apparently intended respecting himself, have indeed no reference to himself at all, except as he was a type of Christ, in whom the very things predicted were literally fulfilled [Note: Psa 22:18; Psa 69:21.]. And so exact was the correspondence between the type and antitype, that Christ, springing from the root of Jesse, as a root out of the dry ground [Note: Isa 11:1; Isa 53:2.], and anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows [Note: Psa 45:7.], was born (according to the predictions) in the very place of Davids nativity [Note: Mic 5:2. with Mat 2:5-6.], was constituted a prophet like unto him, and was raised to the throne of his father David [Note: Luk 1:32.].]
He sustains the offices that are here assigned him
[Like his honoured representative, he was to be a shepherd. David, in his early youth, followed the occupation of a shepherd, and repeatedly exposed his life to most imminent danger in defence of the flock entrusted to him [Note: 1Sa 17:34-35.]. And, after he became a king, he still figuratively at least sustained the same office, feeding his people, according to the integrity of his heart, and guiding them by the skilfulness of his hands [Note: Psa 78:70-72.]. But he, whom David typified, was in a far more exalted sense, the great Shepherd of the sheep [Note: Heb 13:20.]. He not only exposed, but willingly sacrificed, his life for his sheep [Note: Joh 10:11.]: nor can a juster description of him be conveyed in words, than that which is given us in the preceding context [Note: Eze 34:11-16.]: He is incessantly seeking the lost, bringing back that which has been driven away, binding up the broken, strengthening the sick, and administering to the necessities of all. He is also, like David, a prince. The promises of Davids exaltation were at last fulfilled, and he was seated on the throne, to which he had been appointed. He did indeed meet with innumerable conflicts in his way to it: at one time, we see him encountering Goliath; at another, fleeing from the murderous attacks of Saul: yea, he was even driven from his kingdom by his own nearest relative, and treasonably sacrificed by his most familiar friend; in consequence of which, he fled weeping over that very brook Kidron, over which his Lord passed afterwards to crucifixion. But God preserved him from every danger, and made him Head over Israel, and the heathen too [Note: Psa 18:43.]. Thus it was also that Christ was raised to his throne: He had scarcely made his appearance in the world before he became an object of Herods jealousy, and was forced to seek an asylum in a heathen land [Note: Mat 2:14-15.]. On many occasions he escaped only by a miraculous exertion of his own almighty power [Note: Luk 4:29-30.]. When his time was come, he was betrayed by one of his own disciples, who, like Davids treacherous friend, speedily went and hanged himself [Note: Psa 69:25; Psa 109:8. with Act 1:20. shew Ahithophel to be in this a type of Judas.]. But, infinitely beyond David, was Christ a man of sorrows; his visage was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. Yet, after all, the stone which the builders refused, was made the head-stone of the corner. He was exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour [Note: Act 4:11; Act 5:31.], the utmost ends of the earth were given him for his dominion; and of his kingdom there shall be no end [Note: Psa 2:8. Luk 1:33.].]
For his people also he secures the blessings that are here accorded to them
[God is made their God: and this comprehends all that men or angels can receive. It is not possible for a finite imagination to conceive the full import of such an expression as this. It must certainly imply, that he will protect us from all kinds of evil, and fill us with the richest consolation both in this world, and the world to come: every perfection, which God himself possesses, shall be improved for our present benefit, and all his glory shall be enjoyed for our eternal happiness. Yet shall his most assuredly be our portion, if we be numbered among the flock of Christ. To such indeed it is that the promise in the text must be confined. As for the ungodly world, they have no prospect whatever of such a blessing: there is not one word in all the holy oracles, that warrants such a hope. But to those who believe in Christ the promises are made: to those, who have been brought into his fold, who feed in his pastures, and yield up themselves unfeignedly to his dominion, God has pledged himself to be their God. Nor shall any who seek him in his appointed way, fail to be partakers of it [Note: Eze 37:24-28.].]
But we must view this prophecy,
II.
