The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 34:17
Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle . It may be worth while to note, as modern English usage tends to limit the range of the word, that it is commonly used in the Old Testament of sheep rather than of kine ( Genesis 30:34-42 ; Genesis 31:8-12 ). In Genesis 30:32 we have the same Hebrew word as that which Ezekiel uses. Between the rams and the he-goats . The words, at first, seem to point to a division like that of Matthew 25:32 , and may, perhaps, have suggested it. Here,... read more
The Pulpit Commentary - Ezekiel 34:16
I will destroy the fat and the strong . What follows introduces another feature into the parable, and is hardly less than an anticipation of the great scene of judgment in Matthew 25:32 . The "fat and the strong," as contrasted with the "broken" and the "sick," are, when we interpret the Darable, the noble and wealthy who, under the kings of Judah, had been allowed to work their evil will upon the people. Of these he says that he will feed them with (better, in) judgment , that for... read more