Shepherd

Shepherd is invoked here as an ironic backstory to David's rise — the same God who once watched over a boy tending sheep in the fields is now presiding over the construction of a capital city around that same man.

David's shepherd origins are specifically invoked by God to highlight the magnitude of what he has done — the distance from Bethlehem's pastures to Jerusalem's throne was entirely God's doing.

The shepherd identity is recalled here to heighten the contrast — the same boy who once guarded flocks is now the king who has subdued nations and redrawn regional borders.

Shepherd appears here as the first role in David's life resume, anchoring his identity before warrior or king — the origin point of the man now organizing an entire nation's sacred service.

The shepherd is one of Paul's common-sense illustrations — someone who tends a flock has a natural right to benefit from it, just as a minister of the gospel has a right to material support.

The shepherd identity is invoked here to contrast David's humble origins with his current state — the boy who tended flocks and slew giants now lies helpless under blankets.

The shepherd reference anticipates David — the unknown boy tending flocks in Bethlehem who will replace Saul as the king God has already chosen, contrasting Saul's pride with pastoral humility.

Shepherd is David's identity at the moment of his anointing — the brothers who watched animals would now watch him receive the Spirit, forever reframing what that humble role had been preparing him for.

Shepherd is the credential David actually claims before Saul — his dangerous work protecting sheep from lions and bears is presented as the very training ground where God built his trust and his skill.

Shepherd marks David's social origin here — the contrast between a lowly shepherd boy and a crown prince freely giving him his royal garments underscores how dramatically God's favor upends human status hierarchies.

Shepherd appears here as a descriptor of David's humble origins — the starting point of a life that rose to kingship — contrasting the pastoral past with the royal present Solomon now inherits.

Shepherd is used here in Micaiah's prophecy as a royal metaphor — Israel scattered like sheep without one means the king is dead, a pointed image that condemns Ahab's fate without naming him directly.

The shepherd metaphor is invoked here to contrast genuine spiritual leadership with false teachers — the wolves in sheep's clothing aren't just wrong, they're actively imitating the role of a caretaker.

The shepherd identity is invoked here as David's defining origin story, making the betrayal ahead all the more jarring — the caring shepherd is about to become the predatory king.

Shepherd surfaces here as the implicit backstory to David's transformation — the boy who once watched sheep in obscurity is now describing how God built him into a warrior king through patient care.

Shepherd appears here as part of David's origin story within the oracle's introduction — the stunning arc from tending flocks to ruling a nation underscores the covenant God made with him.

The shepherd metaphor surfaces here as a pointed contrast — David, whom God called from tending sheep with nothing, is now counting soldiers as his source of security, inverting his entire origin story.

Shepherd is the metaphor Paul uses to define the elders' role — genuine leaders who protect the flock, in contrast to the wolves and self-serving insiders he warns are coming.

Amos's occupation as a shepherd is central to his identity here — his rural, non-elite background contrasts sharply with the weight of the message he was chosen to carry.

Shepherd is invoked here to underscore Amos's outsider status — he was not a religious professional but a livestock man, making his divine commission all the more striking.

Shepherd describes Amos's actual occupation, establishing that God chose an outsider from a rural, working-class background to deliver a message the religious establishment wouldn't dare speak.

Shepherd identifies Amos's actual vocation, establishing that God chose someone from the margins of society rather than the religious establishment to confront Israel's corruption.

Shepherd describes Amos's actual occupation, establishing his outsider status and underscoring that God chose a rural livestock keeper to address the nation's most powerful and privileged.

Shepherd describes Moses' obscure middle decades — forty years tending flocks in Midian after fleeing Egypt, the seemingly wasted years God was using to prepare the man who would shepherd an entire nation.

The shepherds appear here as the antagonists who bully Reuel's daughters away from the well — Moses drives them off, a small act of protection that echoes his larger calling as a future shepherd of Israel.

The shepherd role marks Moses' complete fall from Egyptian royalty — tending someone else's flock in the wilderness is the opposite of palace life, yet this is the unlikely position from which God calls him.

Moses' identity as a shepherd underscores his lack of status and credentials; he has no political standing, no army, no title — just a walking stick and a flock of sheep.