Shepherd
VIEW:29 DATA:01-04-2020
SHEPHERD.See Sheep.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Edited by James Hastings, D.D. Published in 1909
(See SHEEP.) The nomadic state is one of the earliest stages of society, and was regarded as honourable even to a chief (Gen_4:2; Gen_4:20; Gen_30:29 ff; Genesis 37); chiefs' daughters did not disdain to tend flocks (Gen_29:6, etc.; Exo_2:19). The long stay in Egypt elevated Israel from the nomadic to a settled life. The two and a half nomadic tribes received their portion in the outlying regions beyond Jordan (Numbers 32). As agriculture increased pasturage decreased, and was limited to particular spots, the border of the wilderness of Judah, Carmel (1Sa_25:2), Bethlehem (1Sa_16:11; Luk_2:8), Tekoa (Amo_1:1), and Gedor (1Ch_4:39). Hence the "shepherd's tent" came to symbolize desolation (Eze_25:4; Zep_2:6). The shepherd's occupation was now no longer dignified (Psa_78:70; 2Sa_7:8; Amo_7:14).
The shepherd's office represents Jehovah's tender care of His people (Psalm 23; Isa_40:11; Isa_49:9-10; Jer_23:3-4; Eze_34:11-12; Eze_34:23). Allusions occur to the exposure to heat and cold (Gen_31:40), the precarious food (Amo_7:14), the husks of the carob (Luk_15:16), the attacks of beasts (1Sa_17:34; Isa_31:4; Amo_3:12), robbers (Gen_31:39). The shepherd had a mantle of sheepskin with the fleece on (Jer_43:12), a wallet for food (1Sa_17:40), a sling such as the Bedouin still carries, a staff to ward off foes and to guide the flock with its crook (Psa_23:4; Zec_11:7; so Jehovah "lifts up His staff against" His people's foes, Isa_10:1-24; His word is at once our prop of support and our defense against Satan). The shepherd, when far from home, had his light tent (Son_1:8), easily taken down and shifted (Isa_38:12).
Towers were sometimes erected to spy a foe afar off, and to guard the flock (2Ch_26:10; 2Ch_27:4, compare "tower of Edar," Gen_35:21; Mic_4:8). (See EDAR.) His duty was to go before and call by name the sheep (Joh_10:4), watch it with dogs, a sorry animal in the East (Job_30:1), to search for stray sheep (Eze_34:12; Luk_15:4), to supply water, either at a stream or at troughs by wells (Gen_29:7; Gen_30:38; Exo_2:16), (so Jesus, Psa_23:2), to bring back to the fold at evening and to reckon the sheep that none be missing (compare as to Jesus Joh_18:9; Joh_17:11-12; Joh_10:28-29), passing one by one "under the rod" (Lev_27:32; Jer_33:13; Eze_20:37), (i.e. you shall be counted as Mine, and subjected to My chastening discipline with a view to My ultimate saving of the elect, Mic_7:14), checking each sheep as it passed; to act as porter, guarding the entrance to the fold by night (Joh_10:3).
The shepherds kept watches (plural in Greek, Luk_2:8, not "slumbering," Nah_3:18) by turns at night, not on duty both night and day as Jacob (Gen_31:40). Tenderness to the young and feeble was the shepherd's duty, not to overdrive them (Gen_33:13); so Jesus (Isa_40:11-29; Mar_6:31; Mar_8:2; Mar_4:33; Joh_16:12). There were chief and under shepherds (Gen_47:6; 1Pe_5:4), and hirelings not of the family (Joh_10:11-13; 1Sa_21:7). The shepherd had responsibility, and at the same time personal interest in the flock (1Sa_31:39; 1Sa_30:32; 1Co_9:7).
Playing on the pipe beguiled the monotony, and a feast at shearing time gave a yearly variety (1Sa_16:17; Gen_31:19; Gen_38:12; 2Sa_13:23). Shepherds often contended with one another as to water (Gen_26:17-22; Exo_2:17). The Egyptian antipathy to shepherds (whom the monuments always represent as mean) was due to their being themselves agriculturists, whereas the neighbouring Arabs with whom they so often strove were nomads. The seizure of Lower Egypt by shepherd kings (Hyksos) for centuries aggravated this dislike, though the Hyksos were subsequent to Joseph (Gen_46:34). Princes, and even hostile leaders, are called shepherds: Isa_44:28; Jer_2:8; Jer_3:15; Jer_6:3; Eze_34:2; Mic_5:5. Teachers: Ecc_12:11. Messiah: Gen_49:24; Psa_80:1; Zec_13:7; Joh_10:14; Heb_13:20.
Fausset's Bible Dictionary
By Andrew Robert Fausset, co-Author of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown's 1888.
Shepherd. In a nomadic state of society, every man, from the sheikh down to the slave, is more or less a shepherd. The progenitors of the Jews in the patriarchal age were nomads, and their history is rich in scenes of pastoral life. The occupation of tending the flocks was undertaken, not only by the sons of wealthy chiefs, Gen_30:29; Gen_37:12, but even by their daughters. Gen_29:6; Gen_29:8; Exo_2:10. The Egyptian captivity did much to implant a love of settled abode, and, consequently, we find the tribes which still retained a taste for shepherd life, selecting their own quarters apart from their brethren in the TransJordanic district. Num_32:1. Thenceforward, in Palestine proper, the shepherd held a subordinate position.
The office of the eastern shepherd, as described in the Bible, was attended with much hardship, and even danger. He was exposed to the extremes of heat and cold, Gen_31:40; his food frequently consisted of the precarious supplies afforded by nature, such as the fruit of the "sycamore" or Egyptian fig, Amo_7:14, the "husks" of the carob tree, Luk_15:16, and perchance, the locusts and wild honey which supported the Baptist, Mat_3:4; he had to encounter the attacks of wild beasts, occasionally of the larger species, such as lions, nerves, panthers and bears, 1Sa_17:34; Isa_31:4; Jer_5:6; Amo_5:12; nor was he free from the risk of robbers or predators hordes. Gen_31:39.
To meet these various foes, the shepherd's equipment consisted of the following articles: a mantle, made probably of sheep skin with the fleece on, which he turned inside out in cold weather, as implied in the comparison in Jer_43:12.; (compare Juv. Xiv. 187); a scrip or wallet, containing a small amount of food, 1Sa_17:40; a sling, which is still the favorite weapon of the Bedouin shepherd, 1Sa_17:40; and lastly, a staff which served the double purpose of a weapon against foes, and a crook for the management of the flock. 1Sa_17:40; Psa_23:4; Zec_11:7.
If the shepherd was at a distance from his home, he was provided with a light tent, Son_1:8; Jer_35:7, the removal of which was easily effected. Isa_38:12. In certain localities, moreover, towers were erected for the double purpose of spying an enemy at a distance and of protecting the flock; such towers were erected by Uzziah and Jotham, 2Ch_26:10; 2Ch_27:4, while their existence, in earlier times, is testified by the name Migdal-edar, Gen_35:21, Authorized Version, "a tower of Edar", Mic_4:8, Authorized Version, "tower of the flock".
The routine of the shepherd's duties appears to have been as follows: In the morning, he led forth his flock from the fold, Joh_10:4, which he did by going before them and calling to them, as is still usual in the East; arrived at the pasturage; he watched the flock with the assistance of dogs, Job_30:1; and should any sheep stray, he had to search for it until he found it, Eze_34:12; Luk_15:4; he supplied them with water, either at a running stream, or at troughs attached to wells, Gen_29:7; Gen_30:38; Exo_2:16; Psa_23:2; at evening, he brought them back to the fold, and reckoned them to see that none were missing, by passing them "under the rod," as they entered the door of the enclosure, Lev_27:32; Eze_20:37; checking each sheep, as it passed, by a motion of the hand, Jer_33:13, and, finally, he watched the entrance of the fold throughout the night, acting as porter. Joh_10:3. See Sheepfold, under Sheep.
The shepherd's office, thus required, great watchfulness, particularly by night. Luk_2:8, compare Nah_3:18. It also required tenderness toward the young and feeble, Isa_40:11, particularly in driving them to and from the pasturage. Gen_33:13. In large establishments, there are various grades of shepherds, the highest being styled "rulers," Gen_47:6, or "chief shepherds," 1Pe_5:4, in a royal household, the title of abbir, "mighty"' was bestowed on the person who held the post. 1Sa_21:7. See Sheep.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
By Dr. William Smith.Published in 1863
The occupation of shepherd was one of the earliest recorded (Gen_4:2). In the dry semi-desert countries of the Bible story, shepherds lived a hard tough life, battling against heat, drought and wild animals (Gen_31:38-40; Amo_3:12). It is therefore not surprising that shepherd became a word symbol for a leader of Gods people. The emphasis is not only on care and leadership, but also on the ability to endure hardship. The shepherd must be prepared to battle against all opponents who threaten the welfare of those in his care (Joh_10:1; Joh_10:10-12; Act_20:28-29).
Life of a shepherd
Shepherds were a common sight in Palestine and neighbouring countries. They lived in tents and moved around from place to place with their flocks in search of grass and water (Exo_3:1; Deu_8:15; Isa_13:20; see also SHEEP). Often the only water available was at wells that people had dug. These wells were frequently the cause of disputes (Gen_26:12-32).
After the Israelites took possession of Canaan, the shepherds among them settled down more or less permanently with their flocks. They still faced the problem of finding good pastures and water, and still had to meet attacks by wild animals (1Sa_17:34; Psa_23:2; Psa_23:4-5; Mat_10:16). Additional dangers came from thieves who stole sheep by night, and desert people who raided in groups (Gen_31:39; Job_1:14-15; 2Ch_21:16-17; Joh_10:10). The shepherds only weapons were a sling and a stick, though he may have used trained dogs to help him in his work (1Sa_17:40; 1Sa_17:49; Job_30:1; Psa_23:4; Zec_11:7; Zec_11:10).
Sheep had to be protected and watched by shepherds constantly, otherwise they would wander away and be lost. If sheep became lost, the shepherd sometimes had to risk his life in searching for them and rescuing them (Eze_34:8; Eze_34:12; Mat_18:12). The shepherd was responsible to pay the owner the cost of any sheep lost while in his care, unless he could satisfy the owner that he was not to blame for the loss (Gen_31:39; Exo_22:10-13).
At night the shepherd usually kept his sheep in a walled enclosure called a fold, as an added protection against dangers (Num_32:36; Mic_2:12; Hab_3:17; Luk_2:8; Joh_10:1). He counted the sheep as they went in at night, to make sure that none was missing; then, in the morning, he led them out into the fields (Jer_33:13; Eze_20:37; Joh_10:3; Joh_10:27; Joh_17:12).
Leaders of Gods people
The Old Testament often refers to the leaders of Israel as shepherds, and to the people as the flock (Num_27:17; Isa_63:11). Many of Israels leaders were bad shepherds, and because of them the nation crumbled (Isa_56:11; Jer_50:6; Eze_34:2-6; Zec_11:15-17).
In the New Testament also leaders of Gods people are referred to as shepherds of the flock. As elders of a church they have the responsibility to lead it, feeding it with spiritual food and protecting it from spiritual harm (Joh_21:15-17; Act_20:28-29; 1Pe_5:1-3; see ELDER; PASTOR).
The true shepherd, however, is always God (Gen_49:24; Psa_23:1; Isa_40:11). This is seen clearly in the illustration Jesus used to picture himself as the good shepherd. He was so concerned for the sheep that he died for them (Joh_10:1-29; Heb_13:20; 1Pe_2:25; 1Pe_5:4; cf. Eze_34:23-24).
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary by Don Fleming
PRINTER 1990.
shep?ẽrd (רעה, rō‛eh, רעי, rō‛ı̄; ποιμήν, poimḗn, ?a feeder?): The sheep owner frequently tends the flocks himself (Gen_4:4; Gen_30:40; compare Eze_34:12), but more often he delegates the work to his children (Gen_29:9; 1Sa_16:19; 1Sa_17:15) or relatives (Gen_31:6). In such cases the sheep have good care because the keepers have a personal interest in the well-being of the animals, but when they are attended by a hireling (1Sa_17:20) the flocks may be neglected or abused (Isa_56:10, Isa_56:11; Eze_34:8, Eze_34:10; Zec_11:15, Zec_11:17; Joh_10:12). The chief care of the shepherd is to see that the sheep find plenty to eat and drink. The flocks are not fed in pens or folds, but, summer and winter, must depend upon foraging for their sustenance (Psa_23:2). In the winter of 1910-11 an unprecedented storm ravaged Northern Syria. It was accompanied by a snowfall of more than 3 ft., which covered the ground for weeks. During that time, hundreds of thousands of sheep and goats perished, not so much from the cold as from the fact that they could get no food. Goats hunt out the best feeding-grounds, but sheep are more helpless and have to be led to their food (compare Num_27:16, Num_27:17); nor do they possess the instinct of many other animals for finding their way home (compare Eze_34:6-8). Flocks should be watered at least once a day. Where there are springs or streams this is an easy matter. Frequently the nearest water is hours away. One needs to travel in the dry places in Syria or Palestine, and then enter the watered valleys like those in Edom where the flocks are constantly being led for water, to appreciate the Psalmist's words, ?He leadcth me beside still waters.? Sometimes water can be obtained by digging shallow wells (Gen_26:18-22, Gen_26:25, Gen_26:32). The shepherd frequently carries with him a pail from which the sheep can drink when the water is not accessible to them. On the mountain tops the melting snows supply the needed water. In other districts it is drawn from deep wells (Gen_29:2; Joh_4:6). The usual time for watering is at noon, at which time the flocks are led to the watering-places (Gen_29:2, Gen_29:3). After drinking, the animals lie down or huddle together in the shade of a rock while the shepherd sleeps. At the first sound of his call, which is usually a peculiar guttural sound, hard to imitate, the flock follow off to new feeding-grounds. Even should two shepherds call their flocks at the same time and the sheep be intermingled, they never mistake their own master's voice (Joh_10:3-5).
The shepherd's equipment is a simple one. His chief garment is a cloak woven from wool or made from sheepskins. This is sleeveless, and so made that it hangs like a cloak on his shoulders. When he sleeps he curls up under it, head and all. During the summer a lighter, short-sleeved ‛aba or coat is worn. He carries a staff or club (see STAFF), and a characteristic attitude is to make a rest for his arms by placing his staff on his shoulders against the back of his neck. When an especially productive spot is found, the shepherd may pass the time, while the animals are grazing, by playing on his pipe (Jdg_5:16). He sometimes carries a sling (קלע, ḳela‛) of goat's hair (1Sa_17:40). His chief belongings are kept in a skin pouch or bag (כּלי, kelı̄) (1Sa_17:40). This bag is usually a whole tawed skin turned wrong side out, with the legs tied up and the neck forming the opening. He is usually aided in the keeping and the defending of the sheep by a dog (Job_30:1). In Syria the Kurdish dogs make the best protectors of the sheep, as, unlike the cowardly city dogs, they are fearless and will drive away the wild beasts. The shepherd is often called upon to aid the dogs in defending the sheep (Gen_31:39; 1Sa_17:34, 1Sa_17:35; Isa_31:4; Jer_5:6; Amo_3:12).
Figurative:
The frequent use of the word ?shepherd? to indicate a spiritual overseer is familiar to Bible readers (Psa_23:1; Psa_80:1; Ecc_12:11; Isa_40:4; Isa_63:14; Jer_31:10; Eze_34:23; Eze_37:24; Joh_21:15-17; Eph_4:11; 1Pe_5:1-4). We still use the term ?pastor,? literally, ?a shepherd.? Leaders in temporal affairs were also called shepherds (Gen_47:17 margin; Isa_44:28; Isa_63:11). ?Sheep without a shepherd? typified individuals or nations who had forgotten Yahweh (Num_27:17; 1Ki_22:17; 2Ch_18:16; Eze_34:5, Eze_34:8; Zec_10:2; Mat_9:36; Mar_6:34).
Jesus is spoken of as the good shepherd (Joh_10:14); chief shepherd (1Pe_5:4); great shepherd (Heb_13:20); the one shepherd (Joh_10:16). ?He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that have their young? (Isa_40:11) is a picture drawn from pastoral life of Yahweh's care over His children. A strong sympathy for helpless animals, though sometimes misdirected, is a marked characteristic of the people of Bible lands. The birth of offspring in a flock often occurs far off on the mountain side. The shepherd solicitously guards the mother during her helpless moments and picks up the lamb and carries it to the fold. For the few days, until it is able to walk, he may carry it in his arms or in the loose folds of his coat above his girdle. See also SHEEP.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PRINTER 1915.
Shepherd [PASTURAGE]
The Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature
by John Kitto.
Isa_44:28 (a) It is used to represent King Cyrus as he took a leading place in the rebuilding of the temple, and restoring Israel to their land. Eze_34:23 (a) This represents King David as he would guide the affairs and the destinies of Israel. Probably it also is prophetic of CHRIST when He returns to reign. Joh_10:14 (a) This is a type of the Lord JESUS. He cares for, protects and leads His people.
Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types
press 1957.
(usually רעֶה, roeh, a feeder, ποιμήν; but substantially denoted also by בּוֹקֵר, boker, a herdman, Amo_7:14; and by נֹקֵד, noked, a sheep master, 2Ki_3:4; herdman, Amo_1:1). In a nomadic state of society, every man, from the sheik down to the slave, is more or less a shepherd. As many regions in the East are adapted solely to pastoral pursuits, the institution of the nomad life, with its appliances of tents and camp equipage, was regarded as one of the most memorable inventions (Gen_4:20). The progenitors of the Jews in the patriarchal age were nomads, and their history is rich in scenes of pastoral life. The occupation of tending the flocks was undertaken, not only by the sons of wealthy chiefs (Gen_30:29 sq.; Gen_37:12 sq.), but even by their daughters (Gen_29:6 sq.; Exo_2:19). The Egyptian captivity did much to implant a love of settled abode, and consequently we find the tribes which still retained a taste for shepherd. life selecting their own quarters apart from their brethren in the Transjordanic district (Num_32:1 sq.). Henceforward in Palestine proper the shepherd held a subordinate position; the increase of agriculture involved the decrease of pasturage; and though large flocks were still maintained in certain parts, particularly on the borders of the wilderness of Judah, as about Carmel (1Sa_25:2), Bethlehem (1Sa_16:11; Luk_2:8), Tekoah (Amo_1:1), and, more to the south, at Gedor (1Ch_4:39), the nomad life was practically extinct, and the shepherd became one out of many classes of the laboring population. The completeness of the transition from the pastoral to the agricultural state is strongly exhibited in those passages which allude to the presence. of the shepherd's tent as a token of desolation (e.g. Eze_25:4; Zep_2:6). The humble position of the shepherd at the same period is implied in the notices of David's wondrous elevation (2Sa_7:8; Psa_78:70), and again in the self-depreciating confession of Amos (Amo_7:14). The frequent and beautiful allusions to the shepherd s office in the poetical portions of the Bible (e.g. Psalms 23; Isa_40:11; Isa_49:9-10; Jer_23:3-4; Eze_34:11-12; Eze_34:23), rather bespeak a period when the shepherd had become an ideal character, such as the Roman poets painted the pastors of Arcadia. SEE PASTURE.
