Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet?
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just about greed; it highlights a malicious wastefulness. The powerful leaders, after feasting on the best, actively destroy what's left, making it unusable for others, much like animals fouling water after drinking. This isn't merely taking for themselves, but a deliberate act of spoiling, ensuring no one else can benefit from what God provided.
Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel is speaking to the powerful leaders, the "rams and he-goats," who have been exploiting God's people. He uses the metaphor of greedy sheep to expose their selfish actions: they not only consume the best resources for themselves but then trample and muddy what's left, making it unusable for others. This passage is a direct accusation, setting up God's judgment against these corrupt shepherds who have failed to care for the flock.
Ever feel like some people just take and take, leaving nothing for anyone else? Ezekiel calls out a particularly nasty kind of greed.
The leaders Ezekiel addresses, called 'rams and he-goats,' weren't just satisfied with having the best for themselves. They didn't just eat the good pasture; they trampled the rest. They didn't just drink the clear water; they muddied it.
This imagery paints a stark picture of extreme selfishness. It's not just about hoarding resources, but actively ruining what's left for others. Imagine a feast where the hosts don't just eat their fill, but then deliberately destroy the remaining food and smash the dishes, so no one else can possibly enjoy them. This is the heart of their sin: a callous disregard for the well-being of those they were meant to lead and care for.
God provides abundantly, but what happens when those in charge twist His blessings into tools of oppression?
The 'good pasture' and 'clear water' in Ezekiel's message represent the blessings and provisions God intended for all. For ancient Israel, this included spiritual guidance, justice, and material well-being.
However, the leaders twisted these gifts. They claimed the best promises and provisions for themselves, often through unjust means. The 'residue' they trampled and muddied was what little remained for the common people, the poor, and the vulnerable. They not only took their fill but spoiled what was left, making it unusable or even harmful. This shows a profound corruption: taking God's generous provisions and turning them into instruments of misery for others.
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This prophecy was delivered during the Babylonian exile, a time when the wealthy and powerful among the exiles were exploiting the less fortunate, mirroring the very sins that led to Jerusalem's destruction. Ezekiel's powerful imagery highlights their selfishness and cruelty, painting a stark picture of how they hoarded God's blessings and denied others access to spiritual and material sustenance.
c. 597 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon deports King Jehoiachin and thousands of Jewish leaders and skilled workers to Babylon. This event marks a significant weakening of Judean leadership and foreshadows further exile.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Second Deportation
After a prolonged siege, Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population to Babylon. This is the most devastating blow to Judah.
c. 586-571 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Ministry in Exile
Ezekiel, among the exiles in Babylon, receives visions and pronounces judgment and hope. He addresses the spiritual and moral failings of the leaders and the people.
c. 571 BC
Ezekiel's Vision of the Restored Temple
The book of Ezekiel concludes with a vision of a future, restored Temple and land, symbolizing God's ultimate plan for His people's restoration and blessing.
Jesus condemns the religious leaders for taking away the key of knowledge, preventing people from entering God's kingdom, much like the leaders in Ezekiel are hoarding and spoiling resources.
James 5:1-6This passage directly addresses the wealthy oppressors, condemning them for hoarding riches and living in luxury while neglecting the needs of the poor, mirroring the actions of the 'rams and he-goats' in Ezekiel.
Matthew 23:13Jesus pronounces a 'woe' on the scribes and Pharisees for shutting the kingdom of heaven in people's faces, which parallels Ezekiel's imagery of leaders spoiling the 'pasture' and 'water' that rightfully belong to the flock.
1 Peter 5:2-3Peter contrasts the true shepherds with the greedy leaders in Ezekiel by urging elders to 'shepherd the flock of God that is among you,' not acting as greedy overlords but as willing servants.
clarkeEzekiel 34:18: "Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?"
Have eaten up the good pasture - Arrogate to yourselves all the promises of God, and will hardly permit the simple believer to claim or possess any token of God's favor. Ye must foul the residue with your feet? - Ye abuse God's mercies; you consume much upon you…
cambridgeEzekiel 34:18: "Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?"
18 . The words are addressed to the rams and he-goats—the magnates and ruling classes. deep waters ] clear (lit. settled) waters, cf. Ezekiel 32:14 .
This verse isn't just about greed; it highlights a malicious wastefulness. The powerful leaders, after feasting on the best, actively destroy what's left, making it unusable for others, much like animals fouling water after drinking. This isn't merely taking for themselves, but a deliberate act of spoiling, ensuring no one else can benefit from what God provided.
Ezekiel is speaking to the powerful leaders, the "rams and he-goats," who have been exploiting God's people. He uses the metaphor of greedy sheep to expose their selfish actions: they not only consume the best resources for themselves but then trample and muddy what's left, making it unusable for others. This passage is a direct accusation, setting up God's judgment against these corrupt shepherds who have failed to care for the flock.
Ezekiel is speaking to the powerful leaders, the "rams and he-goats," who have been exploiting God's people. He uses the metaphor of greedy sheep to expose their selfish actions: they not only consume the best resources for themselves but then trample and muddy what's left, making it unusable for others. This passage is a direct accusation, setting up God's judgment against these corrupt shepherds who have failed to care for the flock.
"Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet?" — This verse isn't just about greed; it highlights a malicious wastefulness. The powerful leaders, after feasting on the best, actively destroy what's left, making it unusable for others, much like ani…
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Last reviewed October 2026