Jeremiah 23:1

Bishops' Bible (1568)

Wo vnto the shepheardes that destroy and scatter my flocke, saith the Lorde.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

הוֹי רֹעִים מְאַבְּדִים וּמְפִצִים אֶת־צֹאן מַרְעִיתִי נְאֻם־יְהוָה

Transliteration

Hôy rōʿîm məʾabbədîm ûməp̄îṣîm ʾet-ṣōʾn marʿîtî nəʾum-YHWH

Grammar Details

• *Hôy*: interjection - woe/alas
• *rōʿîm*: masculine plural participle - shepherds/pastors
• *məʾabbədîm*: piel masculine plural participle - destroying/causing to perish
• *ûməp̄îṣîm*: conjunction + hiphil masculine plural participle - and scattering/dispersing
• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *ṣōʾn*: feminine singular collective noun - flock/sheep
• *marʿîtî*: noun + 1st person singular possessive suffix - my pasture
• *nəʾum*: construct state - declaration/utterance of
• *YHWH*: divine name - Yahweh/LORD

Word Meanings

• *Hôy*: woe/alas/ah
• *rōʿîm*: shepherds/pastors/those who tend
• *məʾabbədîm*: destroying/causing to perish/ruining
• *məp̄îṣîm*: scattering/dispersing/spreading abroad
• *marʿîtî*: my pasture/my pasturage/my flock

