Reference

Ezekiel 34:8

As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
6

My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

7

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord;

8

As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;

9

Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord;

10

Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Destruction / Perishing Language
Semantic Discovery
30% relevance

This verse was identified through meaning similarity — its content is mathematically close to known verses in this theme, even without sharing the same vocabulary.

Literal Fulfillment
Semantic Discovery
50% relevance

This verse was identified through meaning similarity — its content is mathematically close to known verses in this theme, even without sharing the same vocabulary.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Destruction / Perishing Language

The verse describes the flock becoming "prey" and "meat," which are outcomes of destruction, but it does not use any of the specific "destruction/perishing language" terms listed in the theme definition, nor does it explicitly state that the flock *will be* destroyed by God. Instead, it focuses on the neglect of the shepherds as the reason for the flock's vulnerability.

Literal Fulfillment

While the verse describes concrete events, the "flock" and "shepherds" are clearly metaphorical for people and leaders, which inherently moves away from a strictly literal interpretation of the events described.