Feed My Sheep

There are several words in the Bible which are organically related in Hebrew. The word for neighbor and friend is the same, rea'. It is derived from the root verb ra'ah, to feed, which has a secondary meaning "to rule". The word ro'eh is Hebrew for shepherd. The consonants in Hebrew (known as the root) for these terms are r'h, r', and r'h, respectively. Unfortunately, the translation of these terms in Greek and Latin is not capable of expressing the unity which exists in the Hebrew, although Greek comes closer than Latin, in that the word poimaino, "to feed", metaphorically means "to rule".

What is the importance of this term "to feed"? Our Lord commissioned Peter as prince of the Apostles not only when He said, "upon this rock I will build my church", but also when He said "feed my sheep, feed my lambs", that is to say, rule my sheep, rule my lambs. Additionally, as you will see, the failure to feed the sheep violates the commandment to "love thy neighbor".

The following are examples of the word feed in the Douay Rheims: Old Testament Hebrew ra'ah, to pasture, tend, graze, feed; Greek New Testament poimaino; and Latin pascere, to feed, which is the origin of the English word pasture.

• Genesis 48:15: And Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph, and said: God, in whose sight my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, God that feedeth me from my youth until this day;
• John 21:16: He saith to him again: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? He saith to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith to him: Feed my lambs.

The Douay Rheims translates ra'ah as rule in three passages:

• Psalm 2:9: Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron, and shalt break them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
• Psalm 28:9: Save, O Lord, thy people, and bless thy inheritance: and rule them and exalt them for ever.
• Psalm 48:14: For this is God, our God unto eternity, and for ever and ever: he shall rule us for evermore.

In the entry for r'h in the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (1980), R. Laird Harris says: David's claim to the throne is based upon God's command that he feed the people, 2Sa 5:2: "Moreover yesterday also and the day before, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that did lead out and bring in Israel: and the Lord said to thee: Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel."

It is also helpful to analyze the equivalent Aramaic verb ry. The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon gives ry the following meanings: to feed, to graze, to tend flocks, to govern (metaphoric), and to be tended. A secondary verb, spelled the same, means to reconcile. The New Testament Greek uses poimaino, normally meaning to feed, as "to rule" in two verses; in both instances the Aramaic Peshitta translates with ry:

• Matthew 2:6: And thou Bethlehem the land of Juda art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come forth the captain that shall rule my people Israel.
• Acts 20:28: Take heed to yourselves, and to the whole flock, wherein the Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops, to rule the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

As noted above, the word "neighbor" and "friend" in Hebrew is derived from ra'ah. Here are examples of the word neighbor and friend in the Douay Rheims: Old Testament Hebrew noun rea', neighbor, friend; Greek New Testament plesion; Latin proximum, from which we derive the word proximate in English. Additionally, for friend, we have Greek New Testament philos, and Latin amicus, from where we get English amicable.

From the decalogue:

• Exodus 20:16: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
• Exodus 20:17: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house: neither shalt thou desire his wife, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.

The qualification for being considered a neighbor (i.e., everyone is a neighbor):

• Luke 10:36: Which of these three, in thy opinion, was neighbor to him that fell among the robbers?
• Matthew 5:43: You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy.

The summation of the law:

• Leviticus 19:18: Seek not revenge, nor be mindful of the injury of thy citizens. Thou shalt love thy friend as thyself. I am the Lord.
• Mark 12:31: And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

The importance of caring for your friend's spiritual needs:

• Job 42:10: The Lord also was turned at the penance of Job, when he prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
• John 15:13: Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Here are examples from the Douay Rheims of the term "shepherd": Hebrew Old Testament noun ro'eh, also from the Hebrew root ra'ah, to feed, New Testament Greek poimen, Latin pastor, from which we derive the English word pastor.

The importance of shepherding the people:

• Numbers 27:17: And may go out and in before them, and may lead them out, or bring them in: lest the people of the Lord be as sheep without a shepherd.
• 1 Peter 2:25: For you were as sheep going astray; but you are now converted to the shepherd and bishop of your souls.

Good shepherding:

• Heb 13:20: And may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great pastor of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ, in the blood of the everlasting testament...
• John 10:2: But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
• John 10:11: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.

The analysis of the original Hebrew of these verses and their corresponding Greek, Latin, and English equivalents shows that the unity between these concepts is very visible in the linguistic forms in Hebrew, but is not as clear in the other languages. If there were a need to find one English word which contains all these concepts within it, it would be the word duty. The bishop, in particular the bishop of Rome, is the shepherd of the flock; his duty is to feed the sheep, to rule and shepherd the sheep, in fine, to be the good shepherd.

Ed Snyder
May 25, Anno Domini MMVII