As waiting for a fuller and more glorious accomplishment
We cannot doubt but it shall be yet more abundantly fulfilled
[Its completion in the apostolic age was very partial. The Jews themselves yet look for its accomplishment in their Messiah. Nor is the time far distant when it shall be fulfilled in all its glorious extent [Note: Isa 29:17.] The Lord Jesus will gather his people from every quarter of the globe [Note: Hos 3:5. Jer 32:37-41.] He will feed them in green pastures, and rule over them in Zion [Note: Isa 24:23.] And God will manifest himself to be their God, with such displays of his glory, as shall far transcend any which he ever vouchsafed to his people in the days of old [Note: Isa 60:19-20.] ]
Address
Receive now the Saviour under the characters in which he is here offered to you
[Could we obtain mercy with God in any other way, there were the less reason for concerning ourselves about an interest in Christ. But in vain shall we attempt to ingratiate ourselves in the divine favour by any other means: we must obey the voice of that good Shepherd, and follow him: we must submit ourselves to the government of that Prince, and become his faithful subjects: then, and then only, will God acknowledge us as his people, and give himself to us as our God. Let us not then neglect the Saviour any more: let us rather go to him with one accord: let us entreat him to take us under his charge. Then, whatever may be the fate of those who are at a distance from him, we shall be delivered from our spiritual enemies; and, having suffered awhile with him, shall in due time be glorified together [Note: Rom 8:17.]. You may safely trust the promises of God.
Many hundred years before the coming of Christ was this prophecy delivered: and how exactly was it accomplished in every thing that respected Him! He was appointed our Shepherd; he was exalted to be our Prince; and to this very hour has he executed these offices in their fullest extent. Shall we doubt then whether the prophecy shall be fulfilled as it respects us? Will God refuse to be our God, when we desire to be his people? Or will he be only nominally our God, and withhold from us the blessings that are implied in that relation? Has he done what is so infinitely greater, and will he decline to do the less? Has he not delivered up for us his only Son, and will he not with him also freely give us all things [Note: Rom 8:32.]? We cannot doubt. He says, I the Lord have spoken it: we may be certain, therefore, that he will perform; since with him is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Let us trust then, and not be afraid; and in due season we shall enjoy, according to his covenant, the sure mercies of David [Note: Isa 55:3.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Eze 34:23 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.
Ver. 23. And I will set up one shepherd. ] Who, indeed, is the only shepherd. Magistrates and ministers are shepherds; but Christ is the “good shepherd”; Joh 10:11 the “great shepherd and bishop of souls”; 1Pe 2:25 Heb 13:20 the true shepherd, above all for skill, love, and power; above Jacob, above David, of whom he descended, and by whose name he is here called. so Jer 30:9 Hos 3:5 Eze 37:24
Even my servant David,
He shall feed them.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Eze 34:23-24
23Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. 24And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken.
Eze 34:23 one shepherd This probably refers to a united Israel (i.e., the children of Jacob, seed of Abraham). There will no longer be a divided monarchy as occurred in 922 B.C. (i.e., Israel and Judah).
My servant This is an honorific title used first of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, cf. Deu 9:27). It is used of Moses in Num 12:7; Deu 34:5; and Jos 1:1-2; Jos 1:13; Jos 1:15; Jos 8:31; Jos 8:33; Jos 11:12; Jos 11:15; Jos 12:6; Jos 13:8; Jos 14:7; Jos 18:7; Jos 22:2; Jos 22:4-5. It is also used of Joshua after his death (i.e., Jos 24:29). In Isaiah it becomes a way of referring to Israel collectively, but also to the special coming son of David (cf. Isaiah 40-56). You can clearly see this interplay between the corporate and individual in Isaiah 42. Note that Isa 42:1 is quoted in the NT as referring to the Messiah (cf. Mat 12:18-21), but Isa 42:19 obviously refers to the people of God (cf. Isa 41:8-10; Isa 44:21). This interplay occurs in several of the Servant Songs (cf. Isa 42:1-9; Isa 49:1-7; Isa 50:4-11; Isa 52:13 to Isa 53:12), which are unique to Isaiah.
David David became the ideal king (cf. Eze 34:24; Eze 37:24; 2 Samuel 7; Psa 18:50; Psalms 89; Isa 9:6-7; Isa 11:1-5; Isa 16:5; Isa 55:3-5; Jer 23:5-6; Jer 30:9; Jer 33:15; Jer 33:17; Hos 3:5; Mic 5:2-5). David was sinful (like all humans), but he had a heart for God. He became a way of referring to the special coming king of righteousness (see E. W. Hengstenber, Christology of the Old Testament, pp. 687-690).
Eze 34:24 I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them These verses are (i.e., Eze 34:23-24) parallels of Eze 37:24-25. It is obviously Messianic. Note the typical covenant language! This is reunification of the covenant people under a Davidic monarch, as well as the fulfillment of God’s covenant blessings (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-28). Also note the concluding phrase, which assures the fulfillment of this divine promise (cf. Amo 9:11-15).
The questions related to these verses are
1. when does it occur?
2. who does it refer to?
Some try to relate this to the return under Zerubbabel (a prince of Judah, cf. Ezr 1:8; the exact relationship between Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel is disputed). Others note the continuing problems of the post-exilic period (see Haggai and Malachi) and assert that these ideal conditions must refer to the future.
It seems best to me because of
1. the nature of prophecy (see D. Brent Sandy, Plowshares and Pruning Hooks)
2. the expansion of the NT into a universal gospel (i.e., Eph 2:11 to Eph 3:13)
3. the symbolic nature of Ezekiel 34-39, 40-41, which relates this to God’s plans for a restored Israel in the Persian period. All prophecy is conditional, even this one. God wanted to restore Israel and would have if only Israel wanted to and would have been obedient.
Does the everlasting covenant of Eze 16:60; Eze 37:26 (cf. Isa 55:3; Isa 61:8) refer to a realized OT community or the NT human family? My presuppositional theology pushes me to option #2. For me as a historical-grammatical interpreter, the OT must stand on its own as the word of God. I must interpret it in light of the original inspired author’s intent. However, progressive revelation (i.e., Jesus’ life, actions, and teaching, plus NT authors) refocuses the message from a Jewish setting in Palestine to a universal gospel for all peoples (cf. Acts), thus fulfilling the concept of monotheism and the universal promise of Gen 3:15. These prophecies must be analyzed through two lenses (i.e., the OT and the NT). Christianity is only true if the NT is the fulfillment of the OT and Jesus is the promised Messiah, see Special Topic: Messiah . The hope is wider than Israel. Gen 3:15 is a promise to all the sons and daughters of Adam, not just Jews. There were no Jews in Genesis 3.
I will be their God The king of Israel was to be God’s representative (cf. 1 Samuel 8). This represents the ideal picture of a society where God is the true King and the righteous leader is His visible representative!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
one shepherd = one ruler. Compare Isa 40:11. Joh 10:11.
