Bible Verses About Great Shepherd: 12

"Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,"

— Hebrews 13:20 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about Great Shepherd want Scripture on Hebrews' title megas poimēn — that great Shepherd of the sheep in Hebrews 13:20 — not only a Good Shepherd John 10 list or a Chief Shepherd 1 Peter 5:4 list alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about Good Shepherd, Bible verses about Chief Shepherd, Bible verses about Jesus, Bible verses about hope, Bible verses about faith, Bible verses about salvation, Bible verses about eternal life, Bible verses about God's love, Bible verses about worship, and Bible verse of the day. Great Shepherd here means Hebrews' great-Shepherd-of-the-sheep title after the resurrection — distinct from Good-Shepherd or Chief-Shepherd surveys alone.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, "great" is μέγας megas (Strong's G3173; Bible Hub G3173) — great, large. "Shepherd" is ποιμήν poimēn (Strong's G4166; Bible Hub G4166) — a shepherd. Hebrews 13:20 joins them: that great Shepherd of the sheep, brought back from the dead. This list tracks that resurrection-benediction title, not every shepherd passage alone.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Hebrews 13 presses that Christ is the great Shepherd of the sheep, raised by the God of peace through the blood of the everlasting covenant (Bible Hub MHC Hebrews 13; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Hebrews 13). (Good Shepherd and Chief Shepherd live on those pages; this list centers megas poimēn in Hebrews 13:20.)

12 Bible verses about Great Shepherd

1. Hebrews 13:20. "Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep," That great Shepherd of the sheep. See Bible verses about Jesus.

2. Hebrews 13:21. "equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Equip you… through Jesus Christ. See Bible verses about faith.

3. Isaiah 40:11. "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." He tends his flock like a shepherd. See Bible verses about God's love.

4. Ezekiel 34:23. "I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd." One shepherd… he will tend them. See Bible verses about hope.

5. Ezekiel 37:24. "'My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees." They will all have one shepherd. See Bible verses about salvation.

6. Psalm 23:1. "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." The Lord is my shepherd. See Bible verses about worship.

7. Psalm 80:1. "Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth" Shepherd of Israel. See Bible verses about hope.

8. Micah 5:4. "He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth." He will stand and shepherd his flock. See Bible verses about eternal life.

9. Zechariah 13:7. "'Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!' declares the Lord Almighty. 'Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.'" Strike the shepherd… sheep will be scattered. See Bible verses about Jesus.

10. John 21:15. "When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?' 'Yes, Lord,' he said, 'you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.'" Feed my lambs. See Bible verses about God's love.

11. John 21:16. "Again Jesus said, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep.'" Take care of my sheep. See Bible verses about faith.

12. Acts 20:28. "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." Be shepherds of the church of God. See Bible verses about salvation.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse when you need the Great Shepherd — not twelve as a grind. If you need Hebrews' title after the resurrection, start at Hebrews 13:20. If you need the God of peace who equips, open Hebrews 13:21. If you need the Lord as shepherd, open Psalm 23:1. For Good Shepherd more broadly, open Bible verses about Good Shepherd. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about Great Shepherd?

Hebrews 13:20 (that great Shepherd of the sheep) is the clear starting place.

How do Bible verses about Great Shepherd differ from Good Shepherd alone?

Good Shepherd centers John 10's care and laying down life. This page centers megas poimēn — Hebrews 13:20's great Shepherd raised through the eternal covenant — then cross-links. See Bible verses about Good Shepherd.

What do megas and poimēn mean?

Greek megas (G3173) means great; poimēn (G4166) means shepherd. Together in Hebrews 13:20 they name that great Shepherd of the sheep.

Is Great Shepherd the same as Chief Shepherd?

Related titles, different texts. Chief Shepherd centers 1 Peter 5:4; this page centers Hebrews 13:20. See Bible verses about Chief Shepherd.

How can I remember these verses?

Read Hebrews 13:20, then Hebrews 13:21. Thank God that the great Shepherd was brought back from the dead. For hope, open Bible verses about hope.

Sources

• Blue Letter Bible lexicons: G3173, G4166 (links above).
• Bible Hub Greek: G3173, G4166.
• Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: Hebrews 13 (links above).
• Scripture quotations NIV.