To tend a flock; i.e. pasture it; intransitively, to graze (literally or figuratively); generally to rule ; by extension, to associate with (as a friend)
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רָעָה (raah) is the Hebrew verb for shepherding — to tend, pasture, or lead a flock. Its nominal form is רֹעֶה (ro'eh, shepherd), and the two words together generate one of the richest image-systems in the entire OT.
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Full entry for רָעָה (H7462) · Open the biblical lexicon
רָעָה (raah) is the Hebrew verb for shepherding — to tend, pasture, or lead a flock. Its nominal form is רֹעֶה (ro'eh, shepherd), and the two words together generate one of the richest image-systems in the entire OT.
The BSB source-word alignment has 175 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include shepherd (11), the shepherds (9), shepherds (8), a shepherd (7), of the Shepherds (5).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 4:2. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (32), Jeremiah (27), Genesis (23), Isaiah (17).
This entry includes 1 verse guide that explain exact original-language forms in context.
רָעָה (raah) is the Hebrew verb for shepherding — to tend, pasture, or lead a flock. Its nominal form is רֹעֶה (ro'eh, shepherd), and the two words together generate one of the richest image-systems in the entire OT. The shepherd in the ancient Near East was not merely a herdsman; the word was a standard metaphor for kings, gods, and leaders. To 'shepherd' a people meant to govern, protect, provide for, and be responsible for their welfare.
The OT deploys raah in three theological registers: (1) YHWH as the shepherd of Israel (Ps 23, 'the Lord is my shepherd'; Ps 80:1, 'Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel'), (2) Israel's leaders (kings, priests, prophets) as shepherds who are accountable for how they tend the flock (Ezek 34 is the extended indictment of Israel's false shepherds), and (3) the coming messianic shepherd who will do what Israel's failed leaders could not (Ezek 34:23-24, 'I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David').
The pastoral (from the Latin pastor, shepherd) vocabulary of the Christian ministry traces directly to this Hebrew root. When Jesus calls himself the 'Good Shepherd' (John 10:11), he is explicitly locating himself in the messianic-shepherd promise of Ezekiel 34. When Paul charges elders to 'shepherd the church of God' (Acts 20:28), he is applying the raah obligation to those entrusted with the congregation's care.
The local Hebrew index currently counts about 164 H7462 occurrences in the OT, making the shepherd image one of the most developed in the entire biblical corpus. The word is politically charged in the ancient world — kings were called shepherds of their people — which gives Ezekiel 34's indictment its full weight: Israel's kings have been catastrophically false shepherds.
The messianic promise is correspondingly radical: YHWH himself will come to do what the human shepherds failed to do. When Jesus says 'I am the good shepherd' and 'the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep,' he is making a claim that no human shepherd can make: the divine shepherd of Ezekiel 34 has arrived, and the cost of his shepherding is his own life.
Raah moves from the personal YHWH-as-shepherd of the patriarchs (Gen 48:15) through the great Ps 23 image, through Ezekiel's indictment-and-promise structure (false shepherds condemned; the true messianic shepherd coming), to John 10 where Jesus explicitly identifies as the Good Shepherd of Ezekiel's prophecy. The NT extension applies raah to under-shepherds in the church (1 Pet 5:2, 'shepherd the flock of God'; Acts 20:28) — but always with Christ as the archipoimen (chief shepherd, 1 Pet 5:4), the one whose raah is the model and standard.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Hebrew word. Shepherd metaphor foundational to kingship and covenantal care; moves from literal pasturing to ruling to companionship.
Shepherd metaphor foundational to kingship and covenantal care; moves from literal pasturing to ruling to companionship.
to tend a flock; i.e. pasture it; intransitively, to graze (literally or figuratively); generally to rule; by extension, to associate with (as a friend) BDB: binding-house of the shepherds Usage: × break, companion, keep company with, devour, eat up, evil entreat, feed, use as a friend, make friendship with, herdman, keep (sheep) (-er), pastor, shearing house, shepherd, wander, waste.
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 6 selected witnesses from 164 lexical occurrence verses.
רָעָה is a primitive root - no further derivation.
The word evokes shepherd imagery, emphasizing guidance and care through speech. Isaiah 44:24-28
It defines the Messiah’s rule as protective, nurturing, and covenantally faithful. Micah 5:1-5
It reinforces God’s covenant role as protector and leader of His people. Micah 7:14-17
Describes Cyrus as an instrument serving divine purpose. Proverbs 10:21
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Raah opens the theology of pastoral care as covenant obligation, not professional role. The shepherd in the OT is responsible for the welfare of every member of the flock — the diseased, broken, lost, and driven away. Preaching raah gives the congregation a vocabulary for what faithful leadership looks like (Ezek 34's positive list) and what failure looks like (the self-feeding shepherds). It also opens the Christological claim of John 10: Jesus does what every human shepherd failed to do.
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