So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd: Sheep spread out and wander away when they have no shepherd to look after them. In the same way God scattered his people by sending them into exile in many different countries (see 11.16-17). Because there was no shepherd does not mean the people had no king or leader, but that the leaders did not fulfill their role properly. However, this clause may be rendered “because they didn’t have a shepherd to take care of them.” Translators may need to restructure the first half of this verse into two sentences as follows: “They didn’t have a shepherd to take care of them. Therefore they were scattered.”

And they became food for all the wild beasts: When sheep wander away from the flock, they become “easy prey” (New Living Translation) for wild animals. Good News Translation has a helpful model here, saying “and wild animals killed and ate them.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .