Lexicon :: Strong's H5739 - ʿēḏer

“Why [Reuben] did you linger among the [fn]sheepfolds,

To hear the piping for the flocks?

Among the divisions of Reuben

There were great searchings of heart.

“Some remove the landmarks;

They [violently] seize and pasture flocks [appropriating land and flocks openly].

But God led His own people forward like sheep

And guided them in the wilderness like [a good shepherd with] a flock.

Be diligent to know the condition of your flocks,

And pay attention to your herds;

“Tell me, O you whom my soul loves,

Where do you pasture your flock,

Where do you make it lie down at noon?

For why should I be like one who is veiled

Beside the flocks of your companions?”

(The Bridegroom)

“How fair and beautiful you are, my darling,

How very beautiful!

Your eyes behind your veil are like those of a dove;

Your hair is like [the shimmering black fleece of] a flock of [Arabian] goats

That have descended from Mount Gilead [beyond the Jordan].

“Turn your [flashing] eyes away from me,

For they have confused and overcome me;

Your hair is like [the shimmering black fleece of] a flock of [Arabian] goats

That have descended from Mount Gilead.

“The cities of Aroer [east of the Jordan] are deserted;

They will be [only a refuge] for flocks to lie down in,

And there will be no one to make them afraid.

For the palace has been abandoned, the populated city deserted;

The hill [of the city] and the watchtower have become caves [for wild animals] forever,

A delight for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks,

He will protect His flock like a shepherd,

He will gather the lambs in His arm,

He will carry them in His bosom;

He will gently and carefully lead those nursing their young.

“Shepherds with their flocks will come against her;

They will pitch their tents all around her;

They will pasture, each one in his place [eating up all her rich grasses].

But if you will not listen and obey,

My soul will weep in secret for your pride;

My eyes will weep bitterly

And flow with tears,

Because the LORD’S flock has been taken captive.

“Lift up your eyes and see

Those coming from the north.

Where is the flock that was given to you [to shepherd],

Your beautiful flock?

Hear the word of the LORD, O you nations,

And declare it in the isles and coastlands far away,

And say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him

And will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.”

“And [the people of] Judah and all its cities will live there together—the farmer and they who wander about with flocks.

With you I shatter the shepherd and his flock,

With you I shatter the farmer and his yoke of oxen,

And with you I shatter governors and commanders.

How the animals groan!

The herds of cattle are bewildered and wander aimlessly

Because they have no pasture;

Even the flocks of sheep suffer.

“I shall most certainly assemble all of you, O Jacob;

I shall surely gather the remnant of Israel.

I shall bring them together like sheep in the fold [multiplying the nation];

Like a flock in the midst of its pasture.

The place will swarm with many people and hum loudly with noise.

“As for you [Jerusalem], tower of the flock [of Israel],

Hill and stronghold of the Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem’s inhabitants),

To you the former dominion shall come,

The kingdom of the Daughter of Jerusalem [when the Messiah reigns in Jerusalem, and the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled].

The remnant of Jacob

Shall be among the nations,

In the midst of many peoples

Like a lion among the beasts of the forest,

Like a young lion [suddenly appearing] among the flocks of sheep

Which, if he passes through,

Tramples down and tears into pieces [the nations in judgment],

And there is no one to rescue.

Flocks will lie down in her midst,

All the animals which range in herds;

Both the pelican and the short-eared owl

Will roost on the top of Nineveh’s pillars.

Birds will sing in the window,

Desolation will be on the threshold;

For He has uncovered the cedar paneling.

“My anger is kindled against the shepherds [who are not true shepherds],

And I shall punish the male goats (leaders);

For the LORD of hosts has visited His flock, the house of Judah (the Southern Kingdom),

And will make them like His beautiful and majestic horse in the battle.