THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
Shepherds will visit her, indicating a state of desolation, which was realized with the apostles. It is fitting to liken the churches to the thorns, representing the sheepfolds scattered throughout the cosmos.
Jeremiah 6:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers
The shepherds shall come to her with their flocks: they have pitched their tents against her round about: every one shall feed them that are under his hand.
אֵלֶ֛יהָ יָבֹ֥אוּ רֹעִ֖ים וְעֶדְרֵיהֶ֑ם תָּקְע֨וּ עָלֶ֤יהָ אֹהָלִים֙ סָבִ֔יב רָע֖וּ אִ֥ישׁ אֶת־יָדֽוֹ׃
The Church Fathers on this verse
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Jerome of Stridon
I have compared the daughter of Zion to a lovely and delicate woman. Shepherds and their flocks will come to her; they will set up their tents around her. Each will care for those entrusted to him. Prepare for war against her; rise up and advance at noon. The beauty of Jerusalem, which is synonymous with Zion, is portrayed; the first term encompasses the entire city, while the second refers specifically to the city’s stronghold. The name Zion signifies an elevated place and is likened to a beautiful woman; just as lovers gather around her, so do shepherds gather around this city. The Hebrew term composed of four letters—reish, ain, iod, mem—can be interpreted in two ways: if read as *reim*, it means lovers, while if read as *roim*, it signifies shepherds.
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Thus, metaphorically, this could refer to the admirers of a lovely woman, and in the context of the city's destruction, it could indicate the shepherds; the former hastening to defile her with sin, the latter coming to besiege and devastate the city. The shepherds and their flocks signify the princes and troops of the Chaldeans. They will encamp around the besieged city, and each will tend to those under his command, meaning their divisions and battalions. These princes, or shepherds, will instruct their followers, “Prepare for war against Jerusalem, for it belongs to the Lord. Rise and advance at noon—we will not engage in battle under cover of darkness or through ambush, but openly, for no one can stand against us.”
Theodoret of Cyrus
The shepherds along with their herds will arrive, placing their shelters among them, and they will tend to their sheep with diligence. In this context, the term 'shepherds' denotes the kings who allied with Nebuchadnezzar, while 'flocks' signifies the armies they commanded. This imagery illustrates the siege of Jerusalem. Subsequently, He addresses the midday militias, the nighttime attacks, and the evening assaults on Jerusalem, instructing that it be cleared away like a desolate forest, as it is filled with deceit (Jeremiah 3:6) and all manner of brutality. This resonates with the earlier statements made.
Cross references
Passages read together with this verse.
- Luke 19:43For the days shall come upon thee: and thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee and compass thee round and straiten thee on every side,
- Jer 39:1In the ninth year of Sedecias king of Juda, in the tenth month, came Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, and all his army to Jerusalem, and they besieged it.
- Jer 39:3And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate: Neregel, Sereser, Semegarnabu, Sarsachim, Rabsares, Neregel, Serezer, Rebmag, and all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.
- Jer 12:10Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot: they have changed my delightful portion into a desolate wilderness.
- Nah 3:18Thy shepherds have slumbered, O king of Assyria, thy princes shall be buried: thy people are hid in the mountains, and there is none to gather them.
- Jer 4:16Say ye to the nations: Behold it is heard in Jerusalem, that guards are coming from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Juda.
- Jer 4:17They are set round about her, as keepers of fields: because she hath provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord.