People & groups
Shepherd
A person who guides, feeds, guards, and tends sheep.
Also called · Sheepherder · Pastor
What it means
Shepherds moved flocks to food and water, protected them from danger, and cared for injured or missing animals. The work required vigilance and endurance.
Because the relationship was familiar, Scripture uses shepherd imagery for kings, other leaders, God, and Jesus, measuring leadership by protective care.
How it appears in the Bible
Shepherding appears from early Genesis onward as both ordinary work and one of the Bible’s major images of responsible rule.