Pastor
by Brad Scott
Most of us have grown up in some kind of church. Most of us had a pastor of sorts that we all looked up to for knowledge and spiritual guidance. Ever since I was ordained by my pastor, I have been called pastor. Interestingly enough, sometimes I get letters or emails that address me as "Pasture Scott". This would seem quite humorous if it were not for the fact that the words pastor and pasture are related in the Latin and the Hebrew, from whence we get the English words.
It is quite easy to see the relationship between the words in the English. Both words incorporate the p, s, t, and r letters. In Hebrew the word for pastor is ra'ah (רעה). This word is also the word for shepherd. The root used here means to feed. The Hebrew word for pasture is mire'eh (מרעה). The heart of this word is ra'ah. There is a clear cognate relationship between 'pastor' and 'pasture' because there is a clear theological relationship. According to the Word of God, a shepherd (pastor) is called to feed the sheep from the pasture, the Word of God. The true food of the sheep is to be fed to them by a true shepherd. This is why there is much prophetic condemnation in the Scriptures for those false shepherds who are not feeding the sheep.
See Yechezeq’el (Ezekiel) 34:1-17, Yochanan (John) 10:1-18.Shalom Alecheim! ◊