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.

EZEKIEL 34:4KJV
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Ezekiel 34:4 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 34:4 mean?

Ezekiel 34:4 describes how the leaders of Israel failed to care for the people, using images of neglecting the weak, sick, injured, scattered, and lost, and instead ruling harshly. The verse criticizes these leaders for not helping those in need and for treating the people with force and cruelty.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the "shepherds" of Israel, meaning the leaders responsible for guiding and protecting the nation. The verse uses the metaphor of shepherds neglecting their sheep to show how these leaders ignored the needs of the vulnerable and abused their power. This rebuke sets up the contrast with God’s own care as the true shepherd in the following verses.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 34:4

  • The word for "diseased" (חָלָה, chalah) refers to those who are weak or sick, highlighting the leaders’ failure to support those most in need.
  • "Strengthened" (חָזַק, chazaq) means to make strong or encourage, showing that the leaders did not help the weak regain strength.
  • "With force" (בְּחָזְקָה, bechazqah) and "with cruelty" (בְּפָרֶךְ, befarekh) together emphasize not just neglect but active harshness and oppression, painting a picture of leaders who harm rather than help.
  • "Ruled" (רָעָה, ra'ah) is often used for shepherding, but here it means to govern or control, underlining the misuse of authority.

Why Ezekiel 34:4 matters

  • This verse clears up the idea that leadership is only about authority; it stresses the responsibility to care for and protect the vulnerable.
  • Ezekiel 34:4 sets the stage for the rest of the chapter, where God promises to be the true shepherd who will do what the leaders failed to do.
  • The verse connects to a wider biblical theme of God’s concern for the lost, weak, and broken, showing that neglect and abuse of power are serious failings in God’s eyes.

Where else these words appear

“force” Hebrew H2394 · used in 6 verses

  • Judges 4:3 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
  • Judges 8:1 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.
  • 2 Kings 12:12 And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.

“cruelty” Hebrew H6531 · used in 6 verses

  • Exodus 1:13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:
  • Exodus 1:14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.
  • Leviticus 25:46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.

“ruled” Hebrew H7287 · used in 25 verses

  • Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
  • Judges 14:9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.
  • Psalms 72:8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

“up” Hebrew H2280 · used in 30 verses

  • Genesis 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
  • 1 Kings 13:13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,
  • Isaiah 3:7 In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.