The office of the Eastern shepherd, as described in the Bible, was attended with much hardship and even danger. He was exposed to the extremes of heat and cold (Gen_31:40); his food frequently consisted of the precarious supplies afforded by nature, such as the fruit of the sycamore, or Egyptian fig, (Amo_7:14), the husks of the carob tree (Luk_15:16), or perchance the locusts and wild honey which supported the Baptist (Mat_3:4); he had to encounter the attacks of wild beasts, occasionally of the larger species, such as lions, wolves, panthers, and bears (1Sa_17:34; Isa_31:4; Jer_5:6; Amo_3:12); nor was he free from the risk of robbers or predatory hordes (Gen_31:39). To meet these various. foes the shepherd's equipment consisted of the following articles: a mantle, made probably of sheep's skin with the fleece on, which he turned inside out in cold weather, as implied, in the comparison in Jer_43:12 (comp. Juv. 14:187); a scrip or wallet, containing a small amount of food (1Sa_17:40; Porter, Damascus, 2, 100); a sling, which is still the favorite weapon of the Bedawi shepherd (1Sa_17:40; Burckhardt, Notes,1, 57); and, lastly, a staff, which served the double purpose of a weapon against foes and a crook for the management of the flock (1Sa_17:40; Psa_23:4; Zec_11:7). If the shepherd was at a distance from his home, he was provided with a light tent (Son_1:8; Jer_35:7), the removal of which was easily effected (Isa_38:12). In certain localities, moreover, towers were erected for the double purpose of spying an enemy at a distance and, protecting the flock; such towers were erected by Uzziah and Jotham (2Ch_26:10; 2Ch_27:4), while their existence in earlier times is testified by the name Migdal-Eder (Gen_35:21, A.V. tower of Edar; Mic_4:8, A.V. tower of the flock). SEE TOWER.
The routine of the shepherd's duties appears to have been as follows: in the morning he led forth his flock from the fold (Joh_10:4), which he did by going before them and calling to them, as is still usual in the East; arrived at the pasturage, he watched the flock with the assistance of dogs (Job_30:1), and, should any sheep stray, he had to search for it until he found it (Eze_34:12; Luk_15:4); he supplied them with water, either at a running stream or at troughs attached to wells (Gen_29:7; Gen_30:38; Exo_2:16; Psa_23:2); at evening he brought them back to the fold, and reckoned them to see that none were missing, by passing them under the rod as they entered the door of the enclosure (Lev_27:32; Eze_20:37), checking each sheep as it passed by a motion of the hand (Jer_33:13); and, finally, he watched the entrance of the fold throughout the night, acting as porter (Joh_10:3). We need not assume that the same person was on duty both by night and by day; Jacob, indeed, asserts this of himself (Gen_31:40), but it would be more probable that the shepherds took it by turns, or that they kept watch for a portion only of the night, as may possibly be implied in the expression in Luk_2:8, rendered in the A.V. keeping watch, rather keeping the watches (φυλάσσοντες φυλακάς).The shepherd's office thus required great watchfulness, particularly by night (Luk_2:8; comp. Nah_3:18). It also required tenderness towards the young and feeble (Isa_40:11), particularly in driving them to and from the pasturage (Gen_33:13). In large establishments there were various grades, of shepherds, the highest being styled rulers (Gen_47:6) or chief shepherds (1Pe_5:4); in a royal household the title of אִבַּיר, abbir, mighty, was bestowed on the person who held the post (1Sa_21:7). Great responsibility attached to the office; for the chief shepherd had to make good all losses (Gen_31:39); at the same time he had a personal interest in the flock, inasmuch as he was not paid in money, but received a certain amount of the produce (30:32; 1Co_9:7). The life of the shepherd was a monotonous one; he may perhaps have whiled away an hour in playing on some instrument (1Sa_16:18; Job_21:12; Job_30:31), as his modern representative still occasionally does. (Wortabet, Syria, 1, 234). He also had his periodical entertainments at the shearing time, which was celebrated by a general gathering of the neighborhood for festivities (Gen_31:19; Gen_38:12; 2Sa_13:23); but, generally speaking, the life must have been but dull. Nor did it conduce to gentleness of manners; rival shepherds contended for the possession or the use of water with great acrimony (Gen_21:25; Gen_26:20 sq.; Exo_2:17) or perhaps is this a matter of surprise, as those who come late to a well frequently have to wait a long time until their turn comes (Burckhardt, Syria, p. 63). SEE SHEEP.
Large flocks of sheep and goats often constituted the chief wealth of patriarchal times. Job possessed seven thousand sheep (Job_1:3), and Nabal three thousand sheep and a thousand goats (1Sa_25:2). At the present day both sheep and goats usually intermingle in the same flock for pasturage, in the valleys and on the hills of Palestine (Gen_30:35). In one Arab encampment Prof. Robinson saw about six hundred sheep and goats, the latter being the most numerous; and the process of milking was going on at four o clock in the morning. The Arabs have few cows. In Deu_32:14, Moses, in his farewell song, represents Jehovah as having fed Israel with butter of kine and milk of sheep; and the apostle asks, Who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? (1Co_9:7). It shall come to pass in that day that a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep; and it shall, come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give, that he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land (Isa_7:21-22). Here the milk is the production of the sheep as well as of the cow. SEE MILK.
The hatred of the Egyptians towards shepherds (Gen_46:34) may have been mainly due to their contempt for the sheep itself, which appears to have been valued neither for food (Plutarch, De Is. 72) nor generally for sacrifice (Herod. 2, 42), the only district where they were offered being about the Natron lakes (Strabo, 17, 803). It may have been increased by the memory of the shepherd invasion (Herod, 2, 128). Abundant confirmation of the fact of this hatred is supplied by the low position which all herdsmen held in the castes of Egypt, and by the caricatures of them in Egyptian paintings (Wilkinson, 2, 169). SEE HYKSOS.
The term shepherd is applied in a metaphorical sense to princes (Isa_44:28; Jer_2:8; Jer_3:15; Jer_22:22, Eze_34:2, etc.), prophets (Zec_11:5; Zec_11:8; Zec_11:16), teachers, (Ecc_12:11), and to Jehovah himself (Gen_49:24; Psa_23:1; Psa_80:1); to the same effect are the references to feeding in Gen_48:15; Psa_28:9; Hos_4:16. The prophets often inveigh against the shepherds of Israel, against the kings who feed themselves and neglect their flocks; who distress, ill treat, seduce, and lead them astray (see Eze_34:10 sq.; Num_27:17; 1Ki_22:17; Isa_40:11; Isa_44:28; Jdt_11:15). SEE PASTOR.
CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
press 1895.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Edited by James Hastings, D.D. Published in 1909
(See SHEEP.) The nomadic state is one of the earliest stages of society, and was regarded as honourable even to a chief (Gen_4:2; Gen_4:20; Gen_30:29 ff; Genesis 37); chiefs' daughters did not disdain to tend flocks (Gen_29:6, etc.; Exo_2:19). The long stay in Egypt elevated Israel from the nomadic to a settled life. The two and a half nomadic tribes received their portion in the outlying regions beyond Jordan (Numbers 32). As agriculture increased pasturage decreased, and was limited to particular spots, the border of the wilderness of Judah, Carmel (1Sa_25:2), Bethlehem (1Sa_16:11; Luk_2:8), Tekoa (Amo_1:1), and Gedor (1Ch_4:39). Hence the "shepherd's tent" came to symbolize desolation (Eze_25:4; Zep_2:6). The shepherd's occupation was now no longer dignified (Psa_78:70; 2Sa_7:8; Amo_7:14).
The shepherd's office represents Jehovah's tender care of His people (Psalm 23; Isa_40:11; Isa_49:9-10; Jer_23:3-4; Eze_34:11-12; Eze_34:23). Allusions occur to the exposure to heat and cold (Gen_31:40), the precarious food (Amo_7:14), the husks of the carob (Luk_15:16), the attacks of beasts (1Sa_17:34; Isa_31:4; Amo_3:12), robbers (Gen_31:39). The shepherd had a mantle of sheepskin with the fleece on (Jer_43:12), a wallet for food (1Sa_17:40), a sling such as the Bedouin still carries, a staff to ward off foes and to guide the flock with its crook (Psa_23:4; Zec_11:7; so Jehovah "lifts up His staff against" His people's foes, Isa_10:1-24; His word is at once our prop of support and our defense against Satan). The shepherd, when far from home, had his light tent (Son_1:8), easily taken down and shifted (Isa_38:12).
Towers were sometimes erected to spy a foe afar off, and to guard the flock (2Ch_26:10; 2Ch_27:4, compare "tower of Edar," Gen_35:21; Mic_4:8). (See EDAR.) His duty was to go before and call by name the sheep (Joh_10:4), watch it with dogs, a sorry animal in the East (Job_30:1), to search for stray sheep (Eze_34:12; Luk_15:4), to supply water, either at a stream or at troughs by wells (Gen_29:7; Gen_30:38; Exo_2:16), (so Jesus, Psa_23:2), to bring back to the fold at evening and to reckon the sheep that none be missing (compare as to Jesus Joh_18:9; Joh_17:11-12; Joh_10:28-29), passing one by one "under the rod" (Lev_27:32; Jer_33:13; Eze_20:37), (i.e. you shall be counted as Mine, and subjected to My chastening discipline with a view to My ultimate saving of the elect, Mic_7:14), checking each sheep as it passed; to act as porter, guarding the entrance to the fold by night (Joh_10:3).
The shepherds kept watches (plural in Greek, Luk_2:8, not "slumbering," Nah_3:18) by turns at night, not on duty both night and day as Jacob (Gen_31:40). Tenderness to the young and feeble was the shepherd's duty, not to overdrive them (Gen_33:13); so Jesus (Isa_40:11-29; Mar_6:31; Mar_8:2; Mar_4:33; Joh_16:12). There were chief and under shepherds (Gen_47:6; 1Pe_5:4), and hirelings not of the family (Joh_10:11-13; 1Sa_21:7). The shepherd had responsibility, and at the same time personal interest in the flock (1Sa_31:39; 1Sa_30:32; 1Co_9:7).
Playing on the pipe beguiled the monotony, and a feast at shearing time gave a yearly variety (1Sa_16:17; Gen_31:19; Gen_38:12; 2Sa_13:23). Shepherds often contended with one another as to water (Gen_26:17-22; Exo_2:17). The Egyptian antipathy to shepherds (whom the monuments always represent as mean) was due to their being themselves agriculturists, whereas the neighbouring Arabs with whom they so often strove were nomads. The seizure of Lower Egypt by shepherd kings (Hyksos) for centuries aggravated this dislike, though the Hyksos were subsequent to Joseph (Gen_46:34). Princes, and even hostile leaders, are called shepherds: Isa_44:28; Jer_2:8; Jer_3:15; Jer_6:3; Eze_34:2; Mic_5:5. Teachers: Ecc_12:11. Messiah: Gen_49:24; Psa_80:1; Zec_13:7; Joh_10:14; Heb_13:20.
Fausset's Bible Dictionary
By Andrew Robert Fausset, co-Author of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown's 1888.
Shepherd. In a nomadic state of society, every man, from the sheikh down to the slave, is more or less a shepherd. The progenitors of the Jews in the patriarchal age were nomads, and their history is rich in scenes of pastoral life. The occupation of tending the flocks was undertaken, not only by the sons of wealthy chiefs, Gen_30:29; Gen_37:12, but even by their daughters. Gen_29:6; Gen_29:8; Exo_2:10. The Egyptian captivity did much to implant a love of settled abode, and, consequently, we find the tribes which still retained a taste for shepherd life, selecting their own quarters apart from their brethren in the TransJordanic district. Num_32:1. Thenceforward, in Palestine proper, the shepherd held a subordinate position.
The office of the eastern shepherd, as described in the Bible, was attended with much hardship, and even danger. He was exposed to the extremes of heat and cold, Gen_31:40; his food frequently consisted of the precarious supplies afforded by nature, such as the fruit of the "sycamore" or Egyptian fig, Amo_7:14, the "husks" of the carob tree, Luk_15:16, and perchance, the locusts and wild honey which supported the Baptist, Mat_3:4; he had to encounter the attacks of wild beasts, occasionally of the larger species, such as lions, nerves, panthers and bears, 1Sa_17:34; Isa_31:4; Jer_5:6; Amo_5:12; nor was he free from the risk of robbers or predators hordes. Gen_31:39.
To meet these various foes, the shepherd's equipment consisted of the following articles: a mantle, made probably of sheep skin with the fleece on, which he turned inside out in cold weather, as implied in the comparison in Jer_43:12.; (compare Juv. Xiv. 187); a scrip or wallet, containing a small amount of food, 1Sa_17:40; a sling, which is still the favorite weapon of the Bedouin shepherd, 1Sa_17:40; and lastly, a staff which served the double purpose of a weapon against foes, and a crook for the management of the flock. 1Sa_17:40; Psa_23:4; Zec_11:7.
If the shepherd was at a distance from his home, he was provided with a light tent, Son_1:8; Jer_35:7, the removal of which was easily effected. Isa_38:12. In certain localities, moreover, towers were erected for the double purpose of spying an enemy at a distance and of protecting the flock; such towers were erected by Uzziah and Jotham, 2Ch_26:10; 2Ch_27:4, while their existence, in earlier times, is testified by the name Migdal-edar, Gen_35:21, Authorized Version, "a tower of Edar", Mic_4:8, Authorized Version, "tower of the flock".
The routine of the shepherd's duties appears to have been as follows: In the morning, he led forth his flock from the fold, Joh_10:4, which he did by going before them and calling to them, as is still usual in the East; arrived at the pasturage; he watched the flock with the assistance of dogs, Job_30:1; and should any sheep stray, he had to search for it until he found it, Eze_34:12; Luk_15:4; he supplied them with water, either at a running stream, or at troughs attached to wells, Gen_29:7; Gen_30:38; Exo_2:16; Psa_23:2; at evening, he brought them back to the fold, and reckoned them to see that none were missing, by passing them "under the rod," as they entered the door of the enclosure, Lev_27:32; Eze_20:37; checking each sheep, as it passed, by a motion of the hand, Jer_33:13, and, finally, he watched the entrance of the fold throughout the night, acting as porter. Joh_10:3. See Sheepfold, under Sheep.
The shepherd's office, thus required, great watchfulness, particularly by night. Luk_2:8, compare Nah_3:18. It also required tenderness toward the young and feeble, Isa_40:11, particularly in driving them to and from the pasturage. Gen_33:13. In large establishments, there are various grades of shepherds, the highest being styled "rulers," Gen_47:6, or "chief shepherds," 1Pe_5:4, in a royal household, the title of abbir, "mighty"' was bestowed on the person who held the post. 1Sa_21:7. See Sheep.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
By Dr. William Smith.Published in 1863
The occupation of shepherd was one of the earliest recorded (Gen_4:2). In the dry semi-desert countries of the Bible story, shepherds lived a hard tough life, battling against heat, drought and wild animals (Gen_31:38-40; Amo_3:12). It is therefore not surprising that shepherd became a word symbol for a leader of Gods people. The emphasis is not only on care and leadership, but also on the ability to endure hardship. The shepherd must be prepared to battle against all opponents who threaten the welfare of those in his care (Joh_10:1; Joh_10:10-12; Act_20:28-29).
Life of a shepherd
Shepherds were a common sight in Palestine and neighbouring countries. They lived in tents and moved around from place to place with their flocks in search of grass and water (Exo_3:1; Deu_8:15; Isa_13:20; see also SHEEP). Often the only water available was at wells that people had dug. These wells were frequently the cause of disputes (Gen_26:12-32).
After the Israelites took possession of Canaan, the shepherds among them settled down more or less permanently with their flocks. They still faced the problem of finding good pastures and water, and still had to meet attacks by wild animals (1Sa_17:34; Psa_23:2; Psa_23:4-5; Mat_10:16). Additional dangers came from thieves who stole sheep by night, and desert people who raided in groups (Gen_31:39; Job_1:14-15; 2Ch_21:16-17; Joh_10:10). The shepherds only weapons were a sling and a stick, though he may have used trained dogs to help him in his work (1Sa_17:40; 1Sa_17:49; Job_30:1; Psa_23:4; Zec_11:7; Zec_11:10).
Sheep had to be protected and watched by shepherds constantly, otherwise they would wander away and be lost. If sheep became lost, the shepherd sometimes had to risk his life in searching for them and rescuing them (Eze_34:8; Eze_34:12; Mat_18:12). The shepherd was responsible to pay the owner the cost of any sheep lost while in his care, unless he could satisfy the owner that he was not to blame for the loss (Gen_31:39; Exo_22:10-13).
At night the shepherd usually kept his sheep in a walled enclosure called a fold, as an added protection against dangers (Num_32:36; Mic_2:12; Hab_3:17; Luk_2:8; Joh_10:1). He counted the sheep as they went in at night, to make sure that none was missing; then, in the morning, he led them out into the fields (Jer_33:13; Eze_20:37; Joh_10:3; Joh_10:27; Joh_17:12).
Leaders of Gods people
The Old Testament often refers to the leaders of Israel as shepherds, and to the people as the flock (Num_27:17; Isa_63:11). Many of Israels leaders were bad shepherds, and because of them the nation crumbled (Isa_56:11; Jer_50:6; Eze_34:2-6; Zec_11:15-17).
In the New Testament also leaders of Gods people are referred to as shepherds of the flock. As elders of a church they have the responsibility to lead it, feeding it with spiritual food and protecting it from spiritual harm (Joh_21:15-17; Act_20:28-29; 1Pe_5:1-3; see ELDER; PASTOR).
The true shepherd, however, is always God (Gen_49:24; Psa_23:1; Isa_40:11). This is seen clearly in the illustration Jesus used to picture himself as the good shepherd. He was so concerned for the sheep that he died for them (Joh_10:1-29; Heb_13:20; 1Pe_2:25; 1Pe_5:4; cf. Eze_34:23-24).
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary by Don Fleming
PRINTER 1990.
shep?ẽrd (רעה, rō‛eh, רעי, rō‛ı̄; ποιμήν, poimḗn, ?a feeder?): The sheep owner frequently tends the flocks himself (Gen_4:4; Gen_30:40; compare Eze_34:12), but more often he delegates the work to his children (Gen_29:9; 1Sa_16:19; 1Sa_17:15) or relatives (Gen_31:6). In such cases the sheep have good care because the keepers have a personal interest in the well-being of the animals, but when they are attended by a hireling (1Sa_17:20) the flocks may be neglected or abused (Isa_56:10, Isa_56:11; Eze_34:8, Eze_34:10; Zec_11:15, Zec_11:17; Joh_10:12). The chief care of the shepherd is to see that the sheep find plenty to eat and drink. The flocks are not fed in pens or folds, but, summer and winter, must depend upon foraging for their sustenance (Psa_23:2). In the winter of 1910-11 an unprecedented storm ravaged Northern Syria. It was accompanied by a snowfall of more than 3 ft., which covered the ground for weeks. During that time, hundreds of thousands of sheep and goats perished, not so much from the cold as from the fact that they could get no food. Goats hunt out the best feeding-grounds, but sheep are more helpless and have to be led to their food (compare Num_27:16, Num_27:17); nor do they possess the instinct of many other animals for finding their way home (compare Eze_34:6-8). Flocks should be watered at least once a day. Where there are springs or streams this is an easy matter. Frequently the nearest water is hours away. One needs to travel in the dry places in Syria or Palestine, and then enter the watered valleys like those in Edom where the flocks are constantly being led for water, to appreciate the Psalmist's words, ?He leadcth me beside still waters.? Sometimes water can be obtained by digging shallow wells (Gen_26:18-22, Gen_26:25, Gen_26:32). The shepherd frequently carries with him a pail from which the sheep can drink when the water is not accessible to them. On the mountain tops the melting snows supply the needed water. In other districts it is drawn from deep wells (Gen_29:2; Joh_4:6). The usual time for watering is at noon, at which time the flocks are led to the watering-places (Gen_29:2, Gen_29:3). After drinking, the animals lie down or huddle together in the shade of a rock while the shepherd sleeps. At the first sound of his call, which is usually a peculiar guttural sound, hard to imitate, the flock follow off to new feeding-grounds. Even should two shepherds call their flocks at the same time and the sheep be intermingled, they never mistake their own master's voice (Joh_10:3-5).
The shepherd's equipment is a simple one. His chief garment is a cloak woven from wool or made from sheepskins. This is sleeveless, and so made that it hangs like a cloak on his shoulders. When he sleeps he curls up under it, head and all. During the summer a lighter, short-sleeved ‛aba or coat is worn. He carries a staff or club (see STAFF), and a characteristic attitude is to make a rest for his arms by placing his staff on his shoulders against the back of his neck. When an especially productive spot is found, the shepherd may pass the time, while the animals are grazing, by playing on his pipe (Jdg_5:16). He sometimes carries a sling (קלע, ḳela‛) of goat's hair (1Sa_17:40). His chief belongings are kept in a skin pouch or bag (כּלי, kelı̄) (1Sa_17:40). This bag is usually a whole tawed skin turned wrong side out, with the legs tied up and the neck forming the opening. He is usually aided in the keeping and the defending of the sheep by a dog (Job_30:1). In Syria the Kurdish dogs make the best protectors of the sheep, as, unlike the cowardly city dogs, they are fearless and will drive away the wild beasts. The shepherd is often called upon to aid the dogs in defending the sheep (Gen_31:39; 1Sa_17:34, 1Sa_17:35; Isa_31:4; Jer_5:6; Amo_3:12).
Figurative:
The frequent use of the word ?shepherd? to indicate a spiritual overseer is familiar to Bible readers (Psa_23:1; Psa_80:1; Ecc_12:11; Isa_40:4; Isa_63:14; Jer_31:10; Eze_34:23; Eze_37:24; Joh_21:15-17; Eph_4:11; 1Pe_5:1-4). We still use the term ?pastor,? literally, ?a shepherd.? Leaders in temporal affairs were also called shepherds (Gen_47:17 margin; Isa_44:28; Isa_63:11). ?Sheep without a shepherd? typified individuals or nations who had forgotten Yahweh (Num_27:17; 1Ki_22:17; 2Ch_18:16; Eze_34:5, Eze_34:8; Zec_10:2; Mat_9:36; Mar_6:34).
Jesus is spoken of as the good shepherd (Joh_10:14); chief shepherd (1Pe_5:4); great shepherd (Heb_13:20); the one shepherd (Joh_10:16). ?He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that have their young? (Isa_40:11) is a picture drawn from pastoral life of Yahweh's care over His children. A strong sympathy for helpless animals, though sometimes misdirected, is a marked characteristic of the people of Bible lands. The birth of offspring in a flock often occurs far off on the mountain side. The shepherd solicitously guards the mother during her helpless moments and picks up the lamb and carries it to the fold. For the few days, until it is able to walk, he may carry it in his arms or in the loose folds of his coat above his girdle. See also SHEEP.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PRINTER 1915.
Shepherd [PASTURAGE]
The Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature
by John Kitto.
Isa_44:28 (a) It is used to represent King Cyrus as he took a leading place in the rebuilding of the temple, and restoring Israel to their land. Eze_34:23 (a) This represents King David as he would guide the affairs and the destinies of Israel. Probably it also is prophetic of CHRIST when He returns to reign. Joh_10:14 (a) This is a type of the Lord JESUS. He cares for, protects and leads His people.
Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types
press 1957.
(usually רעֶה, roeh, a feeder, ποιμήν; but substantially denoted also by בּוֹקֵר, boker, a herdman, Amo_7:14; and by נֹקֵד, noked, a sheep master, 2Ki_3:4; herdman, Amo_1:1). In a nomadic state of society, every man, from the sheik down to the slave, is more or less a shepherd. As many regions in the East are adapted solely to pastoral pursuits, the institution of the nomad life, with its appliances of tents and camp equipage, was regarded as one of the most memorable inventions (Gen_4:20). The progenitors of the Jews in the patriarchal age were nomads, and their history is rich in scenes of pastoral life. The occupation of tending the flocks was undertaken, not only by the sons of wealthy chiefs (Gen_30:29 sq.; Gen_37:12 sq.), but even by their daughters (Gen_29:6 sq.; Exo_2:19). The Egyptian captivity did much to implant a love of settled abode, and consequently we find the tribes which still retained a taste for shepherd. life selecting their own quarters apart from their brethren in the Transjordanic district (Num_32:1 sq.). Henceforward in Palestine proper the shepherd held a subordinate position; the increase of agriculture involved the decrease of pasturage; and though large flocks were still maintained in certain parts, particularly on the borders of the wilderness of Judah, as about Carmel (1Sa_25:2), Bethlehem (1Sa_16:11; Luk_2:8), Tekoah (Amo_1:1), and, more to the south, at Gedor (1Ch_4:39), the nomad life was practically extinct, and the shepherd became one out of many classes of the laboring population. The completeness of the transition from the pastoral to the agricultural state is strongly exhibited in those passages which allude to the presence. of the shepherd's tent as a token of desolation (e.g. Eze_25:4; Zep_2:6). The humble position of the shepherd at the same period is implied in the notices of David's wondrous elevation (2Sa_7:8; Psa_78:70), and again in the self-depreciating confession of Amos (Amo_7:14). The frequent and beautiful allusions to the shepherd s office in the poetical portions of the Bible (e.g. Psalms 23; Isa_40:11; Isa_49:9-10; Jer_23:3-4; Eze_34:11-12; Eze_34:23), rather bespeak a period when the shepherd had become an ideal character, such as the Roman poets painted the pastors of Arcadia. SEE PASTURE.
