Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Jeremiah 23:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The prophetic word through Jeremiah carries the next action, claim, image, or measurement through “And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them” at Jeremiah 23:4 as part of “Destroying Shepherds Yield to Gathering and Care.”
Read It With
- Jeremiah 23:1–4
Read Jeremiah 23:4 with 23:1–4. By itself, “And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, date, imperial horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: Leaders who scatter and fail to attend the flock are judged, while God promises gathering and shepherds who reduce fear and loss.
Why This Verse Appears Here
This received unit develops “Destroying Shepherds Yield to Gathering and Care” through its own speaker, addressee, date, oracle, sign, lament, or historical scene. Its non-interchangeable movement is: Leaders who scatter and fail to attend the flock are judged, while God promises gathering and shepherds who reduce fear and loss. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic word through Jeremiah carries the next action, claim, image, or measurement through “And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them” at Jeremiah 23:4 as part of “Destroying Shepherds Yield to Gathering and Care.”
What Remains True
Durable hope tells the truth about devastation while opening accountable communal life beyond it. In Jeremiah 23:4, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The prophetic word through Jeremiah carries the next action, claim, image, or measurement through “And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them” at Jeremiah 23:4 as part of “Destroying Shepherds Yield to Gathering and Care.”
How It Can Shape Life
- Support concrete repair, safety, belonging, and justice without promising instant prosperity or erasing Jewish covenant identity. This response follows Jeremiah 23:1–4's specific concern, “Destroying Shepherds Yield to Gathering and Care.” This verse directs that response through its exact role: The prophetic word through Jeremiah carries the next action, claim, image, or measurement through “And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them” at Jeremiah 23:4 as part of “Destroying Shepherds Yield to Gathering and Care.”
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Jeremiah 23:1–4 — Destroying Shepherds Yield to Gathering and CareSources 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: Jeremiah 23:1–4, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Jeremiah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2; fixed commit
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/Jer.xml, OSIS 23:1–4
Open the fixed Hebrew Jeremiah file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Jeremiah with Translator, Textual, and Study Notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press; official eBible PDF distribution, NET Bible Second Edition; official PDF accessed 2026
Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, dates, names, textual problems, and material translation alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Jeremiah PDF, pp. 1258-1459, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Jeremiah 23:1–4
Open the official NET Jeremiah PDF ↗