Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Ezekiel 34:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The prophetic word through Ezekiel states or reports “I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind…” at Ezekiel 34:16 as a specific part of “God Personally Searches, Gathers, Feeds, and Heals the Sheep.”
I, even I, will both search and seek
This verse is one part of that explanation in Ezekiel 34:11–16. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Ezekiel 34:11–16
Read Ezekiel 34:16 with 34:11–16. By itself, “I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, date, exilic horizon, visionary movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: God promises to seek scattered sheep, rescue them from cloudy darkness, gather them from countries, feed them on Israel's mountains, and bind and strengthen according to justice.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “Shepherds Feed Themselves and Scatter the Flock” into “God Personally Searches, Gathers, Feeds, and Heals the Sheep.” Its non-interchangeable contribution is: God promises to seek scattered sheep, rescue them from cloudy darkness, gather them from countries, feed them on Israel's mountains, and bind and strengthen according to justice. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic word through Ezekiel states or reports “I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind…” at Ezekiel 34:16 as a specific part of “God Personally Searches, Gathers, Feeds, and Heals the Sheep.”
What Remains True
Hope tells the truth about devastation while imagining renewed agency, just leadership, belonging, worship, land care, and divine presence beyond the ruins. In Ezekiel 34:16, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The prophetic word through Ezekiel states or reports “I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind…” at Ezekiel 34:16 as a specific part of “God Personally Searches, Gathers, Feeds, and Heals the Sheep.”
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Ezekiel 34:11–16 — God Personally Searches, Gathers, Feeds, and Heals the SheepSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Ezekiel 34:11–16, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Ezekiel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a critical apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ezek.xml, OSIS 34:11–16
Open the fixed Hebrew Ezekiel file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Ezekiel
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF
Supports: Verse-level controls for difficult Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, dates, place names, textual issues, vision language, and material alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Ezekiel PDF, exact translator, study, and textual notes attached to Ezekiel 34:11–16
Open the official NET Ezekiel PDF ↗