“Destroyers and Scatterers of My Flock”: Analyzing the Participles מְאַבְּדִים and מְפִצִים in Jeremiah 23:1
הֹ֣וי רֹעִ֗ים מְאַבְּדִ֧ים וּמְפִצִ֛ים אֶת־צֹ֥אן מַרְעִיתִ֖י נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃ (Jeremiah 23:1) “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock of My pasture!” declares YHWH. Prophetic Indictment Against False Shepherds Jeremiah 23:1 opens a powerful oracle of woe against the leaders of Yisra’el, metaphorically called "shepherds" who have failed in their responsibility to care for the…