Jeremiah 23:1 - Exposition

Woe be unto the pastors , etc.! This "woe" is a pendant to the" woe" upon Jehoiakim in Jeremiah 22:13 . The original form of the verse shows the strong feeling with which the prophet both wrote and spoke: "Woe I shepherds who destroy," etc. By "shepherds" Jeremiah means rather the civil than the spiritual authorities, especially the kings— ποιμένες λαῶν , as Homer calls them. This is, in fact, the general Old Testament application of the term (see on Jeremiah 2:8 ). That destroy ; if it is true of all sin that no one can calculate its issues, this is specially true of the sins of rulers. Delirant reges, plectuntur Achivi ; or, as an inspired teacher puts it, "The leaders of this people became false guides, and those whom they led were lost men" ( Isaiah 9:16 ). How these evil shepherds "destroyed" the people we are not here told; but from Jeremiah 22:3 , Jeremiah 22:13 , it is clear that sins of injustice, ranging from oppressive exaction to murder, are specially intended. Scatter ; the captivities of the Jews being directly owing to the want of good government and teaching. How could the prophets stem the tide of popular corruption, when the ruling classes opposed their efforts? The sheep of my pasture ; or, the sheep of my pasturing— the "pastors" are Jehovah's under shepherds. The figure is a favorite one, especially with the psalmists of the school of Asaph (see Psalms 74:1 ; Psalms 77:20 ; Psalms 78:52 (comp. Psalms 78:70-72 ); Psalms 79:13 ; Psalms 80:1 ).