The office of the Eastern shepherd, as described in the Bible, was attended with much hardship and even danger. He was exposed to the extremes of heat and cold (Gen_31:40); his food frequently consisted of the precarious supplies afforded by nature, such as the fruit of the sycamore, or Egyptian fig, (Amo_7:14), the husks of the carob tree (Luk_15:16), or perchance the locusts and wild honey which supported the Baptist (Mat_3:4); he had to encounter the attacks of wild beasts, occasionally of the larger species, such as lions, wolves, panthers, and bears (1Sa_17:34; Isa_31:4; Jer_5:6; Amo_3:12); nor was he free from the risk of robbers or predatory hordes (Gen_31:39). To meet these various. foes the shepherd's equipment consisted of the following articles: a mantle, made probably of sheep's skin with the fleece on, which he turned inside out in cold weather, as implied, in the comparison in Jer_43:12 (comp. Juv. 14:187); a scrip or wallet, containing a small amount of food (1Sa_17:40; Porter, Damascus, 2, 100); a sling, which is still the favorite weapon of the Bedawi shepherd (1Sa_17:40; Burckhardt, Notes,1, 57); and, lastly, a staff, which served the double purpose of a weapon against foes and a crook for the management of the flock (1Sa_17:40; Psa_23:4; Zec_11:7). If the shepherd was at a distance from his home, he was provided with a light tent (Son_1:8; Jer_35:7), the removal of which was easily effected (Isa_38:12). In certain localities, moreover, towers were erected for the double purpose of spying an enemy at a distance and, protecting the flock; such towers were erected by Uzziah and Jotham (2Ch_26:10; 2Ch_27:4), while their existence in earlier times is testified by the name Migdal-Eder (Gen_35:21, A.V. tower of Edar; Mic_4:8, A.V. tower of the flock). SEE TOWER.
The routine of the shepherd's duties appears to have been as follows: in the morning he led forth his flock from the fold (Joh_10:4), which he did by going before them and calling to them, as is still usual in the East; arrived at the pasturage, he watched the flock with the assistance of dogs (Job_30:1), and, should any sheep stray, he had to search for it until he found it (Eze_34:12; Luk_15:4); he supplied them with water, either at a running stream or at troughs attached to wells (Gen_29:7; Gen_30:38; Exo_2:16; Psa_23:2); at evening he brought them back to the fold, and reckoned them to see that none were missing, by passing them under the rod as they entered the door of the enclosure (Lev_27:32; Eze_20:37), checking each sheep as it passed by a motion of the hand (Jer_33:13); and, finally, he watched the entrance of the fold throughout the night, acting as porter (Joh_10:3). We need not assume that the same person was on duty both by night and by day; Jacob, indeed, asserts this of himself (Gen_31:40), but it would be more probable that the shepherds took it by turns, or that they kept watch for a portion only of the night, as may possibly be implied in the expression in Luk_2:8, rendered in the A.V. keeping watch, rather keeping the watches (φυλάσσοντες φυλακάς).The shepherd's office thus required great watchfulness, particularly by night (Luk_2:8; comp. Nah_3:18). It also required tenderness towards the young and feeble (Isa_40:11), particularly in driving them to and from the pasturage (Gen_33:13). In large establishments there were various grades, of shepherds, the highest being styled rulers (Gen_47:6) or chief shepherds (1Pe_5:4); in a royal household the title of אִבַּיר, abbir, mighty, was bestowed on the person who held the post (1Sa_21:7). Great responsibility attached to the office; for the chief shepherd had to make good all losses (Gen_31:39); at the same time he had a personal interest in the flock, inasmuch as he was not paid in money, but received a certain amount of the produce (30:32; 1Co_9:7). The life of the shepherd was a monotonous one; he may perhaps have whiled away an hour in playing on some instrument (1Sa_16:18; Job_21:12; Job_30:31), as his modern representative still occasionally does. (Wortabet, Syria, 1, 234). He also had his periodical entertainments at the shearing time, which was celebrated by a general gathering of the neighborhood for festivities (Gen_31:19; Gen_38:12; 2Sa_13:23); but, generally speaking, the life must have been but dull. Nor did it conduce to gentleness of manners; rival shepherds contended for the possession or the use of water with great acrimony (Gen_21:25; Gen_26:20 sq.; Exo_2:17) or perhaps is this a matter of surprise, as those who come late to a well frequently have to wait a long time until their turn comes (Burckhardt, Syria, p. 63). SEE SHEEP.
Large flocks of sheep and goats often constituted the chief wealth of patriarchal times. Job possessed seven thousand sheep (Job_1:3), and Nabal three thousand sheep and a thousand goats (1Sa_25:2). At the present day both sheep and goats usually intermingle in the same flock for pasturage, in the valleys and on the hills of Palestine (Gen_30:35). In one Arab encampment Prof. Robinson saw about six hundred sheep and goats, the latter being the most numerous; and the process of milking was going on at four o clock in the morning. The Arabs have few cows. In Deu_32:14, Moses, in his farewell song, represents Jehovah as having fed Israel with butter of kine and milk of sheep; and the apostle asks, Who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? (1Co_9:7). It shall come to pass in that day that a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep; and it shall, come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give, that he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land (Isa_7:21-22). Here the milk is the production of the sheep as well as of the cow. SEE MILK.
The hatred of the Egyptians towards shepherds (Gen_46:34) may have been mainly due to their contempt for the sheep itself, which appears to have been valued neither for food (Plutarch, De Is. 72) nor generally for sacrifice (Herod. 2, 42), the only district where they were offered being about the Natron lakes (Strabo, 17, 803). It may have been increased by the memory of the shepherd invasion (Herod, 2, 128). Abundant confirmation of the fact of this hatred is supplied by the low position which all herdsmen held in the castes of Egypt, and by the caricatures of them in Egyptian paintings (Wilkinson, 2, 169). SEE HYKSOS.
The term shepherd is applied in a metaphorical sense to princes (Isa_44:28; Jer_2:8; Jer_3:15; Jer_22:22, Eze_34:2, etc.), prophets (Zec_11:5; Zec_11:8; Zec_11:16), teachers, (Ecc_12:11), and to Jehovah himself (Gen_49:24; Psa_23:1; Psa_80:1); to the same effect are the references to feeding in Gen_48:15; Psa_28:9; Hos_4:16. The prophets often inveigh against the shepherds of Israel, against the kings who feed themselves and neglect their flocks; who distress, ill treat, seduce, and lead them astray (see Eze_34:10 sq.; Num_27:17; 1Ki_22:17; Isa_40:11; Isa_44:28; Jdt_11:15). SEE PASTOR.
CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
press 1895.
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