Which tribe was also called the 'Shepherd King'?
Answers
The ideal of the good "shepherd king" is a very ancient Near Eastern concept, dating back to even before biblical times. As Jack W. Vancil writes, "Throughout Mesopotamian history, the shepherd image was commonly used to designated gods and kings; and as a title for kings this use is attested from practically every period....The king as a shepherd and as a representative of the gods was expected to rule with justice and to show kindness in counseling, protecting, and guiding the people through every difficulty" (Anchor Bible Dictionary [1992], s.v. "Sheep, Shepherd," here vol. V p. 1188; for earlier discussions, see articles "Sheep" and "Shepherd" in Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible [1962] and in Harper's Bible Dictionary [1985].)
This image was picked up by the biblical writers and applied to God in the Old Testament and Christ in the New Testament as the true "shepherd king" of his people, and also to kings as an ideal to which they should measure up but all too often--as in Ezechiel 34--did not.
The durability of this image is shown by the title of W. A. Mozart's 1775 opera Il Re Pastore, "The Shepherd King."