My servant David. Occurs only here, Eze 34:24; Eze 37:24, 1Ki 11:32, 1Ki 11:34, and Eze 14:8. Compare Jer 30:9. Hos 3:5. David. Either David the king, or Messiah, of Whom he was the type.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I will: Ecc 12:11, Isa 40:11, Jer 23:4-6, Mic 5:2-5, Zec 13:7, Joh 10:11, Heb 13:20, 1Pe 2:25, 1Pe 5:4
my servant: David king of Israel had been dead upwards of 400 years; and from that time till now there never has been a ruler of any kind in the Jewish nation of the name of David. By David, then, we must understand the Messiah, as the Jews themselves acknowledge, so called because descended from him, and also as being the well beloved, , Son of the Father, as the name imports, and in whom all the promises made to David were fulfilled. See the references. Eze 37:24, Eze 37:25, Isa 11:1, Isa 55:3, Isa 55:4, Jer 30:9, Hos 3:5, Rev 22:16
Reciprocal: Gen 33:13 – the children Num 11:12 – Carry them Num 27:16 – set a man 1Sa 2:35 – I will raise 2Sa 5:2 – feed 2Sa 7:7 – feed 2Sa 24:17 – these sheep Psa 23:1 – my Psa 28:9 – feed Psa 72:6 – like Psa 78:71 – feed Psa 80:1 – O Shepherd Psa 89:3 – made Son 6:2 – feed Isa 1:26 – And I will Isa 11:11 – set his hand Isa 49:9 – They shall feed Isa 49:10 – he that Isa 52:13 – my servant Jer 3:15 – And I Jer 30:21 – governor Jer 33:14 – General Eze 21:27 – until Eze 37:22 – and one Eze 48:21 – the residue Hos 1:11 – the children of Judah Amo 9:11 – raise Mic 2:13 – their Zep 3:13 – they Zec 3:8 – my Zec 11:4 – Feed Zec 12:8 – he Mat 2:6 – rule Mat 11:3 – Art Mat 15:24 – I am not Mat 22:42 – The Son Mar 11:10 – the kingdom Luk 1:32 – give Luk 1:69 – in Luk 24:27 – and all Luk 24:44 – in the prophets Joh 10:2 – the shepherd Joh 10:16 – one shepherd Joh 21:15 – Feed Act 3:19 – when Act 13:22 – he raised Act 13:32 – how Act 13:34 – the sure Act 26:6 – the promise Phi 2:7 – the form 1Pe 5:2 – Feed Rev 7:17 – feed
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 34:23. David, according to the flesh, had been dead four centuries when Ezekiel w’rote this prophecy, hence he would not be intended as the shepherd to be set over the Lords people. The apostle Peter makes the same point in Acts 2; 25-34, explaining to his audience that such reference to David with regard to I lie kingdom always means Christ. This is because of the high position occupied by the great king and patriarch of the former ages. David was the first man of the tribe of Judah to sit as king in Jerusalem: and the one who was to reign over spiritual Israel beginning at Jerusalem bad been foreordained of God to come from the same tribe and a descendant of David. Because of this, it became the practice of the prophets and other inspired men to speak of Christ directly as David, and to refer to His throne as the throne of his illustrious ancestor (Isa 9:6-7; Psa 132:11; Luk 1:32; Act 13:23; Rev 3:7). This verse makes it very clear, therefore, that the prophet is. predicting the setting np of the kingdom of Christ, which great event started at Jerusalem and is recorded in Acts second chapter.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eze 34:23-25. And I will set up one Shepherd That is, the Messiah, the true Shepherd, who hath given himself this name both in the prophets and in the gospel, and who hath perfectly fulfilled all the duties, the characters whereof have been before described. He is called David, because he sprung from David according to the flesh; because he possessed eminently and really all those qualities which the Scriptures give to David as the type of the Messiah; and because he was the person in whom all the promises made to David were fulfilled. Though this prophecy was in a great measure completed when Christ, by the preaching of the gospel, gathered into one the children of God, among whom were many of the lost sheep of Israel, yet it will receive a further completion at the general conversion of the Jews. Calmet. I the Lord will be their God I will renew my covenant with them, and receive them again into my protection. I will be a God all-sufficient for them, and they shall not, as formerly, have recourse to any other. And my servant David a prince among them To reduce them to their allegiance, to receive their homage, and to reign over them, in them, and for them. Observe, reader, those, and those only, that have the Lord Jesus for their Prince, have the Lord Jehovah for their God. And I will make with them a covenant of peace The covenant of grace is this covenant of peace; in it God is at peace with penitent and obedient believers, speaks peace to them, and assures them of peace with him, and of all