📖 Biblical Definition
Jehovah-Rohi (יְהוָה רֹעִי) — "the LORD is my shepherd" — is the covenant name revealed in Psalm 23:1 and embodied in Christ as the good shepherd. David’s opening line is one of the most quoted in the world: "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." The shepherding image runs across Scripture: leading (v. 2), feeding, restoring (v. 3), defending (v. 4), and accompanying through the valley of the shadow of death. Jehovah-Rohi means God Himself takes the role of shepherd to His covenant people. Christ takes the title up directly in John 10:11, 14: "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep... I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." The Shepherd of Israel is Jesus of Nazareth.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
SHEP'HERD, n.
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A man employed in tending, feeding and guarding sheep in the pasture. Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord is my Shepherd; from Ps. 23.
📖 Key Scripture
Psalm 23:1 — "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."
John 10:11 — "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."
Ezekiel 34:11 — "Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out."
1 Peter 5:4 — "When the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern self-leadership rejects the rod and staff and ends up wandering.
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Psalm 23 begins with a possessive pronoun — my shepherd. The whole gospel is in that pronoun. The God of the universe is bound by covenant to be a personal shepherd to a particular sheep. The lines that follow describe what that shepherd does: leads, feeds, restores, walks through valleys, prepares tables in the presence of enemies, anoints, pursues with goodness and mercy.
Modern Western Christianity has been seduced by the language of self-leadership. Be your own shepherd. Lead yourself. Listen to your truth. Sheep do not lead themselves; they wander into wolves. Jehovah-Rohi is the only shepherd a sheep needs and the only one who works. Christ Himself takes this title in John 10 and lays down His life for the sheep. The choice is shepherded or scattered. Pick.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew YHWH-Roʾi (H3068 + H7462).
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Usage
"Sheep do not lead themselves; the modern self-leadership gospel is a recipe for wolves."
"The whole gospel is in the pronoun: my shepherd."
"Jehovah-Rohi walks with His sheep through the valley of the shadow — not around it."