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Bible Encyclopedias
Shepherd
The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia
or In the early days of settlement in Palestine the chief occupation of the Israelites was that of shepherding. Traces of the importance of this occupation are found through the Old Testament. The shepherd's function was to lead the flocks of sheep to the pasture and the stream (Psalms 23:2), and protect them from wild beasts (1 Samuel 12:24) and robbers (Job 1:14 et seq.), in which latter task he was sometimes assisted by a sheep-dog (Job 30:1). At night the shepherds kept watch, sometimes in the open air (Nah. 3:18), and at other times in the shepherd's tent (Isaiah 38:12) or in a special stone tower (Genesis 35:21). At times he would collect the sheep in caves (1 Samuel 24:3), or in sheepfolds built of stones (Judges 5:16; Zephaniah 2:6); and a lamb that had fallen sick or become lame he would carry in his bosom (Isa. 11).
The shepherd generally wore a single garment (Jeremiah 43:12), clad in which he walked forth at the head of his flock (John 10:4), carrying his shepherd's bag or wallet; his weapons were a staff and a sling (Genesis 32:10; 1 Samuel 17:40). When agriculture became the prominent industry of the country, the shepherd, instead of being independent, was generally hired by a farmer, who paid him wages in kind (Genesis 30:28), or sometimes in money (Zechariah 11:13). The number of sheep returned to the master's fold was checked by being made to pass under the shepherd's staff (Jeremiah 33:13; Ezekiel 20:37). As farming increased in importance, the shepherd became less respected, just as in Egypt, where he was regarded "as an abomination" (Genesis 46:34). In Talmudic times it was even declared that a shepherd was incapable of bearing witness, owing to his habit of encroaching upon other persons' pastures (Sanh. 25a).
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Singer, Isidore, Ph.D, Projector and Managing Editor. Entry for 'Shepherd'. 1901 The Jewish Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tje/s/shepherd.html. 1901.