good, even all the good they need to make them happy. This peace is through Jesus Christ, who hath procured it for us by his merits, and imparts it to us by his Spirit. He is the peace predicted by Mic 5:5. Peace to men was announced at his birth; his gospel is the gospel of peace, and he himself is the God and King of peace: in short, he it is who pacifieth all things and reconciles and unites in one Jews and Gentiles, God and man, heaven and earth. And I will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land Persecutors shall no more distress my church, nor infidels seduce them. They shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods They shall be perfectly safe, by night as well as by day, under my protection. He alludes to the circumstance of the eastern shepherds frequently lying abroad in the fields with their flocks during the night, without a tent to shelter them.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eze 34:23-31. In the coming days, while Yahweh will indeed be chief Shepherd, there will still be an earthly shepherd, to correspond to the old order of evil shepherds: in plain words, the monarchy will continue, but the monarch will have a real shepherd heart. His title, my servant David, by no means implies the resurrection of the dead king of the olden times, but only a succession (or the first of a succession) of rulers continuing the Davidic line, or possibly even only one who will rule in the spirit and power of David. Instead of the divided kingdom, whose component parts (Israel and Judah) had run their parallel and sometimes hostile course for centuries, will be the united kingdom, under one shepherd, i.e. one king. Then will come the glorious Messianic days, the covenant of peace or welfare, whose leading features will be the fertility of the land, the extirpation of its wild beasts, the security of its people from native and foreign oppressors. (Eze 34:26. My hill = Zion. But perhaps we should read, I will give showers of rain in their season.)
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, [even] my servant {k} David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
(k) Meaning Christ, of whom David was a figure, See Geneva “Jer 30:9” See Geneva “Hos 3:5”
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Lord promised to set over His sheep one shepherd, His servant David, who would personally feed them (cf. Joh 10:9; Joh 14:6; Act 4:12). Yahweh would be their God, and His servant David would be prince (Heb. nasi’, namely, king) among them. This the Lord assuredly promised (cf. Eze 37:22-26). As mentioned before, Ezekiel customarily used nasi’ in place of melek, the normal Hebrew word for "king," to stress the fact that someone had put the nasi’ on his throne.
"The term ’prince’ is probably used here to facilitate a contrast with the ’princes’ (i.e., kings) of the Davidic dynasty who are denounced in earlier oracles (see Eze 7:27; Eze 12:10; Eze 19:1; Eze 21:25; Eze 22:6; Eze 22:25)." [Note: Chisholm, Handbook on . . ., p. 278.]
In view of the promises that God Himself would shepherd His sheep and the promises that His servant David would shepherd them, it seems clear that a god-man is in view (cf. Eze 37:24-25; Isa 11:1; Jer 23:5-6; Jer 30:9; Hos 3:5; Mic 5:2; Joh 10:30; 1Ti 2:5). Twenty out of Ezekiel’s 38 usages of nasi’ refer to the coming Messiah. [Note: Kaiser, p. 241, ] Did God mean that He would raise David from the dead to lead the Israelites again? No, He probably meant that someone from David’s descendants would lead them (cf. 2Sa 7:12-16; Isa 55:3-4; Jer 30:9; Hos 3:5). However a few interpreters have concluded that resurrected King David is in view here. [Note: E.g., Dyer, "Ezekiel," p. 1295.] David was the model shepherd of sheep and the model king of Israel (cf. 1Sa 13:14).
". . . David was the man whom God chose and in whom He delighted; the king who triumphed against all his foes and who extended his kingdom in all directions; the man of Judah under whose genius the whole nation was for a time united." [Note: Taylor, p. 223.]
Though the identity of this "David" may have been obscure to Ezekiel’s audience, history demonstrated that it was one of David’s descendants who proved to be the Good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ (Joh 10:11; Joh 10:14).
"In a sense Jesus, the Good Shepherd and the Son of David, is in view here, but the eschatological orientation of the whole passage removes the setting from the period of His earthly ministry in the first century to that of His second advent when He will come to sit on the throne of David." [Note: Merrill, p. 382. Cf. Wiersbe, p. 225.]