Greek word · G4165

ποιμαίνω

poimainō

to shepherd

Literally, to herd and tend a flock: lead it to pasture, guard it, drive off predators. From Homer onward it was also used of kings, who were called 'shepherds of the people' (poimēn laōn). So it came to mean govern or lead.

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ποιμαίνω

(ποιμήν), [in LXX chiefly for רָעָה ;]

to act as shepherd, tend flocks: Luke 17:7; with accusative, ποιμνην, 1 Corinthians 9:7. Metaphorical, to tend, shepherd, govern: with accusative, Matthew 2:6 (LXX), John 21:16, Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:2, Jude 1:12, Revelation 2:27 7:17 12:5 19:15.†

SYN.: βόσκω, q.v (AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Revelation 2:27

Range of meaning

Literally, to herd and tend a flock: lead it to pasture, guard it, drive off predators. From Homer onward it was also used of kings, who were called 'shepherds of the people' (poimēn laōn). So it came to mean govern or lead. In the Bible it is used for David's kingship (2 Sam 5:2 LXX, 'you shall shepherd my people Israel'), for the coming ruler of Micah 5:4 (quoted in Matt 2:6), and for church leaders (John 21:16; Acts 20:28; 1 Pet 5:2). The shepherd's work included violence against whatever threatened the flock.

Against the English

Every major English version says 'rule', which is the abstract sense. 'Rule' loses the shepherd picture and the link to Revelation's other shepherd texts. 'Shepherd', on the other hand, sounds only gentle to modern ears. Here the word is paired with an iron rod and smashed pottery, so neither 'gentle care' nor 'neutral government' is the full picture.

How it drifted

This verse is a special case because of a vowel difference behind it. The Hebrew of Psalm 2:9 is written with consonants only. The traditional vowels read them as tərōʿēm, 'you will break them' (from the root raʿaʿ, 'to smash'). The Greek translators (the Septuagint, or LXX) read the same consonants as tirʿēm, 'you will shepherd them' (from raʿah). Revelation quotes the Greek wording. So 'shepherd' entered the tradition from the LXX, and 'rule' is a later softening of it.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 2:9 LXX: ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, ὡς σκεῦος κεραμέως συντρίψεις αὐτούς ('you will shepherd them with an iron rod; like a potter's vessel you will shatter them'). Psalms of Solomon 17 (1st century BC) applies Psalm 2:9 to the coming Messiah, who will 'shatter all their substance with an iron rod' (17:24). Yet the same psalm later pictures him 'shepherding the Lord's flock faithfully' (17:40). Revelation uses the word three times for the Messiah with the iron rod (2:27; 12:5; 19:15) and once for the Lamb who 'will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water' (7:17).

From the study of Revelation 7:17

Range of meaning

To tend a flock: lead it to pasture, water it, protect it and keep it together. By extension it means to govern or rule a people. Kings across the ancient Near East were called 'shepherds' of their people (Hammurabi calls himself one), and so was Israel's king David (2 Samuel 5:2; Ezekiel 34:23).

Against the English

BSB, ESV, NIV and NASB 'will be their shepherd' captures it. KJV and YLT 'feed' reflect older English, where 'feed' meant to pasture or tend a flock. A modern reader hears only 'give food'.

How it drifted

In 1611 'feed' still carried the full pastoral sense ('Feed my sheep'). Since then it has narrowed to supplying food.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 2:9 in the Greek Old Testament uses this verb ('you will shepherd them with a rod of iron'), and Revelation picks up that line three times (2:27; 12:5; 19:15). The Greek Psalm 22 (our Psalm 23) begins 'The Lord shepherds me' (κύριος ποιμαίνει με). Ezekiel 34 promises that God himself, through 'my servant David', will shepherd the scattered flock.

From the study of Acts 20:28

Range of meaning

To tend a flock in every way: lead it to pasture and water, guard it from predators, carry the weak, look for the lost. Used figuratively, it means to rule, guide and protect a people.

Against the English

The KJV and YLT have "to feed". That covers only part of the word. Greek has a separate verb, boskō, for "feed/graze" (compare John 21:15–17, where both verbs appear). BSB, NASB, NIV and WEB use "shepherd". ESV's "care for" is broader but loses the picture.

How it drifted

"Feed" in 1611 English could mean to pasture or tend a flock, but today it suggests only providing food. Pulpit usage then narrowed it further to "preach and teach". The Greek also includes protection, which v. 29 makes urgent.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greek Old Testament this word is used for kings and leaders as shepherds of Israel (2 Sam 5:2, of David). Ezekiel 34 is the key passage: Israel's shepherds fed themselves rather than the sheep, left the weak and lost uncared for, and let the flock be eaten by wild animals. So God says he himself will shepherd them (34:15) and set his servant David over them (34:23). Jeremiah 23:1–4 and Zechariah 11 attack false shepherds in a similar way.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 2:6 ποιμανεῖ will shepherd

    ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’”

    Here: "Will shepherd": guard, feed, guide and govern the flock. It is royal language, borrowed from God's commission of David in 2 Samuel 5:2.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 17:7 ποιμαίνοντα, shepherding,

    Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?

    Here: 'Tending the flock': grazing, guarding and watering sheep or goats. It is the second full day's work outdoors, after which the slave still has kitchen and table duties.

John · 1

  1. John 21:16 ποίμαινε do shepherd

    Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus told him, “Shepherd My sheep.”

    Here: A present-tense command meaning 'keep on shepherding'. It covers the whole of a shepherd's work: leading, guarding, gathering, finding pasture. It is broader than v.15's boske ('feed, pasture'). The man who failed is given the job of caring for others.

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 20:28 ποιμαίνειν to shepherd

    Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

    Here: Present infinitive of purpose: appointed in order to keep on shepherding. This covers the whole of a shepherd's work: leading, feeding, protecting and searching out strays.

1 Corinthians · 1

  1. 1 Corinthians 9:7 ποιμαίνει shepherds

    Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not drink of its milk?

    Here: To do the whole job of a shepherd: lead to pasture, guard, water, care for. It is wider than 'feed.'

1 Peter · 1

  1. 1 Peter 5:2 ποιμάνατε do shepherd

    Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed, but out of eagerness;

    Here: A command to do the whole work of a shepherd: feed, lead, protect, keep together, and govern the flock. It is the same verb the risen Jesus used when he told Peter, "Shepherd my sheep" (John 21:16).

Jude · 1

  1. Jude 1:12 ποιμαίνοντες· shepherding;

    These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted.

    Here: To act as shepherd, which covers feeding, guiding and protecting. 'Shepherding themselves' picks up Ezekiel 34:2 on Israel's bad shepherds who fed themselves. It suggests these people claimed some leading or teaching role.

Revelation · 4

  1. Revelation 2:27 ποιμανεῖ he will shepherd

    He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received authority from My Father.

    Here: 'He will shepherd.' This is the shepherd's word, which was also the old word for kingship. Here the shepherd's rod is turned against hostile nations, so in this verse the word means ruling them by overpowering them. It does not mean caring for them.

  2. Revelation 7:17 ποιμανεῖ will shepherd

    For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. ‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

    Here: 'He will shepherd.' The verb covers all of a shepherd's work: pasturing, guarding, leading and governing the flock. In Revelation the same verb is also used for ruling the nations 'with a rod of iron'.

  3. Revelation 12:5 ποιμαίνειν to rule

    And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

    Here: Literally 'to shepherd.' Kings were called shepherds, so it means to rule as a shepherd-king. Here it comes from Psalm 2:9 in the Greek, where the shepherd's rod falls on rebellious nations, so it carries the sense of forceful mastery and not only gentle care.

  4. Revelation 19:15 ποιμανεῖ will shepherd

    And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

    Here: Future tense, 'will shepherd'. This is the wording of Psalm 2:9 in the Greek Old Testament. With an iron rod, the shepherding means forceful mastery.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.