Jeremiah 23:1

Geneva Bible (1560)

Wo be vnto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheepe of my pasture, 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 Pastours are become beasts, and haue not sought the Lorde: therefore haue they none vnderstanding: and all the flockes of their pastures are scattered.
• Zech 11:15-17 : 15 And the Lord said vnto me, Take to thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepheard. 16 For loe, I will rayse vp a shepheard in the land, which shall not looke for the thing, that is lost, nor seeke the tender lambes, nor heale that that is hurt, nor feede that that standeth vp: but he shall eate the flesh of the fat, and teare their clawes in pieces. 17 O idole shepheard that leaueth the flocke: the sword shalbe vpon his arme, & vpon his right eye. His arme shall be cleane dryed vp, and his right eye shall be vtterly darkened.
• Ezek 34:2-9 : 2 Sonne of man, prophesie against the shepherdes of Israel, prophesie & say vnto them, Thus saieth the Lord God vnto the shepherds, Wo be vnto the shepherds of Israel, that feede them selues: should not the shepherds feede the flockes? 3 Yee eate the fat, and yee clothe you with the wooll: yee kill them that are fed, but ye feede not the sheepe. 4 The weake haue ye not strengthened: the sicke haue ye not healed, neither haue ye bounde vp the broken, nor brought againe that which was driuen away, neither haue yee sought that which was lost, but with crueltie, and with rigour haue yee ruled them. 5 And they were scattered without a shepherde: and when they were dispersed, they were deuoured of all the beastes of the fielde. 6 My sheepe wandred through all the mountaines, and vpon euery hie hill: yea, my flocke was scattered through al the earth, and none did seeke or search after them. 7 Therefore ye shepherds, heare the woorde of the Lord. 8 As I liue, sayeth the Lorde God, surely because my flocke was spoyled, and my sheepe were deuoured of all the beasts of the fielde, hauing no shepherde, neither did my shepherdes seeke my sheepe, but the shepherdes fedde them selues, and fedde not my sheepe, 9 Therefore, heare ye the word of the Lorde, O ye shepherds. 10 Thus saieth the Lorde God, Behold, I come against the shepherds, and will require my sheepe at their hands, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheepe: neither shall the shepherds feede them selues any more: for I wil deliuer my sheepe from their mouthes, and they shall no more deuoure them.
• Matt 9:36 : 36 But when he saw the multitude, he had compassion vpon them, because they were dispersed, and scattered abroade, as sheepe hauing no shepheard.
• Ezek 13:3 : 3 Thus sayth the Lorde God, Woe vnto the foolish Prophets that followe their owne spirit, and haue seene nothing.
• Isa 56:9-9 : 9 All ye beastes of the fielde, come to deuoure, euen all ye beastes of the forest. 10 Their watchmen are all blinde: they haue no knowledge: they are all dumme dogs: they can not barke: they lie and sleepe and delite in sleeping. 11 And these griedy dogs can neuer haue ynough: and these shepheards cannot vnderstand: for they all looke to their owne way, euery one for his aduantage, and for his owne purpose. 12 Come, I wil bring wine, and we wil fill our selues with strong drinke, and to morowe shalbe as this day, and much more abundant.
• Jer 2:8 : 8 The priests said not, Where is the Lorde? And they that should minister the Lawe, knewe me not: the pastours also offended against me, and the Prophets prophesied in Baal, and went after things that did not profite.
• Jer 12:10 : 10 Many pastors haue destroyed my vineyarde, and troden my portion vnder foote: of my pleasant portion they haue made a desolate wildernesse.
• Jer 22:22 : 22 The wind shall feede all thy pastors, and thy louers shall goe into captiuitie: and then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded of al thy wickednesse.
• Matt 15:14 : 14 Let them alone, they be the blinde leaders of the blinde: and if the blinde leade ye blinde, both shall fall into the ditche.
• Matt 23:13-29 : 13 Wo therefore be vnto you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites, because ye shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men: for ye your selues go not in, neither suffer ye them that would enter, to come in. 14 Wo be vnto you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye deuoure widowes houses, euen vnder a colour of long prayers: wherefore ye shall receiue the greater damnation. 15 Wo be vnto you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye compasse sea and land to make one of your profession: and when he is made, ye make him two folde more the childe of hell, then you your selues. 16 Wo be vnto you blinde guides, which say, Whosoeuer sweareth by the Temple, it is nothing: but whosoeuer sweareth by the golde of the Temple, he offendeth. 17 Ye fooles and blinde, whether is greater, the golde, or the Temple that sanctifieth the golde? 18 And whosoeuer sweareth by the altar, it is nothing: but whosoeuer sweareth by the offering that is vpon it, offendeth. 19 Ye fooles and blinde, whether is greater, the offering, or the altar which sanctifieth the offering? 20 Whosoeuer therefore sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whosoeuer sweareth by the Temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that sweareth by heauen, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23 Wo be to you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye tithe mynt, & annyse, & cummyn, & leaue the weightier matters of the law, as iudgement, and mercy and fidelitie. These ought ye to haue done, and not to haue left the other. 24 Ye blinde guides, which straine out a gnat, and swallowe a camell. 25 Wo be to you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye make cleane the vtter side of the cup, and of the platter: but within they are ful of briberie and excesse. 26 Thou blinde Pharise, cleanse first the inside of the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be cleane also. 27 Wo be to you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye are like vnto whited tombes, which appeare beautifull outward, but are within full of dead mens bones, and all filthines. 28 So are ye also: for outwarde ye appeare righteous vnto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisie and iniquitie. 29 Wo be vnto you, Scribes & Pharises, hypocrites: for ye build the tombes of the Prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
• Luke 11:42-52 : 42 But wo be to you, Pharises: for ye tithe the mynt and the rewe, and all maner herbs, and passe ouer iudgement & the loue of God: these ought yee to haue done, and not to haue left the other vndone. 43 Wo be to you, Pharises: for ye loue the vppermost seats in the Synagogues, and greetings in the markets. 44 Wo be to you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye are as graues which appeare not, and the men that walke ouer them, perceiue not. 45 Then answered one of the Lawyers, and saide vnto him, Master, thus saying thou puttest vs to rebuke also. 46 And he sayde, Wo be to you also, yee Lawyers: for yee lade men with burdens grieuous to be borne, and yee your selues touche not the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Wo be to you: for ye builde the sepulchres of the Prophetes, and your fathers killed them. 48 Truely ye beare witnesse, and allowe the deedes of your fathers: for they killed them, and yee build their sepulchres. 49 Therefore said the wisedome of God, I wil sende them Prophets and Apostles, and of them they shall slaie, and persecute away, 50 That the blood of all the Prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation, 51 From the blood of Abel vnto the blood of Zacharias, which was slaine betweene the altar and the Temple: verely I say vnto you, it shall be required of this generation. 52 Wo be to you, Lawyers: for ye haue taken away the key of knowledge: ye entred not in your selues, and them that came in, ye forbade.
• John 10:10 : 10 The theefe commeth not, but for to steale, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might haue life, and haue it in abundance.
• Zeph 3:3-4 : 3 Her princes within her are as roaring lyons: her iudges are as wolues in the euening, which leaue not the bones till the morow. 4 Her prophets are light, and wicked persons: her priests haue polluted the Sanctuarie: they haue wrested the Lawe.
• Zech 11:5-7 : 5 They that possesse them, slay them and sinne not: and they that sell them, say, Blessed be the Lord: for I am riche, and their owne shepherds spare them not. 6 Surely I wil no more spare those that dwell in the land, sayth the Lord: but loe, I will deliuer the men euery one into his neighbours hand, and into the hand of his King: and they shal smite the land, and out of their hands I wil not deliuer them. 7 For I fed the sheepe of slaughter, euen the poore of the flocke, and I tooke vnto me two staues: the one I called Beautie, and the other I called Bandes, and I fed the sheepe.
• John 10:12 : 12 But an hireling, and hee which is not the shepheard, neither the sheepe are his owne, seeth the wolfe comming, and hee leaueth the sheepe, and fleeth, and the wolfe catcheth them, and scattreth the sheepe.
• Jer 23:2 : 2 Therefore thus saith the Lorde God of Israel vnto the pastors that feede my people, Yee haue scattered my flock and thrust them out, and haue not visited them: beholde, I will visite you for the wickednesse of your works, saith the Lord.
• Jer 23:11-15 : 11 For both the prophet and the Priest doe wickedly: and their wickednesse haue I found in mine House, saith the Lorde. 12 Wherefore their way shalbe vnto them as slipperie wayes in the darknesse: they shalbe driuen foorth and fall therein: for I will bring a plague vpon them, euen the yeere of their visitation, saith the Lorde. 13 And I haue seene foolishnesse in the prophets of Samaria, that prophecied in Baal, & caused my people Israel to erre. 14 I haue seene also in the prophets of Ierusalem filthines: they commit adulterie & walke in lies: they strengthen also the hands of the wicked that none can returne from his wickednesse: they are all vnto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorah. 15 Therefore thus saith the Lorde of hostes concerning the prophets, Beholde, I will feede them with wormewood, & make them drinke the water of gall: for from the prophets of Ierusalem is wickednesse gone forth into all the lande.
• Jer 25:34-36 : 34 Howle, ye shepherdes, and crie, and wallowe your selues in the ashes, ye principall of the flocke: for your dayes of slaughter are accomplished, and of your dispersion, and ye shall fall like precious vessels. 35 And the flight shall faile from the shepherdes, and the escaping from the principall of the flocke. 36 A voyce of the crye of the shepherdes, and an howling of the principall of the flocke shalbe heard: for the Lord hath destroyed their pasture.
• Jer 50:6 : 6 My people hath beene as lost sheepe: their shepheards haue caused them to goe astray, and haue turned them away to the mountaines: they haue gone from mountaine to hil, and forgotten their resting place.
• Jer 2:26 : 26 As the theefe is ashamed, when he is foud, so is the house of Israel ashamed, they, their kings, their princes and their Priests, and their Prophets,
• Ezek 22:25-29 : 25 There is a conspiracie of her prophets in the mids thereof like a roaring lyon, rauening the praye: they haue deuoured soules: they haue taken the riches and precious things: they haue made her many widowes in the mids thereof. 26 Her Priests haue broken my Lawe, and haue defiled mine holy things: they haue put no difference betweene the holy and prophane, neither discerned betweene the vncleane, and the cleane, and haue hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am prophaned among them. 27 Her princes in the mids thereof are like wolues, rauening the praye to shed blood, and to destroy soules for their owne couetous lucre. 28 And her prophets haue dawbed them with vntempered morter, seeing vanities, and diuining lies vnto them, saying, Thus sayth the Lord God, when the Lord had not spoken. 29 The people of the land haue violently oppressed by spoyling and robbing, and haue vexed the poore and the needy: yea, they haue oppressed the stranger against right.
• Mic 3:11-12 : 11 The heads thereof iudge for rewardes, and the Priestes thereof teache for hyre, and the prophets thereof prophecie for money: yet wil they leane vpon the Lorde, and say, Is not the Lorde among vs? no euill can come vpon vs. 12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake bee plowed as a field, & Ierusalem shalbe an heape, and the mountaine of the house, as the hye places of the forest.
• Ezek 34:21 : 21 Because ye haue thrust with side and with shoulder, & pusht al the weake with your hornes, till ye haue scattered them abroade,
• Ezek 34:31 : 31 And yee my sheepe, the sheepe of my pasture are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.