A Hebrew verb meaning to shepherd, tend, feed, pasture, graze, rule, associate with. It describes the comprehensive care a shepherd provides for a flock — leading, feeding, protecting, and guiding. The participial form ro'eh means 'shepherd' and became one of the most important titles for both human leaders and God Himself.
The shepherd metaphor pervades Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Jacob calls God 'the God who has shepherded me all my life long' (Genesis 48:15). Psalm 23 — 'The LORD is my shepherd' — may be the most beloved declaration in all Scripture, portraying God as the perfect ro'eh who provides, guides, protects, and restores. God condemns Israel's failed shepherds (Ezekiel 34) and promises to shepherd His people Himself. Jesus claims this title: 'I am the good shepherd' (John 10:11). He commissions Peter to 'shepherd my sheep' (John 21:16). The word reveals that true authority is servant-leadership — the powerful one who makes himself responsible for the vulnerable.