Referenced Verses

• Jer 10:21 : 21 For the heardmen are become foolishe, and they haue not sought the Lorde: therefore haue they dealt vnwisely with their cattell, and all are scattered abrode.
• Zech 11:15-17 : 15 And the Lorde saide vnto me: Take thee also the staffe of a foolishe shephearde. 16 For lo, I wyll rayse vp a shepheard in the lande, which shal not seeke after the thinges that be lost, nor seeke the tender lambes, he shal not heale the wounded, he shal not nourish the thinges that are whole: but he shal eate the fleshe of such as be fat, and teare their clawes in peeces. 17 O idol shepheard that leaueth the flocke, the sworde shall come vpon his arme, and vpon his right eye: his arme shalbe cleane dryed vp, and his right eye shalbe sore blynded.
• Ezek 34:2-9 : 2 Thou sonne of man, prophecie against the shepheardes of Israel, prophecie and speake vnto them: thus saith the Lorde God vnto the shepheardes, Wo be vnto the shepheardes of Israel that feede them selues: should not the shepheards feede the flockes? 3 Ye eate vp the fat, ye clothe you with the wooll, the best fed do ye slay: but the flocke do ye not feede. 4 The weake haue ye not strengthened, the sicke haue ye not healed, the broken haue ye not bounde together, the dryuen away haue ye not brought againe, the lost haue ye not sought: but with force and crueltie haue ye ruled them. 5 They are scattered without a shephearde, yea all the beastes of the fielde deuour them, and they go astray. 6 My sheepe go wandring vpon al mountaines, and vpon euery hie hill, yea my flocke is scattered through all the face of the earth, and there is no man that seeketh or searcheth after them. 7 Therefore O ye shepheardes, heare the worde of the Lorde. 8 As truely as I lyue saith the Lorde God, forsomuch as my sheepe are robbed, & deuoured of all the wylde beastes of the fielde, hauing no shepheard, and seeing that my shepheardes seke not my sheepe, but the shepheardes feede them selues, and feede not my sheepe: 9 Therefore heare the worde of the Lorde O ye shepheardes, 10 Thus saith the Lorde God: beholde, I wyll vpon the shepheardes, and require my sheepe from their handes, and make them ceasse from feeding of the sheepe, yea the shepheardes shall feede them selues no more: for I wyll deliuer my sheepe out of their mouthes, so that they shall not deuour them after this.
• Matt 9:36 : 36 But when he sawe the multitudes, he was moued with compassion on them, because they were destitute, and scattered abrode, euen as sheepe, hauing no shephearde.
• Ezek 13:3 : 3 Thus saith the Lord God, wo be vnto those foolishe prophetes that folowe their owne spirit, & haue seene nothing.
• Isa 56:9-9 : 9 Come all ye beastes of the fielde, that ye may deuoure all the beastes of the wood. 10 For his watchmen are all blynde, they haue altogether no vnderstanding, they are all dumbe dogges not beyng able to barke, they are sleepy, sluggishe are they and lye snortyng. 11 They are shamelesse dogges that be neuer satisfied: The sheepheardes also in like maner haue no vnderstandyng, but euery man turneth his owne way, euery one after his owne couetousnesse with all his power. 12 Come say they I wyll fetche wine, so shall we fyll our selues, that we may be drunken: and do to morowe lyke as to day, yea and much more.
• Jer 2:8 : 8 The priestes them selues sayde not, Where is the Lord? They that had the lawe in their handes knewe me not, the sheepheardes offended agaynst me, the prophetes did prophecie in Baal, and folowed such thinges as shal bryng them no profite.
• Jer 12:10 : 10 Diuers heardmen haue broke downe my vineyarde, and troden vpon my portion: of my pleasaunt portion they haue made a wildernesse and desert.
• Jer 22:22 : 22 All thy heardmen shalbe driuen with the winde, and thy darlinges shalbe caryed away into captiuitie: then shalt thou be brought to shame and confusion, because of all thy wickednes.
• Matt 15:14 : 14 Let them alone, they be the blynde leaders of the blynde. If the blynde leade the blynde, both shall fall into the dytche.
• Matt 23:13-29 : 13 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men: ye neither go in your selues, neither suffer ye them that come, to enter in. 14 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye deuoure widdowes houses, and that vnder a pretence of long prayer: therfore ye shall receaue the greater dampnation. 15 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye compasse sea and lande, to make one proselite: & when he is become one, ye make hym two folde more the chylde of hell, then ye your selues are. 16 Wo be vnto you ye blynde guides: for ye say, whosoeuer doth sweare by the temple, it is nothyng: but whosoeuer sweareth by the golde of the temple, he is a detter. 17 Ye fooles and blynde. For whether is greater, the golde, or the temple that sanctifieth the golde? 18 And whosoeuer sweareth by the aulter, it is nothyng: but whosoeuer sweareth by the gyft that is vpon it, he is a detter. 19 Ye fooles and blynde, for whether is greater, the gyft: or the aulter that sanctifieth the gyft? 20 Who so therfore sweareth by the aulter, sweareth by it, and by all thynges theron. 21 And who so sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by hym that dwelleth therin. 22 And he that sweareth by heauen, sweareth by the seate of God, and by hym that sitteth theron. 23 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye tythe mynt, and annise, and cummyn: and haue left the wayghtier matters of the lawe, iudgement, mercy, and fayth. These ought ye to haue done, and not to leaue the other vndone. 24 Ye blynde guides, which strayne out a gnat, and swalowe a Camel. 25 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites: for ye make cleane the vtter syde of the cup, & of the platter: but within they are full of brybery & excesse. 26 Thou blynde Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outsyde of them may be cleane also. 27 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites: for ye are lyke vnto paynted sepulchres, which in dede appeare beautifull outwarde, but are within full of dead mens bones, and of all fylthynes. 28 Euen so, ye also, outwardly appeare ryghteous vnto men: But within, ye are full of hypocrisie and iniquitie. 29 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites: ye builde the tombes of the Prophetes, and garnishe the sepulchres of the ryghteous:
• Luke 11:42-52 : 42 But wo vnto you pharisees: for ye tithe mint & rue, and al maner hearbes, and passe ouer iudgement, and the loue of God: These ought ye to haue done, and yet not to leaue the other vndone. 43 Wo vnto you pharisees: for ye loue the vppermost seates in ye synagogues, and greetynges in the markettes. 44 Wo vnto you scribes and pharisees, ye hypocrites: for ye are as graues which appeare not, and the men that walke ouer them, are not ware of them. 45 Then aunswered one of the lawyers, and sayde vnto him: Maister, thus saying, thou puttest vs to rebuke also. 46 And he sayde, Wo vnto you also ye lawyers: for ye lade me with burthens greeuous to be borne, and ye your selues touche not ye burthens with one of your fyngers. 47 Wo vnto you, ye buylde the sepulchres of the prophetes, and your fathers kylled them. 48 Truely, ye beare witnesse that ye alowe the deedes of your fathers: for they kylled them, and ye buylde their sepulchres. 49 Therfore saide the wisedome of God, I wyl sende them prophetes and apostles, and some of them they shall slaye and persecute: 50 That the blood of all the prophetes, which is shedde, from the foundation of the worlde, may be required of this generation, 51 From the blood of Abel, vnto ye blood of Zacharie, whiche perished betwene the aulter & the temple: Ueryly I saye vnto you, it shalbe required of this nation. 52 Wo vnto you lawyers: for ye haue taken away the keye of knowledge, ye entred not in your selues, and them that came in, ye forbad.
• John 10:10 : 10 A thiefe commeth not, but for to steale, kyll, & to destroy: I am come, that they myght haue lyfe, and that they myght haue it more aboundauntly.
• Zeph 3:3-4 : 3 Her rulers within her are as roaring lions, her iudges are as wolues in the euening, whiche leaue nothing behinde them till the morowe. 4 Her prophetes are light persons & vnfaythful men, her priestes haue polluted the sanctuarie, & haue wrested the law.
• Zech 11:5-7 : 5 Which haue ben slaine of those that possessed them, yet they toke it for no sinne, but they that solde them said, The Lorde be thanked, for I am riche: yea their owne shepheardes spare the not. 6 Therefore wyl I no more spare those that dwell in the lande saith the Lorde: but lo, I wyll deliuer the people, euery man into his neighbours hande, and into the hande of his king, that they may smite the lande, and out of their handes I wyll not deliuer them. 7 I my selfe fed the slaughter sheepe, a poore flocke veryly, and toke vnto me two staues: the one called Beautie, the other called Bandes: and so fedde the sheepe.
• John 10:12 : 12 An hyrelyng, and he which is not the sheephearde, neither the sheepe are his owne, seeth the wolfe commyng, and leaueth the sheepe, and fleeth, and the wolfe catcheth, & scattereth the sheepe.
• Jer 23:2 : 2 Wherefore this is the saying of the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepheardes that feede my people, Ye scatter and thrust out my flocke, and loke not vpon them: therefore nowe wyll I visite the wickednesse of your imaginations, saith the Lorde.
• Jer 23:11-15 : 11 For the prophetes and the priestes them selues are polluted hypocrites, and their wickednesse haue I founde in my house, saith the Lorde. 12 Wherefore their way shalbe slipperie in the darknesse, wherein they may stacker and fall: for I wyll bryng a plague vpon them, euen the yere of their visitation, saith the Lorde. 13 I haue seene folly among the prophetes of Samaria, that preached for Baal, and deceaued my people of Israel. 14 I haue seene also among the prophetes of Hierusalem foule adultrie, and presumptuous lyes: they take the most shamefull men by the hande, flattering them, so that they can not returne from their wickednes: all these with their citizens are vnto me as Sodom, and as the inhabitours of Gomorre. 15 Therefore thus saith the Lorde of hoastes concerning these prophetes: Beholde, I wyll feede them with wormewood, and make them drinke the water of gall: For from the prophetes of Hierusalem is hypocrisie come into all the lande.
• Jer 25:34-36 : 34 Mourne O ye sheepheardes, and crye, sprinckle your selues with asshes O ye rammes of the flocke: for the tyme of your slaughter and breache is fulfylled, and ye shall fall lyke vessels that were much set by. 35 The sheepheardes shall haue no way to flee, and the rammes of the flocke shall not escape. 36 Then shall the sheepheardes crye horribly, and the rammes of the flocke shall mourne: for the Lorde hath consumed their pasture,
• Jer 50:6 : 6 My people haue ben a lost flocke, my sheepheardes haue deceaued them, and haue made them go astray vpon the hylles, they haue gone from the mountayne to the litle hyl, and forgotten their folde.
• Jer 2:26 : 26 Lyke as a theefe that is taken with the deede, commeth to shame: euen so is the house of Israel come to confusion, the common people, their kynges and rulers, their priestes and prophetes.
• Ezek 22:25-29 : 25 There is a conspiracie of her prophetes in the middest therof: as a roring lion rauenyng his pray, they deuour soules, they haue taken the riche and pretious thynges, they haue made her many widowes in the middest therof. 26 Her priestes haue broken my lawe, and defiled my holy thynges, they put no difference betweene the holy & vnholy, neither discerne they betweene the cleane & vncleane: they turne their eyes from my Sabbathes, and I am defiled among them. 27 Thy rulers in thee are lyke woolues rauenyng the pray, to shed blood, and destroy soules, for their owne couetous lucre. 28 As for her prophetes, they daube with vntempered morter, they see vanities, and diuine lyes vnto them, saying, The Lorde saith so: wheras the Lorde hath not spoken. 29 The people in the lande vsed wicked extortion and robbery, they vexe the poore and needy, and oppresse the straunger agaynst right.
• Mic 3:11-12 : 11 (The heades therof iudge for rewards, and the priestes thereof teache for hyre, and the prophetes thereof prophecie for money: yet wyll they leane vpon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among vs? no euill can come vpon vs.) 12 Therefore shall Sion for your sake be plowed as a fielde, & Hierusalem shalbe an heape, and the mountaine of the house as the hie places of the forest.
• Ezek 34:21 : 21 Forsomuch as with side and shoulder ye haue shoued, and with your hornes haue pushed all the weake, till ye haue scattered them abroade.
• Ezek 34:31 : 31 And ye my sheepe, the sheepe of my pasture, are men: and I am your God, saith the Lorde God.